Antoinette K-Doe

Last updated

Antoinette Kador (February 3, 1943 - February 24, 2009) was the spouse of R&B singer Ernie K-Doe. She was also owner of the Mother-in-Law Lounge in New Orleans, a pub and shrine to her late husband. She was a notable cook and costume designer, putting her skills to use to make elaborate suits for Ernie and dresses for herself. Antoinette acted as spokesperson for Hands on Network, a volunteer organization dedicated to Hurricane Katrina relief. Antoinette herself was rescued from the Mother-in-Law Lounge after being stranded by flood waters for seven days, and she was passionate about the rebuilding of her city. A local celebrity, she was known by many as "Miss Antoinette".

After she returned to the city following Katrina, she helped to rebuild the neighborhood by cooking up large servings (often for 200+) of gumbo and other New Orleans favorites to serve to the volunteers who had come to help rebuild.

She died of a heart attack early in the morning on February 24, 2009 (Mardi Gras Day) in New Orleans, Louisiana, at the Mother-In-Law Lounge. She had just closed up the lounge at about three in the morning and was lying down to rest up for Mardi Gras day. Only days earlier, she rode in a float with the famous Ernie K-Doe mannequin in the Krewe of Muses parade.

Miss Antoinette was also the leader of the Baby Dolls, a female Mardi Gras Krewe. With origins dating back to the turn of the 20th century, the Krewe had not existed for many years when Miss Antoinette decided to take it upon herself to start it back up.

In 2008, she was awarded the Heartbeat award at Offbeat magazine's Best of the Beat Awards. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mistick Krewe of Comus</span> New Orleans Mardi Gras Carnival krewe

The Mistick Krewe of Comus, founded in 1856, is the oldest, continuous, New Orleans, Louisiana, Carnival Krewe having paraded with few interruptions from 1856-1991, while continuing to hold a tableau ball for its members and guests to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rex parade</span> New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe

Rex is a New Orleans Carnival Krewe which stages one of the city's most celebrated parades on Mardi Gras Day. Rex is Latin for "King", and Rex reigns as "The King of Carnival".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mardi Gras in New Orleans</span> Annual carnival celebration in New Orleans, Louisiana

The holiday of Mardi Gras is celebrated in southern Louisiana, including the city of New Orleans. Celebrations are concentrated for about two weeks before and through Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, but the season actually begins on King's Day, January 6, and extends until midnight before Ash Wednesday. Club, or Krewe, balls start soon after, though most are extremely private, with their Kings and Queens coming from wealthy old families and their courts consisting of the season's debutantes. Most of the high society Krewes do not stage parades. As Fat Tuesday gets nearer, the parades start in earnest. Usually there is one major parade each day ; many days have several large parades. The largest and most elaborate parades take place the last five days of the Mardi Gras season. In the final week, many events occur throughout New Orleans and surrounding communities, including parades and balls.

The Krewe of Endymion is a New Orleans Mardi Gras super krewe and social organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernie K-Doe</span> American R&B singer (1933–2001)

Ernest Kador Jr., known by the stage name Ernie K-Doe, was an American R&B singer best known for his 1961 hit single "Mother-in-Law", which went to number 1 on the Billboard pop chart in the U.S.

Krewe of Tucks is a New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club</span> Fraternal organization in New Orleans

The Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club is a fraternal organization in New Orleans, Louisiana which puts on the Zulu parade each year on Mardi Gras Day. Zulu is New Orleans' largest predominantly African American carnival organization known for its blackfaced krewe members wearing grass skirts and its unique throw of hand-painted coconuts. The club is a regular feature of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.

The New Orleans Musica da Camera was founded in 1966, by Milton G. Scheuermann, Jr, and was the oldest surviving Early Music organization in the United States. They performed music of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, using historically informed performance techniques and reproductions of period instruments, and appeared in concert throughout the Gulf South. Indeed, Professor Scheuermann built many of their instruments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mother-in-Law Lounge</span>

The Mother-in-Law Lounge is a live music venue, pub and a shrine in New Orleans, Louisiana dedicated to the memory of rhythm and blues singer, Ernie K-Doe. It is at the downtown river corner of Claiborne Avenue and Columbus Street in the 7th Ward of New Orleans. The exterior of the building is decorated with colorful murals depicting K-Doe and other prominent figures in New Orleans music, especially people who collaborated with K-Doe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mardi Gras in Mobile, Alabama</span> Annual carnival celebration in Mobile, Alabama

Mardi Gras is the annual Carnival celebration in Mobile, Alabama. It is the oldest official Carnival celebration in the United States, started by Frenchman Nicholas Langlois in 1703 when Mobile was the capital of Louisiana. Although today New Orleans and South Louisiana celebrations are much more widely known for all the current traditions such as masked balls, parades, floats and throws were first created there. From Mobile being the first capital of French Louisiana (1702), the festival began as a French Catholic tradition. Mardi Gras has now evolved into a mainstream multi-week celebration across the spectrum of cultures, becoming school holidays for the final Monday and Tuesday, regardless of religious affiliation.

