The Wild Tchoupitoulas were originally a group of Mardi Gras Indians formed in the early 1970s by George "Big Chief Jolly" Landry.
Landry, with his self-identified Choctaw heritage,[1] had been an active performer in the Mardi Gras Indian styling for a number of years.
[2] With help from local New Orleans musicians the Meters, the Wild Tchoupitoulas recorded an eponymous album, which featured the "call-and-response" style chants typical of Mardi Gras Indians.
The album also notably featured Landry's nephews, the Neville Brothers, providing harmonies and some of the instrumentation.
[3][4][5] While not a financial success, the album and The Wild Tchoupitoulas' style was well received critically and the experience working with them encouraged the four Neville brothers to continue performing together as a group.