Biography
James "Sugar Boy" Crawford, Jr. (October 12, 1934 – September 15, 2012) was an American rhythm & blues musician from New Orleans, Louisiana. He was the author of "Jock-A-Mo" (1954), a hit that was later recreated as "Iko Iko", by The Dixie Cups and recorded by many artists including Dr. John.
Starting out on trombone, he formed a band which local DJ Doctor Daddy-O named "The Chapaka Shawee" (Creole for "We Aren’t Raccoons"), the title of an instrumental they played. Signed on by Chess Records president Leonard Chess, the group was re-named "Sugar Boy & his Cane Cutters".
Although "Jock-A-Mo" became a standard at the New Orleans Mardi Gras, Crawford himself disappeared from public view, and in a 2002 interview for Offbeat, told how his career came to an abrupt halt in 1963 after a severe beating which incapacitated him for two years forcing him to leave the music business. In 1969, he decided to limit his singing in church only. In 2012, Crawford makes a guest appearance singing gospel on an episode of the HBO series ''Treme''. He died one month before the episode aired.
Crawford appeared on his grandson Davell Crawford’s 1995 CD Let Them Talk. He has since made some stage appearances with Davell as well including the one at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (1996), and most recently at the 7th annual Ponderosa Stomp in April, 2008.
Among the artists Crawford has recorded with are guitarist Snooks Eaglin. He died after a brief illness in a hospice in 2012, aged 77.
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