Biography
More than four decades after the Fabulous Boogie Kings first assembled in Eunice, LA, the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur, TX, recognized the ensemble’s longevity and skill by placing the band in the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame. The Louisiana Hall of Fame had already welcomed the group in 1994, and two years after that honor the South Louisiana Music Association presented the musicians with a lifetime-achievement award. Such distinctions marked an impressive trajectory for a unit that began as a teenage garage band deep in Cajun country, dissolved for slightly more than twenty years, and then staged a strong return.
The original roster featured guitarist Harris Miller, drummer Bert Miller, guitarist Doug Ardoin (also known as Doug Charles), and Maurice Guillory, who performed under the names Skip Morris and Skip Stewart. Subsequent members over the years included Duane Yates, Jon Smith, saxophonist Dale Gothia, G.G. Shinn, Gary Walker, Gary Dorsey, Tommy McLain, Jerry LaCroix (also known as Jerry Jackson), and Clint Guillory (also known as Clint West). Trumpeter Ned Theall, a native of Abbeville, LA, joined during the 1960s and has directed the group ever since its 1991 revival.
Under Theall’s leadership the band moved away from its initial swamp-pop style toward a sound closer to blue-eyed soul, while the lineup expanded to roughly a dozen players. Those adjustments secured engagements in Las Vegas and three coast-to-coast tours during the late 1960s. The musicians also served as studio and stage support for artists such as Ray Charles, B.B. King, the Righteous Brothers, and Otis Redding. By the close of the decade, however, bookings had sharply declined, and public appearances were thereafter limited to occasional reunion concerts. When the Fabulous Boogie Kings resurfaced in the 1990s they successfully reclaimed their swamp-pop roots. In 1993 the regional hit “I Love That Swamp Pop Music” appeared, followed by the album Swamp Boogie Blues. That recording featured guest contributions from several foundational swamp-pop vocalists as well as an accordion performance by fellow Cajun Wayne Toups.
The original roster featured guitarist Harris Miller, drummer Bert Miller, guitarist Doug Ardoin (also known as Doug Charles), and Maurice Guillory, who performed under the names Skip Morris and Skip Stewart. Subsequent members over the years included Duane Yates, Jon Smith, saxophonist Dale Gothia, G.G. Shinn, Gary Walker, Gary Dorsey, Tommy McLain, Jerry LaCroix (also known as Jerry Jackson), and Clint Guillory (also known as Clint West). Trumpeter Ned Theall, a native of Abbeville, LA, joined during the 1960s and has directed the group ever since its 1991 revival.
Under Theall’s leadership the band moved away from its initial swamp-pop style toward a sound closer to blue-eyed soul, while the lineup expanded to roughly a dozen players. Those adjustments secured engagements in Las Vegas and three coast-to-coast tours during the late 1960s. The musicians also served as studio and stage support for artists such as Ray Charles, B.B. King, the Righteous Brothers, and Otis Redding. By the close of the decade, however, bookings had sharply declined, and public appearances were thereafter limited to occasional reunion concerts. When the Fabulous Boogie Kings resurfaced in the 1990s they successfully reclaimed their swamp-pop roots. In 1993 the regional hit “I Love That Swamp Pop Music” appeared, followed by the album Swamp Boogie Blues. That recording featured guest contributions from several foundational swamp-pop vocalists as well as an accordion performance by fellow Cajun Wayne Toups.
Albums