Ernie K-Doe

Ernie K-Doe was known as one of New Orleans' hitmaking R&B vocalists in the '60s, and in later years as one of the city's great characters. Born Ernest Kador, he first recorded as a member of the doo-wop group the Blue Diamonds in the mid-'50s. In 1961 he was one of the first singers to work with the rising writer/producer/arranger Allen Toussaint, Sensing that mother-in-law jokes were popular among Borscht Belt comedians at the time, Toussaint figured that a song called "Mother-in-Law" could be a hit. He was correct, and the song topped both the pop and R&B charts. K-Doe would later claim that only three songs would be around forever: "Amazing Grace," "The Star Spangled Banner" and "Mother-in-Law." Though K-Doe managed a couple more minor R&B hits ("Tain't It the Truth" and "Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta") his national career largely ended there; he reunited with Toussaint for a self-titled 1971 album that initially went nowhere. By the late '80s however he was back to performing in New Orleans and becoming known for his personality; calling himself "Emperor of the Universe" he had a popular weekly show on radio station WWOZ that consisted largely of him singing along with his own records. T-shirts bearing his slogan "Burn K-Doe Burn!" sprung up around town. He also became a fixture at New Orleans' Jazz & Heritage Festival where he would remind audiences of his own importance-promising for example to make an album where every song was a hit, so it wouldn't matter if the DJ played the wrong track by mistake. In 1994 K-Doe and his wife Antoinette opened the Mother-in-Law Lounge in the Treme neighborhood. Even after K-Doe died of liver failure in 2001, Antoinette kept the club alive, restoring it after Katrina; she also made frequent public appearances with the club's resident K-Doe statue, actually a lifesize wax doll. She also entered K-Doe as a candidate for Mayor of New Orleans six years after his death, when he received a few hundred votes. The most surprising development came in 2007 when an unknown track from the 1971 album, "Here Come the Girls," was used for a Boots pharmacy ad in England; the producers apparently heard it on a New Orleans funk compilation. Both the original version and a cover by the Sugarbabies charted in England; writer Toussaint began performing the song live. Though Antoinette died in 2009 the Mother-in-Law Lounge continued to thrive; it was reopened in 2014 by its current owner, the popular local trumpeter Kermit Ruffins.