Jesse James Balancier, 1983 king of Zulu
Times Picayune June 04, 2009 


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Jesse James Balancier, who reigned as king of Zulu in 1983 and founded Eastwind Limousine
Service, died Monday of a stroke at University Hospital. He was 62.

A dedicated member of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, Mr. Balancier held several positions
with the Carnival organization and spent many of his afternoons at the club's headquarters on
North Broad Street.

"When he joined the club, he met a lot of guys who were family-oriented and they became our
extended family," said Mr. Balancier's wife, Viola Battiste Balancier. 

 Mr. Balancier was elected mayor of Zulu in 1982 and that victory spurred him to compete for the
kingship, his wife said.

"He was considered one of the first modern kings that we had," said Zulu member George Rainey,
noting that Mr. Balancier helped establish new traditions in terms of how the king threw parties
and dressed during the coronation.

Before Mr. Balancier's reign, Zulu royalty wore white tuxedos to the ball. He was the first king
to appear at the event decked out in the elaborate headdress that was part of his Mardi Gras
parade costume, his wife said.

When Mr. Balancier reigned in 1983, it was the first time Zulu tossed cups and coasters to the
crowds in addition to beads and the coveted hand-decorated coconuts.

"The Zulu organization had traditionally been dominated by the labor unions, the longshoremen,"
recalled David Belfield, who was king in 1994. Mr. Balancier "was part of that renaissance where
we started acting more like a business as opposed to a mom-and-pop organization," Belfield said.
"He brought that to the Zulu club as well as to the kingship."

Mr. Balancier, a former real estate agent and property manager, was known for his lighter side
and his love of life.

"His nickname at the club was Messy Jesse," Belfield said. "He was always needling people,
throwing rocks in the water just to rustle the water a little bit. He was a really fun-loving
guy."

Mr. Balancier founded the Big Dogs, an informal club within Zulu.

He attended St. Tammany High School in his native Slidell, where he lived until 1963, when he
joined the Navy and was stationed in Norfolk. In 1972, he moved to New Orleans, where he lived
until his death.

Mr. Balancier was a former taxi driver for the Dejoie and Rawlins cab companies. In 2000 he
established a limousine service, and he also had worked as a licensed Realtor with Stan Weber and
Merrill Lynch.

In addition to his wife, his survivors include his stepdaughter, Sonia Sorrell-Griffin of
Orlando, Fla.; his stepson, Stephen R. Sorrell Jr.; his brother, Peter Balancier Jr.; three
sisters, Irene Hart and Adele Jones, both of Slidell, and Veronica Balancier, of Baton Rouge; and
four grandchildren.

A Mass will be said Friday at 11 a.m. at St. Katherine Drexel Catholic Church, 2015 Louisiana
Ave. Visitation will begin at 8:30 a.m. Burial will be in St. Joseph No. 1 Cemetery in New
Orleans. Duplain W. Rhodes Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.