Here’s a quickie for you from last night’s fabulous show at Knuckleheads…Patty and I fell in love with Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band last July when we saw them at Knuckleheads. When I discovered a couple of weeks ago Chubby was returning, I quickly ordered tickets.
Patty was out of town, so son Charlie, who is in town from Chicago, and daughter Brooks, who lives here, came with me.
Fifty-four-year-old Chubby, one of the leading zydeco musicians in the land, has been coming to Kansas City since the Grand Emporium was in its heyday 20 or more years ago.
He puts on a highly polished, high-energy show. A woman who apparently travels with him (I have no idea what the relationship is) dances on the side of the stage and periodically funnels audience members onstage to join in the dancing. The onstage spontaneity gives Chubby’s shows a jolt of unexpected energy.
A special treat last night was the introduction of a longtime Kansas City musician whose nickname is Hot Sauce. (Chubby introduced him by his real name, but I didn’t catch it.) He plays the washboard with gusto and, even though well over 50, dances with an agile turn of foot.
Hot Sauce was featured in two or three numbers last night and got a huge ovation. Fittingly, Hot Sauce was was wearing a red shirt and deep red pants, accentuated by bright white tennis shoes. Between songs, he pulled out a bottle of hot sauce and distributed sips to fans who had gathered at the front of the stage. Disgustingly (to me) they lapped up the spicy condiment.
Chubby’s signature song is “Chubby Party,” featuring the lyrics, “Ain’t no party like a Chubby party cause a Chubby party don’t stop.”
Charlie, Brooks and I had to leave after the first set, which lasted two hours, but it looked like this Chubby party was headed close to the midnight hour.
Here’s what the scene looked like last night…
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Thanks for coming. If you want to check out all the shows – knuckleheadskc.com. We welcome you! Also there is a weekly email blast that gives you a sneak peak so you have first choice of tickets! Sign up on the website.
Thanks…Who is Hot Sauce?
Here is a reply from Knuckleheads’s owner, Frank Hicks: There is no person with this name.
The Song asks, Who stoles the hot sauce?
He asks a girl from the crowd to come up and pour it. It’s fun and part of the show. Thanks for coming last night!
I enjoyed concert going vicariously through your writing of this piece. Thank you!
Always a good time at Knuckleheads. And the music is often very good. That’s where we first saw Michael Burks perform. Wonderful Memphis sound guitar. Unfortunately, he died a few years later, way too young.
I tell ya, Hot Sauce was in the house!
Wish you’d gotten a picture of Red Pants.
Glad to know you can still kick it!
Fox4 just did a report on the KCUR reporter who was murdered, that you wrote the blog about. No new leads, but they are still not treating it as an accidental shooting. A tragic mystery.