The New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic & Assistance Foundation will host a salutation to Big Chief Bo Dollis on Wednesday, March 19 from 5-7pm at 1525 Louisiana Avenue.  

The tribute will be an opportunity for all in the community to pay respects to Big Chief Bo Dollis as they make their way to the St. Joseph’s Night festivities.

Theodore Emile “Bo” Dollis is the Big Chief of the Wild Magnolias, a tribe named in honor of Magnolia Street in Uptown New Orleans. He recorded the seminal albums They Call Us Wild and The Wild Magnolias which skillfully merge Mardi Gras Indian sound and cultural tradition with New Orleans funk and rhythm and blues.  

Since Bo suffered a massive stroke in 2006 his health has continued to declinc, yet he continues to be an outspoken advocate for the New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic and Assistance Foundation, a local nonprofit which has provided comprehensive occupational care for musicians and cultural tradition bearers since 1998.

All of the Mardi Gras Indians are invited to pass by the balcony of the New Orleans Musicians’ Assistance Foundation to pay tribute to Bo en route to their St. Joseph’s night procession.

The tradition of masking on St. Joseph’s night is reported to have started prior to World War I and this year we are asking that the gangs come by to sing a tribute to one of the great chiefs, Bo Dollis.