The Subdudes often credit their songwriting to the group as a whole, although the primary songwriters are Tommy Malone (brother of
The Radiators guitarist
Dave Malone) and John Magnie, both former members of
Little Queenie and the Percolators. Current members of the band are: • Tommy Malone: vocals, acoustic, electric and slide guitars • John Magnie: vocals, accordion, keyboards • Steve Amedée: tambourine, drums, other percussion, and vocals • Tim Cook: percussion, bass and vocals • Jimmy Messa: bass and guitar They are an
Americana band with a rock-based sound that also shows
soul,
gospel,
blues,
cajun/
zydeco,
country, and other
American roots music influences. Their former bass player was
Johnny Ray Allen, who had not been with the band since their 1996 farewell tour (documented the next year on the
Live at Last CD) until a brief reunion in 2014. Willie Williams also contributed to three albums:
Annunciation,
Primitive Streak and
Live at Last as a second guitarist.
Annunciation (1994) was produced in part by
Glyn Johns. After regrouping in 2002 (first as The Dudes but then re-adopting the name 'subdudes' in March 2003),
Bob Dylan's guitarist Freddy Koella helped produce
Miracle Mule. The album
Behind the Levee (2006) was produced by bluesman
Keb' Mo' and yielded a minor hit, "Papa Dukie and the Mud People" (better known by its refrain, "Love is a Beautiful Thing"). Released in late 2007, the album
Street Symphony was recorded in
Nashville, Tennessee, at Blackbird Studios in March 2007 and was produced by
George Massenburg, who has worked with
Little Feat. Released in late 2008, ''Live at the Ram's Head'' is available on CD or as a two DVD set, with one disc being the live show from "The Ram's Head" in
Annapolis, Maryland, and the second DVD being
Unplugged at Pleasant Plains, with interviews and live studio footage from the recording of
Street Symphony in Nashville. Most recently (2009), the band's self-produced
Flower Petals was recorded in Magnie's basement studio then mixed in
Miami, Florida, by
The Albert Brothers and
Steve Alaimo. The album was a departure for the band, being much more
country-oriented than previous releases. The cover art was by William Matthews, a
Denver, Colorado, artist well known for his
Old West-style paintings.
Flower Petals was originally slated to be recorded as the follow-up to
Miracle Mule in 2004 but was nixed by the band's record company at the time,
Back Porch Records. Five years later, the band members financed the recording themselves then shopped around the completed tapes. The Subdudes' stature as New Orleans musicians was reflected by their inclusion individually and as a group in the HBO series
Treme. After a hiatus starting in 2011, the original line-up reunited in March 2014, with Johnny Ray Allen on bass. Allen died on August 8, 2014, at age 56. The band continued to tour with Tim Cook on bass. However, during the COVID pandemic, the band basically disbanded, posting a notice on bandsintown.com: "The Subdudes retired during the Covid-19 epidemic, but the members are active as solo artists and perform together on occasion." ==Discography==