Early in the morning of October 6th, 1947, an unnamed hurricane pounded the New Orleans basin with 124 mph winds and an 11 foot storm surge. Attempting to find shelter in Redfish bay at the outer mouth of the Mississippi river delta, the gambling boat, “Scarlet Woman” went down with all hands aboard in 10 foot seas.
The “Scarlet Woman” was a pleasure pit for wealthy landowners and business men from New Orleans looking to get unrestricted action away from the prying eyes of family and authority. Gambling, boozing and whoring were the order of the day.
In the midst of all this debauchery, two Delta Blues men, singer “Joe Willy” Paul and his guitarist, Wiley “Neckbone” Balboa had been hired as the entertainment for this fated cruise. Also on board, as some sort of twisted balance was the "Full Fishhead Gospel Choir" who performed on Sunday mornings as the boat made its way back to New Orleans docks, in a wasted effort to cleanse the souls from the sordid actions of the previous days in the Gulf of Mexico.
“Joe Willy” and “Neckbone” had deserved reputations for being shiftless and shady, with no redeeming qualities save their exceptional musical skills, which were substantial. On any given stage, in a smoky room full of lost souls, “Joe Willy’s” soaring and dirty vocals would tell the story of those completely given over to the seamy side of life. Supported by the complex and technically stunning slide guitar work of “Neckbone”, these two could bring any room to their feet and light the fire for the crowd.
Sadly, the two musicians worked as much for the opportunity to drink, steal, gamble and chase women as they did for any joy in making music. Their reputation was well earned as they were thrown out of as many card games as they entered, and were constantly in trouble for being involved with women who they should never have been with. The trail of arrests, fights, liaisons and bodies kept them very busy between musical engagements. And yet, they were always sought out by the owners of the “Scarlet Woman” with the knowledge that there would be no dull evenings or dreary mornings with “Joe Willy” and “Neckbone” on board.
And so, their reputation did in fact cause their demise as they unknowingly accepted their final engagement aboard the “Scarlet Woman.” But do not scorn or curse these two damaged souls, for there is evidence that they may have in the end, chosen to repent their callous ways. There is a legendary and unconfirmed report, passed down by fishermen along the bayou for years, that a small boat found it’s way up into Vermillion Bay after the storm, south of Lafayette, Louisiana. One of the survivors claimed they came from the “Scarlet Woman”, and that she was the last remaining member of the “Full Fishhead Gospel Choir”
According to this tale, the “Fishhead” member swore that in the closing days of the
cruise, as the storm came on them from the south, and they raced towards the shelter
of the Bayou, “Joe Willy” and “Neckbone” had the revelation that had escaped them
all these years, and they joined the “Full Fishhead Gospel Choir”, accepting the
Lord into their life, and plying their significant musical talent to joining the
Blues with Gospel, and soothing the passengers of the ill-
Of course there are detractors to this story, and this may be due to the fact that the survivors in this small boat have always been reported as two aging and rough looking men with as many as 12 women, a guitar and two bags full of money, who quickly and quietly melted into the bayous around Lafayette, never to be seen again. But on a full moon, deep in the bayou, at a little juke joint known only to the locals, and for years afterward, the soaring and fiery sound of Gospel Blues could be heard howling down the river to the open Gulf of Mexico.
