Cajun and zydeco music is not just for old people

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Geoff Himes has a nice article in the March 4, 2007 NY Times about young Louisiana Cajun bands like the Pine Leaf Boys, and how they are attracting a young audience in Louisiana. I know that there are also young Louisiana and Texas Creole zydeco bands who incorporate rap and funk into their sound. Now I discovered Louisiana sounds when I was in my 20s. Years later though, in the DC area at least, the only people who go to zydeco and Cajun shows are fanatic Cajun and zydeco dancing couples who also discovered the music back when i did or even before. The Pine Leaf Boys play to 40 something and up only crowds here in the DC area. Maybe there's nothing wrong with that (since I'm in the over 40 age group myself)? Maybe there's not enough media attention to attract current 20 year olders the way I was intrigued by Joe Sasfy articles in DC papers and Christgau and others mentioning stuff in the Voice? Maybe cuz the groups uysed to play bars years ago and not just dances (where folks who can't do all the 'right' steps might feel intimidated). Whether you worry about this or not, you can weigh in here on zydeco and Cajun sounds... I'll post the Pine Leaf Boys article below...

― curmudgeon, Monday, 5 March 2007 14:23 (eighteen years ago)

Pine Leaf Boys NY Times article

NEW YORK TIMES
March 4, 2007
Music
Cajun Sound, Rock ’n’ Roll Energy
By GEOFFREY HIMES
LAFAYETTE, La.

THIS wasn’t a show for Mardi Gras tourists. On Lundi Gras, as they call the day before Fat Tuesday in south Louisiana, the Pine Leaf Boys were onstage before a crowd of locals at the Grant Street Dancehall here. The five musicians, all in their 20s, played songs by Cajun legends like the 1950s accordionist Iry LeJeune and the 1930s fiddler Dennis McGee, but the dancers who were packed shoulder to shoulder on the well-worn wooden floor didn’t seem to care about the history. They were more interested in the visceral excitement of the band’s signature song, “Pine Leaf Boy Two Step.”

The songwriter Wilson Savoy, a long and lanky accordionist in a white mesh farmer’s cap, sang in Cajun French with whoops of excitement. A bleating melodic phrase from his button accordion was echoed by a high-pitched fiddle line and shoved along by an impatient rhythm section of guitar, bass and drums. A spell was cast, combining a mysterious past — the nearly forgotten dialect and the archaic squeezebox’s red bellows — with an unabashed rock ’n’ roll energy conducive to the elbow-flying, hip-swiveling spirit on the dance floor.

The band sustained that spell for 90 minutes. The fiddler Cedric Watson, dressed in a blue Cajun Mardi Gras costume with yellow and green fringe, closed out the show with a new arrangement of “Zydeco Gris Gris.” Mr. Watson sawed out the infectious tune and led the cries of “Zydeco!” The musicians’ fellow 20-somethings in the crowd hollered right back.

This was the Pine Leaf Boys’ seventh show in five days, and if you had spent the Mardi Gras weekend in Lafayette, the biggest city in the Cajun region known as Acadiana, you could have also seen the Lost Bayou Ramblers at the Blue Moon Saloon on Saturday night and the Red Stick Ramblers at 307 Downtown on Sunday night. At each spot you would have found young dancers responding with the same enthusiasm.

These three Lafayette bands, with a fourth — Feufollet, a teenage group that spent the weekend touring the Midwest — form the core of a renaissance in Cajun and Creole music. After years of recycled arrangements and graying performers and listeners, Acadiana’s dance halls are suddenly filled with young musicians, young dancers and a hard-rocking approach to the old acoustic instruments.

Next month Arhoolie Records will release the Pine Leaf Boys’ second album, “Blues de Musicien,” an impressive recording that may vault them onto the national roots-music scene — though probably not onto the pop charts. They are introducing the album with an East Coast tour that brings them to Connolly’s in Manhattan on Sunday night.

Cajun music is the fiddle-and-accordion-based sound invented by French immigrants in rural southern Louisiana and first recorded in 1928; Creole was the variation created by their African-American neighbors. In the 1990s Cajun and Creole were eclipsed on the local music scene by zydeco, an outgrowth of Creole that was bluesier and more percussive. There were some great zydeco acts in the ’90s — Beau Jocque, Boozoo Chavis, Geno Delafose, Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas — but they largely abandoned the fiddle, the waltzes and the French language, all essential elements of Cajun and Creole. The Pine Leaf Boys are able to bring back those neglected Cajun aspects without sacrificing any of zydeco’s dance-floor excitement.

“Cajun music has survived because it’s dance music,” Mr. Savoy, 25, said before the show. “Cajuns have a need to go out on a Saturday night to a dance hall and have a good time.”

When he goes out to dance, Mr. Savoy said, “I want to hear a 25-year-old kid jamming on the accordion in a bar where young people are screaming on Football Friday.” Then again, “I don’t want to hear five two-steps in a row,” he added. “I want to hear a waltz so I can get close to a woman.”

ON the Sunday afternoon before Mardi Gras, Marc and Ann Savoy gave a tour of the home where their four children, Wilson, Joel, Sarah and Gabie, developed their deep affection for Cajun culture. Outside Eunice, La., northwest of Lafayette, the 1911 white farmhouse with the yellow trim and red roof sits at the end of a long driveway flanked by old cypress and oak trees and at the center of a 200-acre farm that belonged to Marc’s grandfather. There are home movies, Ann Savoy said, of her children in their pajamas sprawled on the screened porch with their coloring books while some of the greatest figures in Cajun music — Dennis McGee, Dewey Balfa and D. L. Menard — jammed with the parents of the oblivious children.

Like many Acadiana musicians Wilson and his siblings more or less inherited the family business from their parents. Marc Savoy is one of North America’s most respected makers of button accordions, smaller and reedier-sounding than piano accordions. His shop, the Savoy Music Center in Eunice, sells Cajun instruments and recordings. With his wife and the fiddler Michael Doucet of Beausoleil he plays accordion in the Savoy-Doucet Band; last year he self-released his latest solo album, “Marc Savoy Plays Cajun Accordion: Back to the Basics Savoy Style.”

