Behind the Scenes: Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band comes to Statesville Heritage Festival

Group photo of Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band (Courtesy of John-Paul Miller).

Statesville Heritage Festival is taking place this Saturday, Aug. 1 at the Statesville Event Center located downtown. Various talents, cultural representation and educational talks will take place—along with the headliner band, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band. 

I sat down with the longtime active member of the band, John-Paul Miller, to speak about his experience with the band and where he is currently at today. The band started 24 years ago in the basement in a house in Boone, North Carolina. With the band’s first performance dating back to Sept. 12, 2002, it has only been uphill since then. 

Miller, an instrumentalist, explains how the band is a Grammy award winner after working with the band Secret Agent 23 Skiddo. “He hired us to make the music for a bunch of his records,” said Miller. “We have made music for his book that he has that you can read along with it. It encourages kids to rhyme and rap.”

“Ever since George Clinton and listening to Sly and the Family Stone, Kool & The Gang, I wanted to have a band with the horn section and I wanted to start a funk band,” said Miller. “I like the idea of having a funk band with a horn section.” 

With the original band composed of students attending Appalachian State University, the band made their mark as a big party band. “The party atmosphere attracted people to the band,” said Miller. “We would bring people up on the stage and interact with the people in the audience.” 

The famous question was asked—what is the story behind the name of the band? With a chuckle from Miller, he said: “We came up with a dozen alternative stories but I’ll give you the real story. The original bass player was goofing off at work one day with his co-workers. He said, ‘Let’s have a competition to come up with the most ridiculous band name’.” From there, Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band’s name was created but not solidified as the band’s name. “A little while later, we tried to book a show and couldn’t play without a band name. We used that name and 24 years later, here we are,” said Miller.  

Miller explains how the band has gone through different changes over the last 24 years—hitting the road touring 49 of the 50 states and playing in 80% of the major cities. “We were on the road about 200 days a year,” stated Miller. “We enjoyed touring but we scaled back.” Miller elaborates how the band moved from 100 to 15 shows, families and life started for members of the band. 

“We brought a lot of joy to people,” expressed Miller. “Our music is being listened to around the world. When I go to Spotify and see the world map, it is really cool to see it and it feels really good.” 

“When people hear the name, they laugh or they see the name on the street on a flyer and want to come inside to see what we were about,” explained Miller. “The music stands on its own two feet and proves that you can have a silly band name but the music is not some freshman project, it is something we are proud of.” 

The new lineup for Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band brings back two members, singer and guitar player, along with the original saxophone player. The band added a new bassist and the drummer from Ween, making Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band a six piece set. 

“When we play these free festivals, it is super fun,” said Miller. “There are people who are just there for the event and probably don’t know who the band is. We get a rush from seeing people having a good time. We gain new fans and it’s a new experience for those who do not know us.”

Concluding the interview, Miller adds how music is an important aspect of people’s lives. “Everyday, most people listen to music. People have music that fits their moods, getting through hard times or celebrations. It’s a part of everyone’s lives.” 

Miller elaborates about how music brings people together to create new friendships, incite joy and overall build a community. “People always listen to music and it brings people together,” added Miller. 

Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band is performing on Saturday, Aug. 1 at Statesville Event Center at the Statesville Heritage Festival at 2:30 p.m. In addition to their performance on Saturday, the band is having their 24th anniversary performance in Charlotte, North Carolina at the Visulite Theater. 

Digital promotion for Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band 24th anniversary performance in Charlotte, North Carolina (Courtesy of Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band).