Chief of Chiefs

The inspiring true story of one of New Orleans’s most beloved citizens, whose remarkable life spanned most of the twentieth century.

From his birth in 1915, Robert Nathaniel Lee faced hardship and discrimination. But the man who would one day be known as Big Chief Robbe always found a way to do what he believed in?even if that meant using his fists to beat back bullies. When he saw the Mardi Gras Indians for the first time, he knew that he was going to be one of them, part of the long tradition of song and dance processions held in ceremonial attire that enliven Fat Tuesday year after year. Joining the Mardi Gras Indian community at only ten, he quickly became known for his stunning sewing and singing abilities. By the end of his life in 2001, he had been the Big Chief of four different tribes—the first and only person to be named “chief of chiefs” by the Mardi Gras Indian Council—given a lecture at Yale University, and become a role model for generations of New Orleans black youth.

In this book, Al Kennedy, author of Big Chief Harrison and the Mardi Gras Indians, enhances the story of Chief Robbe’s life with extensive detail and interviews from their personal relationship, creating a biography that reflects the rich history and personality of New Orleans.