Ann Savoy, a singer and guitarist, has her own bundle of projects, including the Zozo Sisters, a duo with Linda Ronstadt that resulted in the 2006 album “Adieu False Heart” (Vanguard). Nominated for a Grammy for best traditional folk album, it lost to Bruce Springsteen last month.

Ms. Savoy’s parents were jazz buffs in Richmond, Va., and she revisits those roots on a swing record to be released in May, credited to Ann Savoy and Her Sleepless Knights. Meanwhile her all-female Cajun band, the Magnolia Sisters, is working on a second album of traditional Cajun children’s songs. And the second Savoy Family Band album, with Marc, Ann, Wilson and Joel, is set for a summer release.

“Music was a part of the household,” Ann Savoy, 55, recalled. “The instruments were all over the place. We didn’t make a big deal about taking lessons. We just said you can pick up an instrument and join in if you want. Sometimes the best way to drive children away from music is to pressure them to play.”

Marc Savoy, 66, added: “When Wilson said, ‘Daddy, can I play your accordion?’ I said, ‘Sure, but you have to treat it with respect, because it’s delicate. But don’t expect me to show you anything. You have to figure it out for yourself.’ ”

He admitted that later, after he saw that his children were serious about music, he showed them a thing or two. “This music is part of who we are as a family and a people,” he said, “so you don’t want to screw around with it.”

The Savoy tradition was also passed along to Joel, who was a founding member of the Red Stick Ramblers. He didn’t adapt well to the band’s grueling road schedule and amicably departed to start a new Cajun-Creole label, Valcour Records. His most recent release is “Allons Boire un Coup: A Collection of Cajun and Creole Drinking Songs.” Featuring contributions from the Pine Leaf Boys, the Red Stick Ramblers, the Lost Bayou Ramblers, Feufollet, Ann Savoy and Joel Savoy himself, the disc’s combination of old songs and fresh approaches is a fine introduction to the lively revival.

“I want to document what’s going on here,” Joel Savoy, 26, said, “because it’s exciting to see all these young kids playing this weird traditional music with accordions and fiddles and to have all these young kids eating it up like it’s the coolest thing ever.”

Joel Savoy’s commitment to the Cajun-Creole revival includes organizing a traditional Courir de Mardi Gras near his parents’ home. This old rural Mardi Gras run features costumed revelers on horseback or foot going from farm to farm to beg for chickens for the gumbo pot while a Cajun band wagon plays on an old hay wagon.

In recent years the courirs in many Louisiana towns have allowed floats, beads, recorded music, uncostumed onlookers and drunken fights until, he said, they became a bad parody of Mardi Gras in New Orleans’s French Quarter. So he and his childhood friend Linzay Young started a traditional courir.

“Linzay and I have always been into creating our own scene,” Joel Savoy explained, adding, “We did that with the Red Stick Ramblers and now we’re doing it with our Courir de Mardi Gras.”

So it was that at 9:30 on Mardi Gras morning 300 people in screen masks (made from window screens), conical caps and fringe-draped costumes stood in the front yard of Joel Savoy’s neighbor, Rick Smith. Mr. Smith was on his roof, holding a writhing, flapping chicken in each hand. He was willing to donate them to the gumbo pot, but according to custom he was going to make the maskers chase and catch the chickens. The maskers responded by stretching out whichever hand wasn’t holding a beer.

Meanwhile, beneath a tree in the yard, Joel’s brother Wilson, dressed in a plaid costume with gold and maroon fringe, was playing accordion while Joel, decked out in a red and yellow costume, was playing fiddle. It was Cajun music for catching chickens, and the two brothers were beaming.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 5 March 2007 14:25 (eighteen years ago)

I need novamax (Lomax) from Houston to add some wisdom here, and the American Routes people.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 5 March 2007 16:41 (eighteen years ago)

The Bluerunners, also from Lafayette, have always had a big dose of punk energy.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Monday, 5 March 2007 21:33 (eighteen years ago)

Yea, I think they're still around. I saw them up here in DC and once down in Louisiana.

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 05:09 (eighteen years ago)

A sad article

Losing Louisiana

This Robert Buckman article says that in Louisiana small zydeco clubs are closing and Creole-Americans are losing interest, although some zydeco bands are playing to bigger crowds in more anglo clubs.

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 14:39 (eighteen years ago)

Yeah, when I was living in Richmond, you'd get large doses of this stuff in Anglo clubs and at festivals.

― If Timi Yuro would be still alive, most other singers could shut up, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 23:04 (eighteen years ago)

In DC it is now less heard at clubs and festivals. Just mainly special dances ala swing dances and folk contra events. It's interesting (and disappointing) to see how now the music seems most popular around the US only to over 40 white folks though (I remember when under 40 white folks got into it), and in Louisiana and Texas it is appealling to, well --I'm not sure, it depends on whom you talk to how many Creole Americans of whatever age are still into it (and Cajuns too). The only under 40 folks outside of the gulf coast who seem the most remotely interested are jamband types (and I do not like jamband sounds at all)!

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 6 March 2007 23:50 (eighteen years ago)

Sounds cool, I wish the show had been this Sunday instead.

― calstars, Wednesday, 7 March 2007 00:37 (eighteen years ago)

On the Houston-Beaumont zydeco Web site zydecoevents.com, there are about a dozen zydeco shows listed in the Greater Houston area in the next week alone. There is zydeco on black radio here and about six or seven Creole Catholic churches that hold dances. And it's not just an old crowd that goes to these shows -- crowds for the rap-influenced groups like J. Paul and the Zydeco Nu-Breed and Nooney and the Floaters have a median age of about 30.

Zydeco is kind of the unofficial soundtrack to spring time in Houston. There are lots of crawfish boils this time of year and you can't have one of those without zydeco. (Or brass band music if you're rollin' NOLA style.)

Creole fiddler Cedric Watson of the Pine Leaf Boys is from near here; so is accordionist Corey Ledet, another ardent neo-traditionalist. (Ledet is from the prosperous suburb of Sugar Land; Watson is from the rural town of Sealy, which is about 40 miles west of Houston.) What's striking is that both of these young guys have turned up their noses at the easy money they could get pandering to the zyde-rap market to play the super-trad music they love, which has meant that they have had to go to Louisiana. There they can play for both the Creole old-timers and the young (often white) kids who seem to be leading another South Louisiana cultural renaissance.

