Cookie and the Cupcakes, based in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is best known and loved for recording what many consider the unofficial anthem of swamp pop music.

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The group began as the Boogie Ramblers, led by Shelton Dunaway. Huey “Cookie” Thierry joined in 1952, sharing lead vocals and tenor saxophone duties with Dunaway. Other original members included Sidney “Hot Rod” Reynaud (tenor sax), Marshall Laday (guitar), Ernest Jacobs (piano), Joe “Blue” Landry (bass), and Ivory Jackson (drums). In 1953, they became the house band at the Moulin Rouge Club in Lake Charles, quickly earning a strong regional following and touring with major artists such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Fats Domino.

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In 1956, Cookie became the group’s frontman, prompting a name change to “Cookie and the Boogie Ramblers.” Not long afterward, the band adopted its final name—Cookie and the Cupcakes—after an audience member jokingly shouted it at a show. The group recorded its signature song, “Mathilda,” in 1957. The single rose to No. 47 on the Billboard pop chart in early 1959 and is widely regarded as the unofficial anthem of the swamp pop genre. They followed it with a series of singles, including “Belinda,” “Betty and Dupree,” and the Billboard Hot 100 hit “Got You on My Mind.”

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Cookie and the Cupcakes also served as the backing band on the classic Phil Phillips recording “Sea of Love,” which went on to sell millions of copies and has been covered by artists such as Del Shannon, Tom Waits, and Robert Plant.

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In 1965, Cookie moved to California and was replaced as lead singer by “Little Alfred” (or “Lil’ Alfred”) Babino. The band continued performing into the early 1970s before gradually dispersing. Cookie reunited with the group in the 1990s and played festivals with them until his death in 1997. Lil’ Alfred carried on the Cupcakes’ legacy, performing throughout Louisiana and southeast Texas until his passing in 2006.