The Hawketts

The Hawketts
OriginNew Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Genres
Years active1950s
LabelsChess
Past members

The Hawketts were an American R&B combo from New Orleans, Louisiana who are best known for their 1954 recording of "Mardi Gras Mambo", a song that has become an iconic classic of the New Orleans Carnival celebration.

The band's members hailed from the African American community in New Orleans, Louisiana, and were all teenagers when they recorded the 1954 song written by Frankie Adams, Ken Elliot and Lou Welsh.[1][2] Their membership consisted of Art Neville on lead vocals and piano, who was only sixteen years old at the time of the recording, and would later gain fame in the Meters and the Neville Brothers, George Davis on alto sax, Alfred August on guitar, Israel Bell on trumpet, August Fleuri on trumpet, Carroll Joseph on trombone, Morris "Moe" Bachemin on tenor sax, and John Boudreaux on drums.[2] The band had no bass player.[2][3] According to drummer John Boudreaux, "We didn't know that a band was supposed to have a bass player."[2][4] The song they recorded reflects rhumba and Caribbean influences in early New Orleans R&B.[5]

  1. ^ Fensterstock, Alison (February 25, 2014). "Your Mardi Gras Midday Music Break is the 'Mardi Gras Mambo'". NOLA Media Group. NOLA.com/Times Picayune. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Gioia, Ted. "The Hawkettes (Featuring Art Neville): Mardi Gras Mambo". Jazz.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  3. ^ Hiltbrand, Hiltbrand (May 29, 1987). "First Family Of Funk The Neville Brothers Bring Their New Orleans Sound To Jambalaya Jam". Philly.com. Archived from the original on September 22, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  4. ^ Caporaletti, Danny (February 11, 2015). "As Al Would Say, It's Carnival Time". New Olrleans. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  5. ^ Lopez, Kenny (February 16, 2015). "What exactly is the Mardi Gras Mambo?". Tribune Broadcasting. WGNO 26 TV. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.