I also found that Buckman article pretty sad, but possibly flawed. It could be that he just talked to the old guard. Zydeco is definitely not frozen in time down here, and just because a 40-year-old joint run by a 89-year-old man is having trouble does not mean the music is dying out. It could be that his audience has died off, the type of zydeco he likes is no longer hip, or his place now seems shabby compared to a nicer joint across the Parish that might even have its own beer license. The same rock clubs don't stay cool forever -- why should zydeco be any different?

Which is not to say that casinos aren't tough competition for club owners, 'cause they are. And here in Houston, there are a few places that don't bother with bands and opt for zydeco DJs instead. (They will mix in country, soul-blues, R&B and the odd rap tune, too.)

Roger Wood's book Texas Zydeco is a must-read for anyone curious about the state of modern zydeco, as well as its all-too-often neglected Texas history.

As for Cajun music, there is almost none here and I recently wrote a column wondering why the hell that was so. My guess is that the Cajuns assimilated more. The Creoles had a lot more cohesiveness -- as Catholics they were apart from the black community and it has always been their churches that have held them together. Cajun emigres to Houston have never had their own parish churches -- they just mixed in with the Catholics that were already here. And that's a bit weird since there are so many of them -- more here than in all but a couple of La Parishes according to census data -- and Houston does have Catholic churches that started out German, Polish, Mexican, Vietnamese and even an Italian one if I am not mistaken. (Most of the urban churches that aren't black or Vietnamese are now Mexican or Central American in any case.)

This article was spurred on by seeing the excellent young Cajun swing revival band the Red Stick Ramblers. I caught 'em at the Continental here -- don't miss 'em if they come through your town.

― novamax, Wednesday, 7 March 2007 04:48 (eighteen years ago)

Unfortunately, I did miss the Red Stick Ramblers the last time they came through town. Of the young Cajun bands, I've only seen the Pine Leaf Boys but not the Red Stick Ramblers, the Lost Bayou Ramblers, or Feufollet. I think J. Paul and the Zydeco Nu-Breed once came through this way (hmmm, I forgot whether I saw them). I did see Lil Brian and the Zydeco Travelers, a Houston area group that incorporates old-school funk into their zydeco sound. Lil Brian told me awhile back that he's doing more gigging in Europe and around the US then back in Texas.

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 7 March 2007 09:25 (eighteen years ago)

I saw Lil' Brian in 1997 in Nashville and his music was one of the things that cemented my then-shaky decision to move from there to Houston.

Yeah, he doesn't play here that often because he has become expensive, so that angle of the Buckman story does have some merit now that I think about it.

CJ Chenier also lives here and rarely plays here, but in his case it's not just his fee. There is some animosity toward him from the other bands...Not sure how much is over the Clifton connection or because they think he is overrated or what, but people really hammer him down here. (At least that was the case about six years ago.)

― novamax, Wednesday, 7 March 2007 18:43 (eighteen years ago)

Thanks for all that info.

― curmudgeon, Friday, 9 March 2007 13:59 (eighteen years ago)

[Removed Illegal Link]

From the Times of Acadiana

story by Nik belanger, Times staff
photos by Leslie Westbrook

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sid Williams, owner of El Sid O's Zydeco dance club, holds his local liquor license Monday at the club. Williams said there's a possibility that he will close his club when the license expires.

As zydeco gains popularity around the globe, local support dwindles. El Sid O's may soon close its doors permanently, ending the legendary venue's multidecade reign as Lafayette's premiere zydeco stop.

They don't dance at El Sid O's like they used to. The club, which at one time brought excitement to the corner of Martin Luther King Drive and St. Antoine Streets every weekend, now holds only a few dances every month. ...."

― curmudgeon, Friday, 9 March 2007 14:09 (eighteen years ago)

Acadiana article

Hopefully I posted it right this time

― curmudgeon, Friday, 9 March 2007 14:11 (eighteen years ago)

But the Grant Street club in Lafayette is apparently doing ok.

― curmudgeon, Friday, 9 March 2007 15:25 (eighteen years ago)

one month passes...

Lots of zydeco and Cajun action down in New Orleans at the Jazz & Heritage Fest (Aka Jazzfest). I'm not there this year, but here's one of likely several folks blogging about it:

http://www.jazzfestblog.com/

― curmudgeon, Saturday, 28 April 2007 16:55 (eighteen years ago)

I wish some of those Houston zydeco bands would come up to DC. We just keep getting the same ol' Louisiana acts (they're not bad, I just want something new).

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 1 May 2007 14:54 (eighteen years ago)

Longtime Offbeat writer John Swenson has an article in the May issue of that magazine about how zydeco no longer has performers competing and claiming the title of King of the genre (like in the Boozoo vs Beau Jocque days or way back when with others). He does not mention any Texas zydeco bands though (but notes how zydeco has developed a following internationally). The article confirms for me why I lost interest in Terrance Simeon--he just wants to reach aging deadheads and jamband fans. Ugh. He does talk about Boozoo's relatives and Rosie Ledet. I haven't seen her or heard her in years, but I always loved her early double-entendre filled stuff.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 14 May 2007 15:57 (seventeen years ago)

I gotta research those Houston bands...

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 15 May 2007 04:16 (seventeen years ago)

Bois Sec Ardoin died. Story in the Louisiana Advertiser: http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070518/NEWS01/705180302/1002

This Creole accordionist was something special.

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 20 May 2007 04:07 (seventeen years ago)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QHfB2tEXuo

Bois Sec with Canray on Youtube.

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 20 May 2007 04:09 (seventeen years ago)

Not punk, but plenty of soul, was Balfa Toujours, at least live; I haven't heard their albums. Started by the daughter of Dewey Balfa, I think, and some other offspring of the Balfa Brothers involved at some points. Wanna say they're broken up, though hope not. There's also some excellent cajun and zydeco on the soundtrack to a German movie, Shultze Gets The Blues. It's about a German folk fan who gets totally bored with middle age, and comes to the American South, and it's got German-American bands, and the Bobby Jones Czech Band, and Kerry Cristensen, who combines Swiss- and Jimmie Rodgers-associated yodelling (the combination, or unbroken connection, seems to have its own party tradition in the Southeast-Southwest cusp that Schultze is travelling) Cajun and zydeco incl. Sunpie and the Louisiana Sunspots, The Creole Connection, Carriere Brothers,Zydeco Force, Cleoma B. Falcon (some of these are from Shultze's collection, apparently, like 78s)Forced Exposure's where I got mine.

