Lillian Theresa Boutté was born on August 6, 1949 in New Orleans, Louisiana. She won a singing competition at age eleven and studied music at Xavier University of Louisiana, where she sang in the gospel choir. Allen Toussaint discovered her and hired her as a background vocalist for recordings by several notable artists from 1973 onwards.
Boutté toured with the musical One Mo’ Time between 1979 and 1984. She released several albums, including a gospel album with the Olympia Brass Band in 1980 and her first jazz album in 1982. Throughout her career, she sang with notable artists such as Dr. John, Pattie LaBelle, and the Neville Brothers. Boutté was honored as New Orleans Music Ambassador in 1986. Despite battling Alzheimer's disease, Boutté performed in Rohrbach with pianist and singer Christian Willisohn in 2015. She passed away on May 23, 2025.
