17 Facts About Eddie Bo

Edwin Joseph Bocage, known as Eddie Bo, was an American singer and pianist from New Orleans.

Eddie Bo debuted on Ace Records in 1955 and released more single records than anyone else in New Orleans other than Fats Domino.

Eddie Bo worked and recorded for more than 40 different record labels, including Ace, Apollo Records, Arrow, At Last, Blue-Jay, Bo-Sound, Checker, Chess, Cinderella, Nola, Ric, Scram, Seven B, and Swan.

Eddie Bo grew up in Algiers, Louisiana and in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

Eddie Bo came from a long line of ship builders with the male members of his family being bricklayers, carpenters and masons by day and musicians by night.

Eddie Bo played at the Club Tijuana under the name of Spider Bocage, later forming the Spider Bocage Orchestra, which toured the country supporting singers Big Joe Turner, Earl King, Guitar Slim, Johnny Adams, Lloyd Price, Ruth Brown, Smiley Lewis, and The Platters.

Eddie Bo's first released record in 1955 was "Baby", recorded for Johnny Vincent's Ace Records.

Eddie Bo either wrote or produced most of the titles on Seven B records.

Eddie Bo worked as a record producer, with musicians including Irma Thomas, Chris Kenner, Johnny Adams.

Eddie Bo then formed his own label, Bo-Sound, and had another regional hit with "Check Your Bucket".

In 1977 he released two albums, The Other Side of Eddie Bo and Watch for the Coming, which he produced himself.

Eddie Bo joined Willy DeVille to play on two DeVille records, Victory Mixture and Big Easy Fantasy, and he toured with DeVille as well.

Eddie Bo later joined up with Raful Neal and Rockin' Tabby Thomas playing and recording under the names The Louisiana Legends, The District Court and The Hoodoo Kings.

Eddie Bo continued to perform frequently in New Orleans and at festivals elsewhere, and toured intermittently.

Eddie Bo bought a doctor's office and salon on Banks Street which he and his manager converted into an eatery for fans called "Check Your Bucket" after his 1970 hit.

Eddie Bo died on March 18,2009, in Picayune, Mississippi, United States, of a heart attack, aged 78.

Eddie Bo was survived by two sisters; Gloria Bocage-Sylva, who lives in Oakland, California, and Lisa Bocage-Howard, and two brothers; Oliver and Cornelius; plus eleven children: Valeri Ann Bocage, Edwin Joseph Bocage, Jr.