Big Chief
Bo Dollis Jr. (Gerard Dollis)
Son of Big Chief Bo Dollis; leads the Wild Magnolias and the band Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. & the Wild Magnolias.
Oddusee · New Orleans
The Wild Magnolias date back to at least the 1950s and rose to prominence after Theodore "Bo" Dollis became Big Chief in 1964. Their 1970 single "Handa Wanda" and 1974 Polydor album, produced with Willie Tee, were among the first commercial recordings of Mardi Gras Indian music, and the gang played the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 1970. Bo Dollis received the NEA National Heritage Fellowship in 2011 and died in January 2015; his son Gerard "Bo Jr." Dollis now leads the tribe and its touring band. Founded: 1950s Neighborhood: Central City (Uptown) Comes out: Mardi Gras morning Uptown in Central City; Uptown gangs traditionally meet around 2nd & Dryades.
The Council
Every name here carries the tribe — the council that leads the gang out, and the members who sew and mask. Council first, then the gang.
Council · The Tribe Comes Out Behind Them
Big Chief
Son of Big Chief Bo Dollis; leads the Wild Magnolias and the band Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. & the Wild Magnolias.
Big Chief · In Memoriam
In Memoriam (1944-2015). Big Chief from 1964; 2011 NEA National Heritage Fellow.
Big Queen
Widow of Big Chief Bo Dollis.
Council Chief
Golden Eagles Big Chief who sang and recorded with the Wild Magnolias from the late 1960s until 2001.
Masking Days · When This Tribe Comes Out