Back in 1973, music and television producer John Shoup moved back to New Orleans from Chicago, Southern California, and New York City where he managed and produced several Chess Recording artists as well as many of Pete Fountain’s concert road trips. Shoup had met Fountain at a 1956 Mardi Gras when Pete was with the Dukes of Dixieland.
Later that year (November, 1973), Shoup was in St. Charles, Illinois when he saw a marquee advertising the Dukes of Dixieland, so he stopped in to say hello to Frank Assunto (Freddie had passed in 1964). The two sat down in between sets and talked about old times. Frank Assunto mentioned he wasn’t feeling well, but that didn’t stop him from killing a bottle of gin. He was concerned about keeping the name going since he was in his 24th year of performing.
He died 3 months later on Mardi Gras Day – February 1974.
A month later Pete Fountain, Al Hirt and Shoup held a fund raiser for the widows and with the permission of Freddie Assunto’s widow, Shoup was talked into taking over the Dukes.
Shoup hired Pete Fountain’s coronet player, Connie Jones, as leader since Pete was downsizing his band. So Shoup and Jones put together their first new version of the band and held their first concert in July 1974 with the Chicago Pops at the Grant Park band shell.
It was difficult booking top concert facilities because the Dukes were better known as lounge acts. Shoup negotiated a lease in the French Quarter with artist Louis Prima, who was living in Las Vegas at the time, and in December 1974 producer John Shoup took the DUKES of Dixieland and opened their own jazz club atop the Monteleone Hotel in the French Quarter calling it “DUKES’ PLACE” with the blessing of its previous owner, Louis Prima. Playing four sets a night, often stretching till dawn, when three bucks would take care of the two drink minimum, DUKES’ PLACE also became the home base for a number of television jazz sessions produced by Shoup for PBS, including the early Marsalis family, Stephane Grappelli, Les McCann and Toots Thielemans.
The DUKES started accepting 30 dates a year with orchestras, festivals and Performing Arts centers, both in the USA and overseas, never straying long before returning home first to DUKES’ PLACE until 1986; then a new home on Bourbon Street called MAHOGANY HALL and in 1992, they moved home base to the STEAMBOAT NATCHEZ where they have remained ever since. But still performing only 30 concerts a year with seven different themes (“Mardi Gras”, “Blues on the Bayou”, “Symphonic Jazz”, “Voodoo Revue”, “Celebrating Satchmo”, “New Orleans Jazz Legends”, and “Back to Bourbon Street”). And in-between, they continue to work the dinner cruise for 45 weeks a year, 7 nights a week.
They also found time to record (31 albums), produce three (3) PBS television shows (“New Orleans Pops”, “Salute to Jelly Roll Morton”, and “Celebrating Satchmo”) , and stream one show a week up to the internet. Unlike their dixieland name, they play New Orleans music, from Dr. John and Fats Domino, to Huey Smith and Louis Prima, not to mention many of their original tunes. With a repertoire of roughly 400 tunes, there is room for all of the above and still be the pre-eminent New Orleans band as well as New Orleans Ambassadors.
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