As the son of legendary Wild Magnolias Big Chief Bo Dollis, Gerard “Bo Jr.” Dollis grew up steeped in Mardi Gras Indian culture.

Following his father’s death in 2015, he assumed leadership of both the tribe and the Mardi Gras Indian funk band of the same name.

The cover of “Chip Off the Old Block,” the new album by Big Chief Bo Dollis Jr. & the Wild Magnolias , alludes to that New Orleans lineage. It features a vintage photo of Gerard as a little boy perched on his father’s lap.

But the music follows a different path. Specifically, it follows the Mississippi River to Memphis.

Most of “Chip Off the Old Block” was recorded in Memphis with a band featuring four members of the Hi Rhythm Section, the house band for a slew of classic recordings by Al Green and others.

The album's playlist

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