Southern Stars poster

The "Southern Stars" poster included famous Louisiana musicians and was created for a booking agency called Omni Attractions which was based in New Orleans from 1982 to 1994. Omni Attractions' founder Dianna Chenevert commissioned artist/illustrator Mischa Philippoff to design the poster with a dual purpose in mind: to promote her agency and historically preserve childhood photographs of famous living musicians from New Orleans and surrounding areas of Louisiana.
In 1983, USA Today made its debut in New Orleans. Fats Domino autographed one of the Southern Stars posters, welcoming them to his home town, and Chenevert made the presentation to Al Neuharth Founder of USA Today. On October 12, USA Today included a story about the poster. Reporter Miles White wrote: "Southern Stars, a poster-size collection of childhood pictures of famous living musicians from New Orleans and Louisiana, has been printed in a limited edition of 1,000. The star-studded poster, which took eight months to construct, features early pictures of Fats Domino, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, , the Neville Brothers, Frankie Ford, Ernie K-Doe and dozens more. Some are calling it a work of art. But instead of being sold, framed and autographed copies of the poster are being given to anyone booking one of the musicians through Omni Attractions, a local talent agency."
Among other musicians and singers included on the poster are "Louisiana Man" Doug Kershaw, Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, Olympia Brass Band, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Dave Bartholomew, Earl King, Benny Spellman, Tommy Ridgley, Tuts Washington, Bobby Mitchell, Oliver Morgan, The Aubrey Twins; Luther Kent and Tony Katka - both formerly with Blood, Sweat and Tears; Deacon John Moore's brother Charles Moore - representing Deacon John and the Ivories; Danny Barker, Blue Lu Barker, Willie Tee, Jean Knight, , The Dixie Cups, Johnny Adams, and Leslie Blackshear Smith. Years later almost all of the artists included on the Southern Stars poster were inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Another “Southern Stars” poster recipient was the Hard Rock Café. According to Times-Picayune columnist Betty Guillaud Domino autographed a pair of his shoes for the Hard Rock. He also autographed a black grand piano lid and a “Southern Stars” poster for Peter Morton, founder of the famous Hard Rock Cafes. Dianna Chenevert acquired other memorabilia for the Hard Rock from her music connections too, including: Queen Ida, Beausoleil, Doug Kershaw, The Dixie Kups, Aaron Neville, Chief Jolly and The Wild Tchoupitoulas Indians, Professor Longhair, of The Drifters, Frankie Ford, Rockin' Sidney ; Rockin' Dopsie, Chuck Berry, Allen Toussaint, Buckwheat Zydeco, Clifton Chenier, Dr. John, and BB King. Peter Morton’s Hard Rock Cafe chain opened in New Orleans on December 11 in the Jax Brewery with a benefit for the Louisiana Children’s Museum and the “Southern Stars” poster was on display at the Grand Opening.
The Southern Stars poster made its way into the hands of collectors who both booked musicians that were on the poster when the agency was first established, and in later years as other famous entertainers were added to Chenevet’s entertainment roster. Clients like Al Copeland (owner of Popeye’s Fried Chicken), received a Southern Stars poster when he booked Walter “Wolfman” Washington & Harry Connick, Jr. from Dianna Chenevert for a private Christmas party at his home; In 1988 Lee Atwater received one when Benny Spellman was booked for a private party in August for George H. W. Bush, at Riverwalk’s Spanish Plaza in New Orleans (which coincided with the Republican National Convention); Dolly Parton, received a Southern Stars poster for booking Dr. John and Irma Thomas for the “Dolly Parton Special” filmed at “Storyville,” and in June 1988 Vincent Marcello (& Carlos Marcello-managers/owners of the Old Absinthe House Bar on Bourbon Street) received another Southern Stars poster for booking Earl King and Ernie K-Doe for a private party given for Robert Plant before his Now and Zen concert in New Orleans. "Mr. Mardi Gras "Blaine Kern (who'd been a friend/associate of Chenevert's since the mid 1970's), and son Barry Kern received Southern Stars posters for booking several acts over the years.
SOUTHERN STARS POSTER GOES INTERNATIONAL: The Southern Stars poster went to Israel in 1986. Chenevert booked the “Olympia Brass Band” for a month long engagement at the night club El Hamm. It was Olympia’s first trip to Israel and they arrived at the Tel Aviv airport wearing their traditional band outfits (red blazers, black pants and white hats). Israeli immigration officials detained Olympia at customs, mistaking them as Black Hebrews, a sect at odds with the government. Seventy-seven year old band leader Herold Dejan wasn't worried about the brief delay, partly because of all of the international press coverage, which he felt was good advertising. His comment was “everything’s lovely!”
History
A picture taken in front of the Omni Attractions office building, which at the time was located at 500 Valence Street (corner of Tchopitoulas): in New Orleans, provided an additional view of some of the artists as adults for the Southern Stars poster. Musicians and singers gathered around a white Rolls Royce with founder Dianna Chenevert, as photographer Michael P. Smith documented this historical event: Pictured left to right, on the front row was: Brent Seidenburg, David Torkanowsky, Art and Aaron Neville, Rossetta Ramsey, Reggie Hall. Second row: Dianna Chenevert, Frankie Ford, Rosa Hawkins, Bruce Daigrepont, Ed Billeaud, Bobby Cure, Jean Knight, Bobby Mitchell, Johnny Adams, Barbara Hawkins, Al Johnson, Jack Schulman, Jessie hill, Charles Neville, Oliver Morgan, Joe Gendusa, Jimmy Maxwell. Third row: Steve Kuni, David Lastie, David Curlee, Tommy Sanchez, Chuck Carbo, Tommy Ridgely, Mark Jones, Skeet Stiller, Rennie Flettrich. Back row: Earl King, Geri Hall, Susan Malone, Blue Lu and Danny Barker, Allen Kable, Shirley Peters, Carla Norman, Roxanne Gilbert, Gina Burras and John Berthelot.
The poster was the brainchild of Dianna Chenevert (she appears on the poster in the lower right corner as a two-year-old with phone in hand). It took approximately eight months to put the "Southern Stars" poster together. Photos of the entertainers as children and or young adults, were provided courtesy of the musicians and singers themselves. Among the innumerable gems in the collection are: Art Neville sitting on a pony; Doug Kershaw at age eleven wearing coveralls and wide eyes; Frogman Henry at twenty-eight with an early Kermit the frog prototype on his shoulder; Fats Domino captured in a 1958 recording session; Aaron Neville at sixteen years of age; Earl King at 2 years old wearing a suit, top hat, and bow-tie, while sporting a cane in one hand and a fake cigarette in the other. Dirty Dozen Brass Band members: Charles Joseph, Roger Lewis, Benny Jones, Efrem Towns, Kevin Harris and Jenell "Chi-Lite" Marshall; along with Olympia Brass Band members: Harold Dejan, Richard Matthews and Milton Batiste are also on the poster, along with pianist James Booker, who died a month after the poster was debuted.
Rolling Stones private party
A private party for the Rolling Stones was held on Thursday, December 3, 1981, aboard the riverboat President in New Orleans, prior to a Stones concert in the Superdome. Before Dianna Chenevert founded Omni Attractions, she was a licensed talent agent through the Musicians Union. Chenevert booked musicians for the Stones' private party and later included them on the “Southern Stars” poster. A picture of the Dirty Dozen Brass band performing at the Stones' party was also used for Omni’s agency brochure.