― dow, Sunday, 20 May 2007 19:47 (seventeen years ago)

Kerry "Christensen," that is.

― dow, Sunday, 20 May 2007 19:52 (seventeen years ago)

Yea, Balfa Tujours are nice Cajun. I also have fond memories of the late Dewey Balfa. I found the below at a website:

http://www.lsue.edu/acadgate/music/balfatj1.htm

With the birth of their second child, Sophie Jo Powell, born February 12, 2004, Christine Balfa and Dirk Powell and Balfa Toujours have not been touring as much lately, but the group is still making appearances at select venues around the country, including a performance before a crowd of some 5,000 in El Paso, Texas, in June 2005. Meanwhile Dirk Powell has been busy with a variety of projects, including performing on Loretta Lynn's Grammy-winning album.

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 20 May 2007 20:02 (seventeen years ago)

Forgot she'd married Dirk Powell! Good to know they'll be back, apparently/hopefully.

― dow, Sunday, 20 May 2007 21:27 (seventeen years ago)

Not all zydeco or Cajun, it's Texas accordion music in Houston courtesy of Ramiro Burr's San Antonio blog:

It's down to the final seven contestants in the Texas Folklife's 18th annual Accordion Kings & Queens show and The Big Squeeze. Film producer Hector Galan will be in Houston Friday, June 1 to work on his latest project, 'The Big Squeeze,' a film about Texas Folklife's first accordion contest, including the June 2 Accordion Kings & Queens concert at which the winner will be chosen.

Performing at the 2007 Accordion Kings & Queens concert will be Chubby Carrier & the Bayou Swamp Band, Mingo SaldÃvar y Sus Tremendos Cuatro Espadas, Ginny Mac & the Road to Texas Band Miller Outdoor Theatre is located at 100 Concert Drive in Hermann Park.

And, the seven contestants in the big squeeze are: George Arechiga, Mission; Jose Ricardo Calleros, Mission; A.J. Castillo, Austin; Juan Longoria Jr., Brownsville; Matt Tolentino, Dallas; Robert Vega

― curmudgeon, Saturday, 2 June 2007 20:33 (seventeen years ago)

I wonder who won

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 3 June 2007 04:21 (seventeen years ago)

Still wondering. Maybe google will eventually help me find out.

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 3 June 2007 14:20 (seventeen years ago)

three months pass...

http://www.lsue.edu/acadgate/music/musicmain.htm

LSU website that lists lots and lots of zydeco and Cajun bands, offers bios, and links

― curmudgeon, Saturday, 15 September 2007 20:14 (seventeen years ago)

Maybe that music critic guy from Baton Rouge Advocate who shows up here every once in a while to do ask some research questions will have something to add.

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Sunday, 16 September 2007 01:27 (seventeen years ago)

I just went to a zydeco dance with Rosie Ledet and her band band tonight. I hadn't seen her in years but have always loved her sultry soulful voice. They are still worth seeing even if you don't have the proper zydeco dancing footwork down. They're gonna be in NYC at Connolly's in midtown Sunday night.

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 16 September 2007 05:04 (seventeen years ago)

I do not think she did my fave cut though, "I'm Gonna Take Care of Your Dog (Show him where he can bury his bone)."

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 16 September 2007 12:29 (seventeen years ago)

My two sons were on stage with Buckwheat Zydeco last week.
Sorry, had to tell someone.

― Jazzbo, Sunday, 16 September 2007 12:49 (seventeen years ago)

That's cool (I once sneared at Buckwheat and Dimension 5 (Haikunym Cibula) rightly took me to task for my snobbery. Buckwheat has a zydeco kids cd, right. Plus I think he used to play in funk and soul bands in the 70s.

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 16 September 2007 23:20 (seventeen years ago)

I was a Zydeco skeptic until I saw Beau Jocque perform at the Mid City Lanes Rock 'n Bowl back in the early '90s. He was a pretty intense performer, which I guess you have to be if you want to be heard above the sound of balls smashing into bowling pins.

― James Redd and the Blecchs, Monday, 17 September 2007 01:37 (seventeen years ago)

Beau's bass player, Chuck Bush, was on guitar with Rosie Ledet at the zydeco dance the other night. He added more fuzztone than you usually hear from a zydeco axe-slinger.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 17 September 2007 04:48 (seventeen years ago)

one month passes...

Saw Rosie Ledet last month, and Leroy Thomas & the Zydeco Roadrunners last night (I think they're playing in Providence tonight and New York City Sunday night). Need to blurb more about this. Plus I've been reading about various festivals and stuff.

― curmudgeon, Saturday, 27 October 2007 17:02 (seventeen years ago)

Nice funky bottom from Leroy Thomas' rhythm section. Plus covers of Ray Charles, Hank Williams and the Everly Brothers. He does some of the same songs that Geno Delafose does. Like Geno he takes a traditional approach--that means he can get '70s style funky but no hiphop influence like some of the younger guys. Zydeco couples dancing when done right is so cool. But I don't have the time to practice.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 29 October 2007 14:33 (seventeen years ago)

three weeks pass...

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007711190320

Article published Nov 19, 2007
Popular accordion player Zydeco Joe dies at age 64
Herman Fuselier
hfusel✧✧✧@theadverti✧✧✧.c✧✧
Funeral services are pending for musician Zydeco Joe, aka Joseph Adam Mouton of Lafayette, who died Saturday at Lafayette General Hospital. Mouton was a popular accordion player, known for hits such as "You Can't Rooster Like You Used To," "Poppa Jack" and "Jack Rabbit."
Mouton was 64. Syrie Funeral Home in Lafayette is in charge of arrangements.

Joseph Mouton, Mouton's son, confirmed Sunday that his father died from complications related to strep pneumonia. After several attempts to revive Mouton from cardiac arrest, he was declared brain dead Saturday afternoon. Mouton was kept on life support for 24 hours so his organs could be harvested for donation.

