Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
Big Chief Monk Boudreaux (born Joseph Pierre Boudreaux in
New Orleans, Louisiana,
USA,
1941
- ) is the Big Chief of the
Mardi Gras Indian tribe, the Golden Eagles. He is widely
known for his long time collaboration with Big Chief
Bo Dollis in the Wild Magnolias.
In 1970, Boudreaux appeared with the Wild Magnolias at the very first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and also in the same year, the group released the single "Handa Wanda" on Crescent City Records, the first studio recorded music by the Mardi Gras Indians. In 1974, he appeared with the Wild Magnolias on their debut album on Barclay/Polydor Records which featured Snooks Eaglin and Willie Tee in the supporting musicians. Boudreaux is exclusively featured on Golden Eagles' album Lightning and Thunder, a live recording released in 1988 on Rounder Records.
After being with the Wild Magnolias for over 30 years, Boudreaux left the group in 2001 as a result of disputes with the group's manager over guarantee payments.[2] Since then he has performed and recorded with artists such as Anders Osborne, Galactic and Papa Mali aside from the Golden Eagles.
In the recent years, he has also participated in the recording and tour of the Voice of the Wetlands All-stars, a band that also featured Tab Benoit, Cyril Neville, and Dr. John among others. He is also featured on one track in the New Orleans Social Club's album Sing Me Back Home released in 2006. He currently performs regularly with John Lisi & Delta Funk in New Orleans, and an album they recorded together in California is set to be released.[3]
Boudreaux appeared in full dress on the 2006 Congo Square Poster of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.