Papa Dukie & The Mud People
The story of Papa Dukie & The Mud People begins in the early 1970s in a little river community of Edgard, Louisiana. Edgard is southwest of New Orleans and east of Baton Rouge, the state capital. To Tommy Malone and Steve Amedée, two young high school boys, it was where the sugar cane grew and their fun was had — out on, or behind the levee. The levee, of course, is that man-made earthen mound about 20 feet high that traverses the Mississippi River, protecting the town from floods should the water ever rise. Behind the levee was a patch of land called the batture, which physically separated the river from the levee. This is where Tommy and Steve would go fishing, hang out, be teenagers, and do whatever it was the occasion called for.
The next town to the west was Wallace. One day, two busloads of hippies showed up in Wallace and decided to camp on the batture behind the levee. They called themselves Papa Dukie & the Mud People. Dukie was actually Eddie "Duke" Edwards, a professional drummer who came back home to Louisiana after a shot at the big time in California. Papa Dukie & the Mud People were a full band of musicians, cooks, craft makers…people of all kinds and colors.
They brought a generator and built a makeshift stage and would jam until all hours of the night. They would serve food, sell crafts, T-shirts, and other wares. Tommy and Steve thought this scene was real cool and would regularly go down to observe, particularly after they heard rumors that the hippie girls were swimming naked in the river. The deputy sheriff in Wallace at that time was Robert “Momio” Cazenave, and he was summoned by the locals to keep an eye on the scene. He must have enjoyed what he saw because he deemed them law-abiding citizens. Of course, people inevitably started talking and taking sides regarding the intentions of the Mud People. At home, they were the "suppertime conversation" for a couple months. Were they there to corrupt young minds? To promote promiscuity? Turn children into drug addicts? In reality, they were just simple people, promoting only peace and harmony with other human beings and having a little fun. Nothing more, nothing less.
It was an exciting, wonderful time, and one which Tommy and Steve look back on with fond memories.
The next town to the west was Wallace. One day, two busloads of hippies showed up in Wallace and decided to camp on the batture behind the levee. They called themselves Papa Dukie & the Mud People. Dukie was actually Eddie "Duke" Edwards, a professional drummer who came back home to Louisiana after a shot at the big time in California. Papa Dukie & the Mud People were a full band of musicians, cooks, craft makers…people of all kinds and colors.
They brought a generator and built a makeshift stage and would jam until all hours of the night. They would serve food, sell crafts, T-shirts, and other wares. Tommy and Steve thought this scene was real cool and would regularly go down to observe, particularly after they heard rumors that the hippie girls were swimming naked in the river. The deputy sheriff in Wallace at that time was Robert “Momio” Cazenave, and he was summoned by the locals to keep an eye on the scene. He must have enjoyed what he saw because he deemed them law-abiding citizens. Of course, people inevitably started talking and taking sides regarding the intentions of the Mud People. At home, they were the "suppertime conversation" for a couple months. Were they there to corrupt young minds? To promote promiscuity? Turn children into drug addicts? In reality, they were just simple people, promoting only peace and harmony with other human beings and having a little fun. Nothing more, nothing less.
It was an exciting, wonderful time, and one which Tommy and Steve look back on with fond memories.
Long live the spirit of Papa Dukie & Mud People.
The Subdudes
(Here's a link to the song...If this doesn't get your feet jumpin', then you should probably have your pulse checked....Ayhee!!)
1 comment:
Hello,nice post thanks for sharing?. I just joined and I am going to catch up by reading for a while. I hope I can join in soon.
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