Mouton's death came as a shock to many in the zydeco music community. He had performed Nov. 10 at Rock the Moon, a KRVS listener appreciation party, held Nov. 10 at the Blue Moon Saloon. He also played Wednesday during the 21st Annual Thanksgiving Zydeco Food Drive at El Sido's Zydeco and Blues Club.

Cullen Washington of Lake Charles, his longtime producer, said Mouton was preparing to go back into the studio. His recent CD, "Black Cat" on Zydeco Gumbo Records, had become a best seller. Washington was ordering more copies for distribution.

Washington remembers Mouton as "a giving person" who often played for elderly residents nursing homes. Mouton was also proud of his Creole roots and the French language used in his music.

"What you see with Zydeco Joe was what he was," said Washington. "He used to tell me he might not be the best accordion player.

"But I used to tell him he might not be Keith Frank or J. Paul, but nobody could beat him at what he did. Not many could do the old school zydeco and the Creole French like he did. He was a natural guy."

Mouton was born Oct. 25, 1943, in rural Lafayette Parish. Although he played guitar as a teen, Mouton did not learn accordion until he was 45. A close friend, Robley Hebert, died in an auto accident and his mother gave the accordion to Mouton.

Dudley Broussard, a nursing home resident, showed Mouton how to play blues and old-style, zydeco tunes.

After mastering the instrument, Mouton formed his Laissez Le Bon Temps Rouler Band in 1988. The group played clubs and festivals from Lafayette to New Orleans, along with some out-of-state appearance.

Mouton recorded two CDs, "Jack Rabbit" in 2001 on Maison de Soul Records of Ville Platte, and "Black Cat" in 2006.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 19 November 2007 20:22 (seventeen years ago)

Man, that's terrible. Me and a friend of mine here in Houston have a two-man Zydeco Joe cult. "Can't Rooster Like You Useta" is a classic.

― novamax, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 12:15 (seventeen years ago)

Awesome song title

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 20 November 2007 19:26 (seventeen years ago)

two months pass...

http://www.parisdjs.com/images/covers/Mr_Moo-Cajun%20Funk_Vol_1_b.jpg
croc style - boom like that

― CaptainLorax, Sunday, 27 January 2008 21:59 (seventeen years ago)

http://img170.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dscf59282uk2.jpg

― CaptainLorax, Sunday, 27 January 2008 22:05 (seventeen years ago)

two weeks pass...

http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080211/NEWS01/802110320

Terrence Simien used to put on some great zydeco shows back in the 80s and he would occasionally add some blues and reggae and roots rock into the mix. By the '90s he increased the amount of non-zydeco and began to attract a jam band following. I lost interest in him. Recently I read that he and his wife's multi-year effort to get a Cajun and Zydeco category added to the Grammies paid off. And sure enough, the Grammy folks just gave him the award this year! While his efforts schooling the Grammys folks on the need for such an award is to be commended, it's a bit more questionable saying his latest cd was more worthy than that of the other artists nominated (and some of the great artists not even nominated). Yes I will admit that I have not heard his latest. And maybe expecting a smart decision from the Grammy folks (who once gave Jethro Tull the best heavy metal band award)is naive.

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 13 February 2008 01:17 (seventeen years ago)

one month passes...

I'm way into zydeco right now. I admit, the 'hipster proof'ness of the genre is what drew me to it initially, but man, there is some rockin' shit to be discovered here. This was sorta my last stone unturned, genre wise, and I'm pretty excited about it right now. Anyone got any recommendations besides those listed above?

― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Wednesday, 9 April 2008 06:31 (seventeen years ago)

do u guys prefer polkas or waltzes

― Curt1s Stephens, Wednesday, 9 April 2008 06:56 (seventeen years ago)

Waltzes are Cajun (and sometimes Creole), polkas are not. I prefer faster-tempoed zydeco to both, but if I had to choose I'd take waltzes.

I like all the zydeco acts that regularly come through the DC area--Curley Taylor, Andre Thiery, Geno Delafose...Plus, if you want to just listen to cds of old classic stuff you can also check out that Kingdom of Zydeco book. There's another book on Texas zydeco that I've been meaning to get.

I wish the more hiphop-inflected zydeco acts from Texas (Houston area mostly) would come my way-Step Rideaux and others. I'm spacing out on some of the names right now. Will list more of 'em later.

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 9 April 2008 11:28 (seventeen years ago)

Actually Novamax listed 'em above. On the Cajun side of things, I've always liked Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys who add zydeco, melodic swamp pop, and minor-key balladry to their Cajun sound. They're touring the US in May (or at least coming to DC).

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 9 April 2008 12:40 (seventeen years ago)

Another great Houston act: Lady D and the Zydeco Tornadoes. Her albums just make me smile.

― novamax, Wednesday, 9 April 2008 16:28 (seventeen years ago)

Skipping 298 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

**June 9 -12 Strawberry Park Blast From The Bayou
@Strawberry Park, 42 Pierce Rd., Preston, CT 06365
Steve Riley & Mamou Playboys, Geno Delafose & French Rockin Boogie,
Jesse Lege’ & Bayou Brew, Curley Taylor & Zydeco Trouble,
Pineleaf Boys, Jeffery Broussard & the Zydeco Cowboys,
Lil’ Wayne & Same Ole Two Step,
Rusty Meter & Zydeco Krush
Dennis Strouggmatt & Honky Tonk Dance Band
Plus more bands, too many to list
FFIC: http:www.strawberrypark.net
860 886 1944 for Reservations

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 23 February 2022 14:25 (three years ago)

one month passes...

Swamp Pop Legend Tommy McLain has a new all-star backed record coming out in August, and also will be touring with Nick Lowe this summer.

https://yeproc.11spot.com/tommy-mclain-i-ran-down-every-dream.html

I Ran Down Every Dream is the first album in over four decades by swamp pop legend Tommy McLain. Produced by his musical protege C.C. Adcock, I Ran Down Every Dream was recorded in Louisiana, Texas, California, and England, with a similarly disparate group of friends and fans, including Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe (both of whom contribute co-writes), plus Jon Cleary, Denny Freeman, Ed Harcourt, Roy Lowe, Augie Meyers, Ivan Neville, Van Dyke Parks, Mickey Raphael, Steve Riley, Speedy Sparks, Warren Storm and more.
As an album, I Ran Down Every Dream is both a celebration and a requiem. It bookends a career that has seen Tommy scale the upper reaches of the Billboard charts, share the stage with the likes of Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, The Yardbirds and ZZ Top, and become a global ambassador for the swamp pop sound - that singularly affecting combination of rhythm and blues, country and western, gospel, and traditional French Louisiana styles. The album also looks back, with more than a little heartache, in tribute to some of the fellow musical travelers that McLain has lost. Two tracks on the album were written by McLain’s dear friend and Louisiana music royalty Bobby Charles, and it also marks the final sessions for two legendary musicians who died in 2021; Texas guitar slinger Denny Freeman, and Tommy’s close collaborator Warren Storm. For McLain himself, the years-long road to I Ran Down Every Dream was beset by a heart attack, two hurricanes and a house fire. With every obstacle he overcame, McLain's resolve to complete I Ran Down Every Dream grew stronger.

