The Witch Queen of New Orleans

Hey Zoo Freaks, it's your harvest-moon Zoo Crew swaying in from the Spanish moss-draped branches of THE ZOO, where the bayou breeze carries a hint of mystery and the fireflies flicker like fire spells. We're conjuring Redbone's "The Witch Queen of New Orleans" from that rhythmic rumble Message from a Drum, and gosh, does this swamp-soaked groove weave a spell that'll have you two-stepping through the twilight. Penned by the Vegas brothers themselves—Pat and Lolly, those Yaqui-Shoshone trailblazers—this one's a funky homage to the real-deal voodoo queen Marie Laveau, the 19th-century herbalist and high priestess who ruled the Crescent City's shadows with potions, gris-gris, and a gaze that could curdle milk. Lolly spilled in old chats how they twisted her name into that hypnotic "Marie, da voodoo veau" chant after poring over folklore tales of her mud-brick shack by the swamps, brewing brews that'd blow your mind for a nickel—zombie whispers, tanna leaves, the works. Dropped in '71, it slithered to #21 on the U.S. charts but cast a stronger hex overseas, hitting #2 in the UK and topping Belgium's list, making Redbone the first all-Native American crew to snag a foreign #1. Fans on X are still stirring the cauldron this Samhain, one post from a Halloween bash thread crowing it's the "ultimate earworm for bayou bashes," another sharing a grainy Beat-Club '71 clip where the band's percussion thumps like a gator's heartbeat, Pat's bass prowling low while Lolly's guitar twirls like Spanish moss. And get this: in a nod to her undying lore, the outro fades with "a witch queen never dies," echoing how Marie vanished into the dew but her spirit lingers in every New Orleans night—pure Cajun catnip, Zoo Freaks, like moonlight on murky waters.

Now let's paddle back to the sun-baked orchards of Coalinga where two brothers first plucked strings under the California sky, 'cause Redbone didn't just rise like a phoenix from the funk—they rooted deep in family fire and frontier dreams, born from the Yaqui blood of Pat and Lolly Vegas in '39 and '41. Little Patrick "Pat" Vasquez and his big bro Candido "Lolly" were knee-high in the Central Valley dirt, soaking up Mom's Shoshone stories and Dad's Mexican melodies, banging on guitars by age six after a traveling salesman left one behind like a lucky charm. By their teens in '59, the family's hauling to L.A.'s electric glow, where the boys ditch Vasquez for Vegas to dodge the Latin label—agent says the surf world's not ready for Mexican wave-riders—and morph into the Vegas Brothers, twanging Ventures covers and cutting a Mercury debut that flickered but fanned the flame. Jimi Hendrix catches their Gazzarri's strut in '68, eyes wide at the Native fire, whispering "Embrace your roots, brothers—call it Redbone, like that Cajun half-breed spark," flipping the slur into a badge of mixed-blood pride. They rope in drummer Pete DePoe from the Siletz tribe—via a Bobby Womack swap that sounds like a tall tale—and guitarist Tony Bellamy, Yaqui-Mexican kin, signing to Epic in '69 for that self-titled double-disc blast. From orchard jams to Sunset Strip shamanism, they blended swamp rock with tribal thunder, proving two farm boys with feathers in their caps could chant their way to the charts.

If the veau's got you voodooed, Zoo Freaks, drift over to the official Redbone site for bio scrolls, bayou beats, and that fresh hall-of-fame glow from the Native American Music Association. Swing by the Official Redbone Fan Page on Facebook, a merry coven of 10k souls swapping swamp reels and Vegas yarns like old trail tales. No fresh Instagram or X haunts in the ether these days, but kindred spirits flicker on the Redbone Live fan hub for gig ghosts and gris-gris galleries. Rally deeper in the AllMusic archive for disc dives that'll hook your heart, or haunt Wikipedia's winds for the full family saga. Light the lantern, stir the gumbo, and let's chant to the queen till the roosters rouse, my bayou brethren.