James "Sugar Boy" Crawford

New Orleans R&B artist (October 12, 1934 – September 15, 2012).

Starting out on trombone, he formed a band which local DJ Doctor Daddy-O named "The Chapaka Shawee" (Creole for "We Aren’t Raccoons"). Signed on by Chess Records president [a=Leonard Chess], the group was re-named [a=James "Sugar Boy" Crawford And His Cane Cutters].

Author of the classic "Iko Iko" (initially called "Jockomo") in 1954. Although his song became a standard, Crawford disappeared from public view, and in a 2002 interview, told how his career came to an abrupt halt in 1963 after a severe beating which incapacitated him for two years forcing him to leave the music business.

Crawford appeared on his grandson [a=Davell Crawford]'s 1995 CD Let Them Talk. He has since made some stage appearances with Davell as well including the one at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (1996), and at the 7th annual Ponderosa Stomp in April, 2008, they both appear in HBO's series Treme in October 2012 (season 3 episode 4).

Not to be confused with [a=James Brown]'s sideman [a=James Crawford] and with [a=James Crawford (2)] who wrote "Hustlin Dan", often attributed to James "Sugar Boy" Crawford.