Last summer, the search for Amédé Ardoin seemed to have hit its final dead end. Lawrence Ardoin, a descendant of the legendary Creole accordionist, was working with officials at the state mental institution in Pineville, La. to erect a statue for Amédé, considered by many to be the godfather of zydeco and Cajun music.
But Ardoin is one of 2,469 patients buried in unmarked graves on the hospital grounds. With no way to know which grave holds Amédé, Lawrence Ardoin was giving up. Read more
We complete the Zydeco Crossroads Holiday Mixtape with this third installment. Check out festive songs from both cajun and creole musicians, like LeeRon Zydeco covering a Christmas classic and La Compagnie Creole singing a beautiful holiday wish. Listen back to parts one and two here and put some southern comfort into your holiday this year! Read more
Last winter New Orleans’ Preservation Hall Jazz Band stopped by the NPR Music offices to film a Tiny Desk Concert, holiday style. A tuba-playing Santa and his crew of brass musicians cover songs like Bill Evans’ “Sugar Plum” and the jazzed-up “Happy Holiday,” ho ho ho-ing and joking that they are from the South Pole. Read more
Jeffery Broussard & The Creole Cowboys bring the Mardi Gras celebration straight from Louisiana to Material Culture in Philadelphia on February 21st. The costume contest and concert will keep the carnival going a few days longer, as fans will be able to dance and sing along to Broussard’s blend of traditional songs and modern style. Read more
Creole for Kidz & The History of Zydeco is a CD and live show created by musician and educator Terrance Simien. He’s taken the show on the road up and down the eastern seaboard, including a special presentation at the Berklee College of Music for its American Roots Music and African Studies visiting arts program. Read more
Last weekend Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble kicked off the Philadelphia launch of Zydeco Crossroads with a live concert and dance party at the Kimmel Center. Curley did an interview with Stephanie Renée, host of the radio show The Mojo and the The Recharge on 900AM-WURD. Listen to the interview here.