Rudy Ray Moore—the notoriously blue comedian, blaxploitation star and rap pioneer that Eddie Murphy portrays in the much-anticipated Dolemite Is My Name—had strong ties to New Orleans.

In 1957, Moore worked as driver for the touring Huey “Piano” Smith and the Clowns when Smith’s “Rocking Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu” reached the R&B Top 10. Moore got the driving gig through his friend, Bobby Marchan, the Clowns’ lead singer. Moore, a singer and emcee in those years, als...