AMÉDÉ ARDUIN

The records made by Amédé Arduin in the 30s are at the very heart of the Creole French music of Louisiana. Played by white folks, it is called ‘Cajun’ and played by black folks it is known as ‘Zydeco’, but everyone who hears it knows that it is superb, French-based dance music. Amédé was a…

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‘Bois Sec’ ARDOIN

‘Bois Sec’ Ardoin, the accordionist and singer, was an important agent in bringing ‘old school’ Creole ‘La-la’ music into the post WWII era. Inspired by his older cousin Amédé Ardoin, Bois Sec played the swinging, good-time dancing Blues we now know as Zydeco. He didn’t make any records at that time, but his popularity at…

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JOHN DELAFOSE

Cajun and Zydeco are the folk music of the Louisiana and East Texas Creole French-speaking community, with the difference between the two tags being largely down to the skin-colour of the players. Before the music went national and then global, Gulf-Coast radio stations played the records of local players Iry LeJeune, Clifton Chenier and Nathan…

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ROCKIN’ DOPSIE

Rockin’ Dopsie is the man most responsible for popularising Zydeco in Europe, thrilling audiences with his infectious dance music, infused with a heavy dose of R&B. Dopsie (pronounced “Doopsie”) got a big break with his appearance on Paul Simon’s ‘Graceland’ album, and good-selling records of his own on the De la Soul label. He passed…

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Sonny Landreth

Combining his wicked side-guitar work with a fretting and chording technique, and a whole bagful of right hand tricks with finger-picking, hammering and a heavy thumb-pick, Sonny Landreth brings a unique style to his Southern Blues. Also known as ‘The King of Slydeco’, Sonny’s playing has strong zydeco and Swamp Blues roots, but his expansive,…

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BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO

The biggest star in modern Zydeco carries the torch lit by his mentor Clifton Chenier as he plays his accordion into the new century and brings this good-rocking dance music to the mainstream. Buckwheat Zydeco performed at both of President Clinton’s Inaugurations and, after playing to a TV audience of three billion at the 1996…

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BOOZOO CHAVIS

When accordion player and singer Boozoo Chavis came out of ‘retirement’ in the 80s, he brought with him a primitive zydeco style that took the music back to its roots. His rowdy, knockabout stage act and hypnotic single notes and triples on the accordion showed the world, through films and Festival appearances, what a joyful…

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IRY LeJEUNE

Iry LeJeune is the man most responsible for making the accordion the lead instrument in modern Cajun music. In the 40s, when Western Swing music had led this regional variation of the Folk/Blues tradition in the direction of fiddles and banjos, Iry’s soulful virtuoso accordion playing took the music back to its 19th Century roots.…

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NATHAN ABSHIRE

Zydeco and Cajun music are very closely linked: with the mélange of Blues, folk, French and country influences in common, and the shared feel for good-time dance music, the distinction is largely down to the skin-colour of the player. Nathan Abshire was a Creole speaking Cajun accordionist whose local reputation in the 30s was given…

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ROSIE LEDET

When the pretty 16-year-old Mary Rozella Bellard went to a dance in Lawtell, Louisiana to see Boozoo Chavis perform, it changed her life big-time. She was blown away by the good-rockin’ Zydeco music and was inspired to learn how to play accordion. That night she also met her husband Morris Ledet, who went on to…

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