More than four decades after the formation of the Fabulous Boogie Kings in Eunice, LA, the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur, TX, honored the popular group's endurance and talent by inducting the band into the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame. In addition, the Louisiana Hall of Fame inducted the group into its ranks in 1994. Two years later, the South Louisiana Music Association bestowed an award for lifetime achievement on the band. Not a bad feather in the cap for an outfit that sprang from its roots as a garage band of teenagers deep in the heart of Cajun country and later disbanded for a little more than two decades before making an impressive comeback. The band's original lineup included guitarist Harris Miller, drummer Bert Miller, guitarist Doug Ardoin (aka Doug Charles), and Maurice Guillory, whose stage names included Skip Morris and Skip Stewart. Throughout the life of the band, other members have included Duane Yates, Jon Smith, saxophonist Dale Gothia, G.G. Shinn, Gary Walker, Gary Dorsey, Tommy McLain, Jerry LaCroix (aka Jerry Jackson), and Clint Guillory (aka Clint West). Ned Theall, a trumpet player who hails from Abbeville, LA, came aboard during the 1960s and still leads the outfit today, as he has since the band was resurrected in 1991. With the trumpeter at the helm, the band diverted from its original swamp pop sound to one that was more in line with blue-eyed soul. Another change was the group's membership, which swelled to about a dozen musicians. The changes brought the Fabulous Boogie Kings gigs in Las Vegas as well as three nationwide tours in the late '60s. The group also worked as backup to other acts both in the studio and during live performances, working with such artists as Ray Charles, B.B. King, the Righteous Brothers, and Otis Redding. By the late '60s, however, the amount of work available to the Fabulous Boogie Kings had dwindled considerably and the following years saw them perform publicly only for reunion shows. During the 1990s, their return to the music scene saw them revert successfully to their swamp pop origins. In 1993, "I Love That Swamp Pop Music" became a regional hit for the band. Swamp Boogie Blues, a full-length album, came next. The release included special appearances by a number of singers who had paved the way for swamp pop. Fellow Cajun Wayne Toups also made an appearance on the accordion. ~ Linda Seida