― Precious, Grace, Hill & Beard LTD. (C. Grisso/McCain), Tuesday, 19 April 2022 19:37 (three years ago)

oooo, that sounds like it will be good. Swamp pop is good stuff

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 19 April 2022 19:57 (three years ago)

three months pass...

Friend and archivist Michael Klausman dug into the demos sent to cajun label Goldband Records, now housed at UNC-Chapel Hill. Most were unlabeled, and many were utter shit, but after listening to most of them, he whittled down a selection of 30 tracks for our listening pleasure. Some very weird and also very cool stuff here.

https://wetransfer.com/downloads/cdcf39a6b68dd876a5940ada55dd835620220808160758/be740f?src=dnl

― broccoli rabe thomas (the table is the table), Tuesday, 9 August 2022 21:12 (two years ago)

one month passes...

Missed the above, and the we transfer of Goldband 30 tracks has expired

https://finding-aids.lib.unc.edu/20245/
UNC has this link but I wonder if I can access the music that way

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 2 October 2022 23:31 (two years ago)

Saw Lafayette, Louisiana band the Revelers for free today in DC. Real nice set of swamp pop, Cajun waltzes, and fast-tempoed Cajun and zydeco songs. Plus a cover of "I got Loaded" that I know from Los Lobos but haven't looked up who wrote it

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 2 October 2022 23:33 (two years ago)

The original is by Lil' Bob & The Lollipops

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNOlcNAmcz4

It's a serious Gulf Coast Standard. Somebody's probably dancing to it in a bar/dancehall right now.

― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 3 October 2022 00:02 (two years ago)

I guess this is as good a place as any to mention that writer John Nova Lomax (poster 'novamax' upthread) needs help: https://www.gofundme.com/f/john-nova-lomaxs-road-to-recovery

― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Monday, 3 October 2022 00:12 (two years ago)

Thanks for both of those posts.

Nova Lomax has done some great writing about Houston area zydeco and old school r’n’b over the years.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 3 October 2022 16:38 (two years ago)

one month passes...

Tommy McLain was on JAMES CORDEN last night...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26qB_zTRzKs

― an icon of a worried-looking, long-haired, bespectacled man (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 3 November 2022 22:14 (two years ago)

oh nice. A good album.

― curmudgeon, Friday, 4 November 2022 04:49 (two years ago)

http://bayoutechedispatches.blogspot.com/2022/05/state-of-genre-swamp-pop-in-21st-century.html

― curmudgeon, Friday, 4 November 2022 04:51 (two years ago)

Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Chas and Sean Ardoin are both nominated for Best Regional Roots Music Album n Grammys

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 16 November 2022 14:52 (two years ago)

one month passes...

https://www.nola.com/gambit/music/with-new-solo-music-louis-michot-plays-weekly-residency-at-maple-leaf-in-january/article_90b685ca-82fb-11ed-98a9-5fdea198a1ac.html

Louis Michot from Lost Bayou Ramblers has a solo album in the works with some experimental aspects ( mixing in Alan Lomax items) and a series of shows in New Orleans with some collaborations. Looks cool to me

― curmudgeon, Monday, 9 January 2023 20:10 (two years ago)

one month passes...

https://wherewegotozydeco.com/

This site lists upcoming live zydeco and Cajun shows in DC, Md, Va , PA, NY & sometimes New England states

― curmudgeon, Monday, 27 February 2023 14:47 (two years ago)

one month passes...

Steve Riley is giving zoom Cajun accordion lessons. He and a band are also touring the northeast

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 11 April 2023 18:10 (two years ago)

four weeks pass...

From his Dad's Go-Fund Me for him: John Nova Lomax is in his last days with liver and kidney failure, an infection, bleeding ulcers and lesser issues, all of which came to a head today (Monday 5.8)

He wrote some great articles about Houston zydeco

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 9 May 2023 05:18 (one year ago)

Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz died a few days ago as well. Been listening to some of Clifton Chenier's classic records from his label.

― birdistheword, Tuesday, 9 May 2023 05:24 (one year ago)

I listened to some Clifton Chenier on YouTube as I couldn’t find his Black Snake Arhoolie album on Spotify, and I only own a few Arhoolie releases on vinyl.

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 10 May 2023 14:20 (one year ago)

FWIW, I always thought this was a solid "best of" that Strachwitz put together. This and Bayou Blues (from Specialty) make a pretty great intro to Chenier.

https://www.discogs.com/master/730702-Clifton-Chenier-60-Minutes-With-The-King-Of-Zydeco

― birdistheword, Wednesday, 10 May 2023 19:34 (one year ago)

Thanks. Will check those out. I am still interested in some current zydeco too-

I wish some of these 2023 Houston zydeco bands would come to the east coast. I haven't researched what they have available for purchase or stream yet.

Looking for a great time in Houston? The upcoming Houston Zydeco Fest will be fun! Dancing, Food and more! See You There! 💥 #Houstontx @Eventbrite #EmancipationPark @epconservancy pic.twitter.com/hGeVheyfWB
— LaVerne St.Mary NMLS #113731 Equal Housing Lender (@MortgageLaVerne) April 28, 2023

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 11 May 2023 14:30 (one year ago)

Lawrence "Black" Ardoin, patriarch of family of Creole and zydeco music has died. He played music & was son of Creole music legend Bois Sec Ardoin, & the father of musicians Sean Ardoin, Chris Ardoin and uncle to Ernest Ardoin and Gus Ardoin

https://www.katc.com/news/around-acadiana/lawrence-black-ardoin-creole-music-patriarch-has-died

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 16 May 2023 14:44 (one year ago)

Lawrence Black Ardoin died in December 2022.