The Krewe of Muses is an all-female super krewe and social organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tulane University Marching Band</span>

The Tulane University Marching Band (TUMB) is the marching band of Tulane University. It performs at every Tulane Green Wave football home game in Yulman Stadium, bowl games, and some away games. It is also marches in New Orleans Mardi Gras parades each year, having appeared in Le Krewe d'Etat, the Krewe of Thoth, the Krewe of Bacchus, and the Krewe of Rex, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al "Carnival Time" Johnson</span> American singer and piano player (born 1939)

Al "Carnival Time" Johnson is an American singer and piano player best known for the Mardi Gras song "Carnival Time".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mardi Gras in the United States</span> Celebration

Mardi Gras in the United States is not observed nationally across the country, largely due to the country's Protestant and Anglo-Saxon roots. Mardi Gras and Carnival are mostly Catholic holidays, while the United States has a Protestant-majority population. However, a number of cities and regions in the U.S. have notable Mardi Gras or Carnival celebrations. Most of these places trace their Mardi Gras celebrations to French, Spanish, and other Catholic colonial influences on the settlements over their history. The earliest Carnival celebration in North America occurred at a place on the west bank of the Mississippi River about 60 miles (97 km) downriver from where New Orleans is today; this Mardi Gras on March 3, 1699, and in honor of this holiday, Pierre Le Moyne, Sieur d'Iberville, a 38-year-old French Canadian, named the spot Point du Mardi Gras near Fort Jackson. The earliest organized Carnival celebrations occurred in Mobile, then the capitol of French Louisiana known as Fort Louis de la Mobile, where in 1704 the first known Carnival secret society. In 1856, six Mobile natives established the first secret society, or krewe, in New Orleans, the Mistick Krewe of Comus. Former French and Spanish colonies such as Pensacola, Biloxi, and settlements along the Gulf Coast all followed suit in incorporating Carnival into their annual celebrations, which today have developed either separate traditions or variations of them from one another. In addition, modern activities generally vary from city to city across the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus</span>

The Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus is a science fiction–themed Mardi Gras krewe, religious and parade organization, that also features fantasy and horror groups, among other fandoms. Based in New Orleans, Louisiana, as of the 2019 parade, the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus has over 2500 dues-paying members who call themselves "ChewbacchanALIENs" or "Chewbs."

The Mystic Krewe of Nyx is an all-female Krewe organization, based in New Orleans. Organized and founded by Julie Lea in 2011, the Nyx's first pageant, "NOLA Reality Reigns," was featured on the St. Charles Avenue Parade Route on February 15, 2012. The Mystic Krewe of Nyx is named after the Greek goddess of the night, Nyx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Krewe of Cleopatra</span> New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe

The Krewe of Cleopatra is a New Orleans Mardi Gras Super Krewes and social organization.

Krewe of King Arthur is a coed New Orleans Mardi Gras krewe.

<i>The Sons of Tennessee Williams</i> 2010 American historical documentary film

The Sons of Tennessee Williams is a 2010 American historical documentary film produced and directed by Tim Wolff. The film spans five decades documenting the gay carnival balls in New Orleans, and the efforts of the gay community to celebrate Mardi Gras, without being discriminated against and without fear of police intervention. It stars Charles Maddox, Tommy Dietsch, George Roth, Don Stratton, Jimmy Keyes, Mike Moreau, John Henry Bogie, Albert Carey, Bianca Del Rio and additional krewe club members that share their memories through interviews and archival footage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Orleans Baby Doll Ladies</span> Dance group

New Orleans Baby Doll Ladies is a dance group founded by Millisia White. This group was founded in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina hit USA. The Congo Square stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival was the place where New Orleans Baby Doll Ladies made its first public appearance in 2009. The group’s “music ambassador” DJ Hektik scored custom tunes for this event. In 2010, group marched in its first parade on Mardi Gras. The group also performed in the 2014 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. The group performs and coordinates outreach programs year-round. This group is also associated with Carnival. The tradition of Baby Doll march has started in 1912 by groups of women in New Orleans’ red-light district, who marched in streets and dressed as dolls.

References

  1. Ramsey, Jan (1 January 2009). "Best of the Beat Heartbeat Award: Antoinette K-Doe - OffBeat Magazine". OffBeat Magazine. Retrieved 21 June 2018.