Evening gents, it’s Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide! Now, I might be a little biased about this, seeing as they’re my favorite band, but I’m serious, the nine (9) guys of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy can really serve as role models for any up and coming gentleman. Aside from their look with their suits and hats, the way they act on and offstage is enough for any young man to look up to. So today, I’m going to give you four (4) points that show how the musicians of BBVD are, indeed, perfect gentlemen!

1. There is no formal frontman

While it’s true that Big Bad Voodoo Daddy’s lead singer and guitar player, Scotty Morris, is the founder and “frontman” of the band, he does not hog all the attention. He acknowledges and directs the attention to the rest of the band throughout their entire performance. Whenever one of the other players performs a solo or plays a phenomenal riff, they take center stage for that solo of riff, and then go back to their place in the band. So while there seems to be a “frontman” onstage at all times, in reality, it’s all about the band and the music. No one person in the band hogs all the attention. In today’s day and age where modern pop stars are the total center of attention and give next to no attention to their backup band (without which, they could not even perform), it’s nice to see that every single person on stage is given credit where credit it is rightfully due.

2. Most of them are family men

Now, I can’t pretend that I know every little thing about a parent, but I’m willing to say that being a parent is one of the manliest things a man can do! I takes a lot of strength and patience to raise a child. So think about this: the guys of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy are touring and performing up to 290 days a year! This includes holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries. Could you imagine doing that while also being a husband and father? That clearly takes 10 times that amount of strength and patience. I’ve even met some of the guys’ kids (and even played in a school band with one of them) and they say it’s not very different from having a regular parent. It just makes them all the more admirable, knowing that they perform all the time and are still going strong while still being husbands and raising families.

3. They genuinely care about their fans and supporters

One of the biggest things that bugs me the most about a lot of modern pop stars is that they make everything about them, and generally don’t acknowledge their fanbase (I refer you to the time when Justin Bieber spat on his fans while at his apartment). What really bugs me about it is that without their fans, musicians wouldn’t be able to do what they do, and this is what Big Bad Voodoo Daddy does so well. My sophomore year of high school, the Ventura Unified School District put together a big music and arts festival at my high school to showcase the wonderful art that can and has come out of my hometown of Ventura, California. Headlining the event was Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, as they themselves are from Ventura. While they could have easily booked a much bigger venue than a high school, even in Ventura, they still agreed and were excited to perform for the event. Why? Because they knew that their biggest fanbase was in Ventura, and genuinely care about the well-being of arts programs from their own hometown. But aside from that, they just care about their fans, holding special clinics for middle and high school music students, and they often stick around after their shows to autograph merchandise and interact with their audience. Be honest, how many musicians can you think of that actually do that? Sure, some may be around after their shows to sign autographs and all that, very few of them stick around to interact with their fans, take photos, or even answer questions like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy does. It just shows how much they appreciate their fans and how they wouldn’t be able to do what they do without them.

4. They only do it for love of the music

Coming from such humble beginnings, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy has made it abundantly clear what they care about from the perspective of being a band: the music. They don’t care about making a spectacle, they just care about playing great music for people to enjoy. While yes, they do dance and play around onstage and make their performance a spectacle, it’s not their main priority. It’s the integrity of their art form that matters the most to them. My definition of success is to do what what you do and love what you do. As gentlemen should, they do what they love for the service of the people.

So there it is! Not only do they look the part, but the guys of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy act the part of what a perfect gentleman should be! Between being family men despite how often they’re performing away from home, caring about their fans, not one guy hogging all the onstage attention, and just simply loving what they do, I aspire to be as much of a gentleman as these guys (also to create such incredible swing music). In all seriousness, for those of you who haven’t heard any of their music, look them up. Most of their music is available in iTunes and Spotify, plus they have a new album coming out in June! Or if you have a chance to see them live, you absolutely should! I hope you enjoyed reading the post, and I would appreciate it if you shared it with a friend. Also be sure to follow The Young Gentleman’s Guide on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and read any past posts from the blog. And on that note, this is Max from The Young Gentleman’s Guide, and I’ll see you next time!