Ned Theall, the noted saxophonist, arranger and bandleader of the Boogie Kings died in a Lafayette hospital January 8, 2010. He was 72. Theall had played with the group as recently as New Year’s Eve.
Born in Abbeville, Louisiana, and a long-time resident of New Iberia, Theall joined the group in the mid-1960s after a hitch in the U. S. Air Force and a short stint with Kenny and the Jokers. Under Theall’s direction, the Boogie Kings shifted from swamp pop music to blue-eyed soul. The group had several vocalists during the decade including Gee Gee Shinn, “Count” Jerry Jackson, Duane Yates, Gary Walker and Clint West. The Boogie Kings recorded under their own name for the Jin, Montel and Instant labels. They also worked in the studio backing other singers for several Louisiana record labels. During the 1960s, the Boogie Kings toured extensively throughout the South and even had a lengthy stint on the famed Las Vegas strip.
The band disbanded in 1969 when faced with the competition of the British sound as bookings vanished. Under Theall’s direction, the Boogie Kings regrouped in 1975, more or less on a part time basis, remaining popular in South Louisiana and East Texas. “Ned was the one that kept that band together and organized it,” said Johnnie Allan, a contemporary of Theall and a respected authority on the music of South Louisiana. “That was his life. He even maintained their Web site, did their bookings and merchandising. I didn’t work with the Boogie Kings much, but they backed me on a couple of my recordings including ‘Little White Cloud.’ The Boogie Kings weren’t big on originals; they were more of a copy band. The only originals I can think of were ‘Philly Walk’ and ‘I Love That Swamp Pop Music.’
“They were extremely popular between Lake Charles and East Texas. That was their territory.”
The Boogie Kings most recent CD, Walkin’ the Dog, was released in 2007. Most of their previous recordings have been reissued on CD.
Theall leaves a wife, three children and several grandchildren.
