John Bult seeks to clarify his musical journey.
His sole LP, Julie’s Sixteenth Birthday, was intended to be his entry into the world of country music. However, instead of propelling him to stardom, the album has gained notoriety as one of the “best of the worst,” primarily due to its controversial cover art.
“It still chaps me real bad,” Bult reflected. “The whole thing still makes me mad, even after all these years.”
In 1980, while performing across Louisiana, Bult crossed paths with Howard Richard, an investor who believed in his potential for success. They traveled to Nashville for a meeting with industry figures Chet Atkins and Ray Stevens. “It was my chance to stick my foot in the door, but I didn’t,” Bult explained. Faced with the sacrifices that a music career would demand, including time away from his family, he returned to Lake Charles.
Undeterred, Richard encouraged Bult to record an album. With financial backing, Bult secured studio time and enlisted Teddy Broussard as the producer. However, Bult soon realized that Broussard sought significant control over the project, including the album cover and song selections. Despite Broussard’s previous experience as a songwriter in Nashville, he had not achieved notable success, and he viewed Bult’s naivety as an opportunity.
Bult later acknowledged, “I guess the first mistake I made was not signing a contract with him.” At the age of 19, Bult had previously been under contract with the Temple Brothers in Fort Worth, where he recorded songs that did not align with his country aspirations. After consulting a lawyer, Bult decided to leave that contract behind, vowing never to sign another without careful consideration.
The album was recorded at Master-Trak Sounds in Crowley, Louisiana, where Bult, Broussard, and a group of studio musicians quickly laid down ten tracks, five of which were penned by Broussard, including the titular “Julie’s Sixteenth Birthday.”
The song narrates the story of Jim, a man who frequents bars and, despite knowing his daughter Julie is turning 16 and going on her first date, loses track of time. In a tragic twist, after drinking too much, Jim attempts to drive home but crashes, leading to dire consequences.
“I said, ‘Lou, should I pass on, before she comes in, be sure and tell Julie how sorry I am for spoiling her birthday,’” Bult recounted, capturing the poignant conclusion of the song.
After the recording, Broussard made the decision to name the album after the song, a choice Bult says he was not consulted about. Initially, Bult believed a photograph of him with his guitar would be used for the cover, but Broussard instead featured a young girl, Kim Whitehead, whom he had met at a restaurant. The resulting cover, taken at Pat O’Carroll’s Restaurant in Lake Charles, depicts Bult at a table with a wedding ring on his hand, a half-empty beer beside an ashtray, and an atmosphere that resembles a bar more than a family setting.
“During the photo shoot, Ted kept telling her to look serious, like her dad is talking to her,” Bult recalled. “But she just kept looking sad to me.”
When Bult saw the finished album, he was furious. “I told him I didn’t like the look of it, one bit. Instead of looking like a dad and his daughter, it looks like some guy trying to pick up a chick in a bar. Nobody is going to know that is supposed to be Julie. I didn’t like it one bit.”
To further complicate matters, Bult provided Broussard with a biography for the liner notes, but Broussard opted to fabricate Bult's credentials, claiming he had been discovered performing in a shopping mall lounge. “That isn’t true—not at all. I’ve been performing for years. I played with Roy Head when I was 19 at Randy’s Rodeo in San Antonio and been on the Louisiana Hayride before I even met Ted Broussard.”
Approximately 250 copies of the album (DSR 4981) were pressed, and Bult continued performing, largely putting his debut recording behind him.
However, the advent of the Internet changed everything. Around 2003, a blogger discovered the album and labeled it as having the worst album cover ever, sparking a trend that saw Julie’s Sixteenth Birthday featured in various “worst album covers” lists, including books by Nick DiFonzo and websites such as Bizarre Records and Cover Browser.
The unexpected recognition left Bult astonished. “My sister-in-law was in Washington D.C., and she called me, and told me to look it up. I couldn’t believe it.”
On May 17, 2011, Ellen DeGeneres showcased the record on a segment about bad album covers on her daytime show. “When I saw that, I got chapped all over again. I e-mailed her, or whoever her handlers are, and I explained it all to them. I didn’t hear back from anyone.”
Unbeknownst to Bult, Ted Broussard re-released the album in 1985 (Ra Chelle 12483), omitting the fictitious liner notes, and also issued a single of “Julie’s Sixteenth Birthday.” Bult inquired with legal professionals about this unauthorized re-release, but was told it was not worth pursuing as Broussard had not made significant profits from it.
The album's rarity and infamy have transformed Julie’s Sixteenth Birthday into a sought-after collector's item, with prices for sealed copies reaching upwards of $100.
Today, John Bult resides in southeastern Louisiana and is semi-retired from performing. In 2007, he recorded a CD featuring old favorites in various styles, including country and jazz, but chose not to release it. “I was going to do an online thing, but I just didn’t get around to it.”
Broussard eventually left the music industry to open a Mexican food restaurant. Bult notes that when their paths cross, he often manages to make a light-hearted remark about the album cover. “If that were my daughter, I wouldn’t have let her on the cover.”
Attempts to find Kim Whitehead have been unsuccessful.
