John Boutte photographed by Eliot Kamenitz

The New Orleans Jazz Museum is replaying John Boutte’s performance from February 10th, 2021, presented by the Jazz Foundation of America. Tune in to the Jazz Museum's Facebook page at 2:00 pm CDT to watch for free.

After high school, John studied at Xavier University, a black Catholic institution known in New Orleans and indeed the entire Deep South. After graduating John was commissioned as an officer in the U. S. Army, and provided with the opportunity to direct and sing in the Army gospel choirs in Virginia, Texas, and, eventually, Korea. Not long after his return to the States, John was invited to tour almost the entirety of Europe with his sister Lillian. When John eventually got back home to New Orleans he continued singing. But now there was a new generation, a new breed of musicians available; musicians like Herlin Riley, Shannon Powell, Nicholas Payton, and Bryan Blade.

He began to open shows for the likes of Mel Torme, Lou Rawls, Rosemary Clooney, and, most recently, Herbie Hancock. In recent times he has recorded three CDs. Through the Eyes of A Child, Scotch and Soda, and the remarkable Jambalaya, recorded for Bose. Yet another CD entitled Gospel United, a concert recording arranged in Denmark, contains his remarkable solo arrangement of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic", which has achieved Gold Record status in several European markets. He also is the composer of "Treme Song" (HBO), and co-writer of "The Foot of Canal St." as featured on the Smithsonian CD, and his version of "Louisiana 1927" is on the 2019 Smithsonian Folk CD

Click here to learn more about John Boutte!