James Carroll Booker III (December 17, 1939 – November 8, 1983) was an American New Orleans rhythm and blues keyboardist. Flamboyant in personality and style, and possessing extraordinary technical skill on the piano, he was dubbed “the Black Liberace“.

His 1960 recording “Gonzo” reached No. 43 on the Billboard magazine record chart and No. 3 in R&B, and he toured internationally in the 1970s. After being mainly a rhythm and blues artist, Booker later fused this genre with jazz and with popular music such as that of the Beatles, playing these in his signature backbeat. His influence is profound in the New Orleans music scene, where his renditions and originals are most often performed. Booker died aged 43 on November 8, 1983, while seated in a wheelchair in the emergency room at New Orleans’ Charity Hospital, waiting to receive medical attention. The cause of death, as cited in the Orleans Parish Coroner’s Death Certificate, was renal failure related to chronic abuse of heroin and alcohol.