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 16 May 2023 14:53 (one year ago)

RIP writer John Nova Lomax at 53 who wrote about Houston , Texas culture including music like zydeco, hiphop and more

"Whether covering crime or culture, streets or songs, Lomax overturned all stones."

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/lifestyle/article/john-nova-lomax-writer-houston-texas-dies-18088579.php?utm_source=marketing&utm_medium=copy-url-link&utm_campaign=article-share&hash=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuaG91c3RvbmNocm9uaWNsZS5jb20vbGlmZXN0eWxlL2FydGljbGUvam9obi1ub3ZhLWxvbWF4LXdyaXRlci1ob3VzdG9uLXRleGFzLWRpZXMtMTgwODg1NzkucGhw&time=MTY4NDc4ODIwOTczNw==&rid=YzVkMmE5M2QtNGU1Yy00ZmI4LWI0YzEtMjBjMjFjZGUyMTNm&sharecount=MQ==

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 23 May 2023 03:42 (one year ago)

five months pass...

Every Grammy Awards nominee for best Regional Roots Album is from Louisiana:

New Beginnings
Buckwheat Zydeco Jr. & The Legendary Ils Sont Partis Band

Live At The 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers

Live: Orpheum Theater Nola
Lost Bayou Ramblers & Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra

Made In New Orleans
New Breed Brass Band

Too Much To Hold
New Orleans Nightcrawlers

Live At The Maple Leaf
The Rumble Featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.

― curmudgeon, Monday, 13 November 2023 03:22 (one year ago)

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/11/16/travel/things-to-do-cajun-country-acadiana.html

No mention of zydeco club El-Sido's

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 16 November 2023 16:05 (one year ago)

one month passes...

RIP Jo-El Sonnier Louisiana Cajun and country musician from what sounds like a heart attack

https://kpel965.com/louisiana-cajun-country-music-artist-jo-el-sonnier-dead/

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 14 January 2024 20:52 (one year ago)

four months pass...

And RIP Chris Stafford, Lafayette area Cajun musician and founding member of Feufollet, who has died young as the result of an automobile accident. I am spacing out on the name of an older Cajun musician who recently died as well.

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 16 May 2024 04:50 (eleven months ago)

Louis Michot is always up to cool stuff . This is about a gig 4 nights ago in New Orleans

via Instagram--

@musicbox.village will be filled with musical residents moving from house to house and recreating the sounds from #rêvedutroubadour on the amazing sonic neighborhood that is MUSIC BOX VILLAGE. Come support the Village; and enjoy a special collaboration with @louismichotmusic @leylacello @risingstarsfifeanddrum @coreyledetzydeco @bryanwebre @somefarawaybeach @ceaser.calad + a bilingual lyric visual show mixed by @brubobaggins #musicboxvillage #neworleans #endoftheworld #rampart #louismichot

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 16 May 2024 05:12 (eleven months ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrCMy7oZdk8

Ann Savoy band with Dirk Powell in it, at the Kennedy Center in DC

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 29 May 2024 23:05 (eleven months ago)

They did a nice Cajun take on the Kinks "Waterloo Sunset"

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 30 May 2024 00:05 (eleven months ago)

x-post - the other death was RIP zydeco guitarist & bandleader Chester “Tune” Chevalier from the Creole Zydeco Farmers at age 81

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 30 May 2024 00:07 (eleven months ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shFWGTZtomk

I like this Folkways doc about Ann Savoy and her latest album. It’s her life story- Richmond photographer/ folk singer who moves with her Mom to Europe after her Dad dies young and unexpectedly. Her seeing art and getting into music there and learning French. Then her coming back and discovering Cajun music and culture and getting enamored with Louisiana musician farmer Marc Savoy and they creating a life and family together. She continues to make music and do photography and more the whole time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shFWGTZtomk

― curmudgeon, Friday, 31 May 2024 02:19 (eleven months ago)

https://www.myspiltmilk.com/articles/remembering-feufollets-chris-staffords-importance-at-jazz-fest

More on the recently passed Chris Stafford and how he was a Cajun musician but also into Eno and garage rock

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 4 June 2024 21:43 (eleven months ago)

seeing on Facebook there was a big fest up in New England somewhere yesterday plus I think some recent gigs in NYC. Alas, there are some Louisiana and Texas zydeco bands busy working dayjobs as well who can't afford to take time off and play gigs elsewhere

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 9 June 2024 15:53 (ten months ago)

two months pass...

https://www.ponderosastomp.com/music_more/299/Lynn+August

Blind Louisiana Creole accordionist & keyboard player Lynn August is coming up my way around October 19 (but I will be on the left US coast for a wedding)

Some others coming in the fall:

September 8 Sunday Jourdan Thibodeaux w/Cedric Watson & Joel Savoy
Presented by American Roots Concerts & Quicksilver Productions Foundation
@Hill Center at The Old Naval Hospital
921 Pennsyllvania Ave. SE, Washington DC 20003
Admission: Free Music: 4:30-6:30
Tickets Recommended
FIC: https://www.hillcenterdc.org 202 549 4172

September 20 Friday The Pine Leaf Boys
Presented by Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts & Culture
In cooperation with Dancing By The Bayou
7300 MacArthur Blvd, Glen Echo, MD 20812
Admission: TBD Dance Lesson: 7:00 Music: 7:30-10:30
FFIC: https://www.glenechopark.org
301 634 2222

September 20-22 Fri, Sat, Sun The Pine Leaf Boys
Presented by The Maryland Folk Festival
@115 S division St, Salisbury, MD 21801
Many bands too numerous to post. Check the schedule
Admission: Free FFIC: https://www.mdfolkfest.com
410 677 1916

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 20 August 2024 13:24 (eight months ago)

Wow, I had no idea Lynn August was still active. The CDs he recorded for Black Top are good, I put them on fairly often when I’m cooking jambalaya.

― The transparently flimsy and misleading (Dan Peterson), Thursday, 22 August 2024 15:18 (eight months ago)

I had not realized he was still active till I saw that he was coming up my way.

