Mocobizscene- A Grammy-winning New Orleans percussionist was the man who died in a drunk driving accident on Mardi Gras morning. Kerry “Fatman” Hunter, 53, was struck by Jeremy Lindsey, 21, with his automobile at 12:08 a.m. on Tuesday when he was strolling near North Claiborne and Elysian Fields avenues, according to the police.
Lindsey hailed down an ambulance at Cleveland Avenue and South Derbigny Street, and paramedics declared Hunter dead at the scene, according to authorities. Lindsey was placed under arrest for vehicular murder and hit-and-run driving at the Orleans Parish Justice Center. His blood alcohol level was over the permitted limit, according to the police.
Friends and family are currently in mourning for Hunter, a well-known and prolific member of the brass band world.
When he was younger, Danny Barker, the renowned banjoist, headed the Roots of Jazz Brass Band, where he gained experience as a snare drummer and eventually earned the moniker “Fatman.”
Hunter had embarked on his first tour with the Junior Olympia Brass Band by the early 1990s. After spending some time at Preservation Hall in the French Quarter, he finally became a member of the group of musicians that performed in various capacities at the Hall, known as the “collective.”
He provided the energy for several brass bands, such as the Olympia, Kinfolk, Tornado, Rebirth, and Dirty Dozen.
Hunter made together one of the most well-known rhythm units in the brass band genre with bass drummer Tanio Hingle. For years, they served as the foundation of the New Birth Brass Band. The New Orleans Nightcrawlers, an elite brass band, took over later.
Saxophonist Brent Rose wrote a song called “Fatman” on the Nightcrawlers’ 2020 album “Atmosphere” as a memorial to Hunter and Hingle. The Grammy Award for best regional roots music album went to “Atmosphere” in 2021. Hunter’s first Grammy was that one.
Hunter appeared on the Nightcrawlers’ 2023 album “Too Much to Hold,” which was nominated for a Grammy Award in the best regional roots music category but didn’t win.At 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, residents congregated in Tuba Fats Square in Treme to honor him.
By 7 p.m., crowds of people marching in a second line in honor of Hunter had blocked the intersection of North Claiborne and Esplanade Avenue.
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