Band members aboard were: Mick Jagger (with Jerry Hall), Keith Richards, guitarist Ron Wood, bassist Bill Wyman, and keyboardist Ian Stewart. There were approximately 500 guests. Writer Betty Guillaud mentioned the following guests in attendance: Jimmy Coleman Jr. (Queen Elizabeth’s royal representative in N.O.), Sybil Calhoun, Mary Lou (Mrs. John) Ochsner with daughter Joby; Gordon Maginnis, Marguerite Littman (friend of Bianca Jagger) and her brother Speed Lamkin; Prince Rupert Lowenstein; artist-restaurateur Marti Shambra; Patrick Sargent, Debbie Thibodaux; Taft Blake, Bill Dow (President of the New Orleans Steamship Co., which recently purchased the riverboat President), Stephen Stills (of Crosby, Stills & Nash), Dr. Rise Ochsner, Paula and Barry Mendelson, Bill Johnston, Bill Fagaly, Dawn Dedeaux, Paul Varisco, Sandra Doss, Robert Alford, Rupert Surcouf (Al Hurt’s nephew who traveled with the Stones for a couple of years as previous manager of the The Meters and Neville Brothers), Susan Sierra, Leon Steele, Jason Berry with his bride and brother Jack, Nancy Kittary, Cherel Katz, Dr. Bill Coleman, Jim Pertuit and son Jimbo, Pres Kabacoff, Arthur Pulitzer, Lori Taylor, Michael Botnick, Russell Rocke, and Dianna Chenevert with her Beaumont buddy Debra Jo Fondren, Hugh Heffner’s Playmate of the Year, circa ’78.
Included on stage for the evening’s entertainment were: Tuts Washington, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Clarence “Frogman” Henry, the Meters, Oliver “Who Shot the La La” Morgan, Deacon John, and the Neville Brothers. Chef Paul Prudhomme, proprietor of K-Paul’s Restaurant supplied an array of Louisiana culinary delights including platters of crawfish pie, Cajun popcorn (fried crawfish), hushpuppies, fried catfish, blackened red fish, salad, red beans and rice, gumbo, crabmeat tortillas, pralines and pies.
The party was hosted by Atlantic Records, who had recently released the Stones' album Tattoo You, and Bill Graham. According to Bunny Matthews, the Stones' private party cost $85,000. Fats Domino had recently returned from a European tour and didn’t perform or attend because of his ailing vocal cords.

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