I also see that Cajun musician Steve Riley has a new to me band called the Cajun 4 and his son Burke Riley is in the group

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 22 August 2024 19:21 (eight months ago)

Also coming my way are the trio of Cajun fiddler & vocalist Jourdain Thibodeaux w/ Creole accordionist Cedric Watson and Cajun guitarist Joel Savoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu4yHMYK8JE

― curmudgeon, Sunday, 25 August 2024 23:10 (eight months ago)

two weeks pass...

Cedric Watson was a no-show, so Jourdan T was joined by Joel Savoy and his brother Wilson Savoy. Real nice show of Cajun waltzes and stuff. Plus lots of between song stories from Jordan Thibodeaux, and some impressive couples dancing in the crowd. Some folks were irritated of course by Watson not being there. Jourdan said "He made other plans."

― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 11 September 2024 19:02 (seven months ago)

wow his accent is wild, i bet it was fun listening to him tell stories all night

― budo jeru, Wednesday, 11 September 2024 19:06 (seven months ago)

It was . He kept talking about his “harses “ ( horses) but also got serious and spoke about learning from Black Creole musicians who had much tougher lives than him, and how making it for anyone in rural Louisiana is tough. The Savoy brothers spoke less but they are such great musicians it didn’t matter.

― curmudgeon, Friday, 13 September 2024 12:58 (seven months ago)

two months pass...

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-secure-el-cerritos-cultural-landmark

We need to save Les Blank studio and Arhoolie records building

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 19 November 2024 16:34 (five months ago)

https://www.discogs.com/release/9961038-Various-Trail-Riderz-Vol-1?srsltid=AfmBOopVkTj30NYtoRLYLIQ481jfCZ7M4vcjYs1GmJNm_ssAwkOf0cYX

I picked this up when I still lived in Louisiana so I’m not sure where to track down a copy these days but maybe it’s out there somewhere…always found the zydeco and radio rap/pop hybrid sound to be pretty fascinating, definitely kind of a niche scene I think.

― Slim is an Alien, Tuesday, 19 November 2024 17:40 (five months ago)

Includes the Zydeco standard “Bitch Better Have My Money”

― calstars, Tuesday, 19 November 2024 18:30 (five months ago)

oh yeah! the band i saw when i caught the zydeco fest in NOLA played a cover of Pony that had people dancing like nothing i have ever seen in my life

― Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Tuesday, 19 November 2024 18:35 (five months ago)

Cool.

Bryan Jack who does the “Bitch “ song on that track is one of several zydeco acts in Houston area of Texas who I follow on Instagram who meld zydeco with hip hop and Rnb . He’s got a “Boots, Bling, & Zydeco “ gig on November 23 in Beaumont, Texas .

― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 19 November 2024 18:58 (five months ago)

four months pass...

Saw Louis Michot (from Los Bayou Ramblers & Beasts of the Southern Wild soundtrack) duet for an hour and a half with 15 years New Orleans resident Haitian- American Leyla McCalla tonight for free at the Library of Congress Coolidge Auditorium. Pretty good show with McCalla Haitian Creole ballads sounding great and the Creole & Cajun dance numbers and ballads sounding good. Michot played mostly just fiddle, and a few songs on guitar & sang with his old-school Louisiana French drawl. McCalla played mostly cello, but banjo on some songs and guitar on a few. Her voice was passionate and soulful on the French Creole lyrics she sang. They each did one song alone, and they did one song together without instruments where Michot's high, lonesome voice and her soulful tear-stained vocals melded together and contrasted nicely. Lots of explanations between songs with his often being this was done by my great uncle and its about a guy on a farm, while hers were more like I found this old Folkways album by so & so and this song is about poor people with holes in their shoes struggling , and my Dad helped me understand the meaning of the Haitian Creole lyrics. They also both talked about how Haitian culture has influenced Louisiana music.

Something called the Nous Foundation from New Orleans is putting out an album with the 2 of them together, in May.

― curmudgeon, Thursday, 27 March 2025 03:31 (one month ago)

four weeks pass...

Clifton Chenier tribute album featuring the Stones and some younger people out in late June:

Start with the Stones, and Mick singin’ in French. Add Louisiana native Lucinda Williams delivering a slow, slinky, swamp pop sound, and invite Steve Earle, Taj Mahal, Jimmie Vaughan, Charley Crockett and so many more to pay tribute to the late King of Zydeco.
Chenier, who died in 1987 due to diabetes-related kidney disease, would've turned 100 on June 25. To celebrate his centennial, Valcour Records founder Joel Savoy and Los Lobos' Steve Berlin teamed up with executive producer John Leopold to produce “A Tribute to the King," out June 27.
Tracklist:
1. Zydeco Sont Pas Salés,” The Rolling Stones and Steve Riley
2. “Easy Easy Baby,” Charley Crockett and Nathan Williams, Sr.
3. “Hey ’Tite Fille,” Taj Mahal and Keith Frank
4. “Release Me,” Lucinda Williams, Tommy McClain and Keith Frank
5. “Just Like A Woman,” Steve Earle and Anthony Dopsie
6. “I’m On The Wonder,” Jon Cleary and Curley Taylor
7. “My Soul,” Jimmie Vaughan, Johnny Nicholas and Steve Riley
8. “Hot Rod,” David Hidalgo and CJ Chenier
9. “Tout Le Temps En Temps,” Shannon McNally, Keith Frank and Molly Tuttle
10. “Ay Ai Ai,” Ruben Ramos with Los Texmaniacs and Augie Meyers
11. “I May Be Wrong,” Marcia Ball and Geno Delafose
12. “I’m Coming Home,” CJ Chenier and Sonny Landreth
13. “You Used To Call Me,” John Hiatt and Roddie Romero
14. “Why Did You Go Last Night," Kam Franklin, A.J. Haynes and Roddie Romero
All proceeds from “A Tribute to the King” will fund the newly established Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship, which will provide financial assistance to students studying traditional music — specifically zydeco accordion — at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

― Lithium Just Madison (C. Grisso/McCain), Friday, 25 April 2025 16:29 (one week ago)

Oh nice, Steve Riley with the Rolling Stones; 84-years old Augie Myers w/ Ramos & Los Texmaniacs

― curmudgeon, Friday, 25 April 2025 17:44 (one week ago)

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