John Boudreaux

John Mortimer Boudreaux, Jr. (December 10, 1936, New Roads, Louisiana – January 14, 2017, Los Angeles) was an American drummer who was active in jazz, soul, and rhythm & blues idioms.

Boudreaux had family members who lived in New Orleans, including his grandfather, who was a percussionist with a Mardi Gras krewe. As a child, he studied with Harold Battiste, Ed Blackwell, and Ellis Marsalis on drums. He played jazz music in clubs and became a session musician on many New Orleans recordings of the 1950s and 1960s, including on many of Allen Toussaint's productions. Along with Earl Palmer, he was one of the most prolific studio drummers in New Orleans. Among the musicians he accompanied were Duke Burrell, Dr. John, Charlie Fairlie, Barbara George, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, and Professor Longhair. He was also the house drummer at New Orleans's Dew Drop Inn, where he played behind Al Hibbler, Big Joe Turner, and Dinah Washington. He played in California for a few years with Melvin Lastie and Tami Lynn, and did more session work, with Sam Cooke, Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, Billy Eckstine, Dexter Gordon, Groove Holmes, Big Mama Thornton, and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson. Later in his career, he began playing saxophone, marimba, and timpani as well.^[1]

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