"Big Chief"- Richard Scott Power Trio

Richard Scott Power Trio: "Big Chief"

"Big Chief" is a song composed by Earl King in the early 1960s and became a hit in New Orleans for Professor Longhair in 1964, featuring a whistled first chorus in a rolling New Orleans blues piano style. The tune became popular in New Orleans, frequently performed by local musicians such as Dr. John, and is now a staple of the repertory of most brass bands and musicians in the area.

 

The song refers to the Mardi Gras Indians who are an important part of the African American Mardi Gras tradition. Mardi Gras Indian gangs have existed since the late 19th Century/ early 20th century and each gang performs its own original songs and dances on Mardi Gras Day, on "Super Sunday" (the Sunday before St. Patrick's Day) and at other functions in the community. The "Big Chief", the "Spy Boy", the "Flag Boy" and several other roles or offices are important to the Mardi Gras Indian tradition of "masking" (parading through the street in full costume).