John Robichaux
John Robichaux, sometimes spelled Robechaux (January 16, 1866 in Thibodaux, Louisiana – 1939 in New Orleans), was an American jazz bandleader, drummer, and violinist. He was the uncle of Joseph Robichaux.
John Robichaux moved to New Orleans in 1891, where he was the bass drummer for the Excelsior Brass Band from 1892 to 1903. During this time he also worked as a bandleader, playing violin in his own ensembles from 1893 until the time of his death. Among the ensembles he led was a 36-piece orchestra in 1913. Robichaux's bands were highly respected in his day and included many of the city's best musicians, such as Bud Scott, Lorenzo Tio, and Manuel Perez. He wrote over 350 songs and wrote many orchestral arrangements, which are now kept at the William Ransom Hogan Jazz Archive located at Tulane University.
Robichaux also had a namesake musician nephew, John Edward Robichaux (16 May 1915 - 29 August 2005), who was a drummer who played extensively in New Orleans including with the bands of Kid Shots Madison and Kid Thomas Valentine, as well as for decades with the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra. The younger Robichaux also played in the traveling musical One Mo' Time.
References
- Leonard Feather and Ira Gitler, The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz. Oxford, 1999, pp. 562–63.
- Mike Hazeldine, "John Robichaux". Grove Jazz online.
