Historians can look back to several junctures of time and place in American music when it was clear that something significant was happening. For Southern blues, it might have been Beale Street in Memphis in the early 1950s, when B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland pioneered a modern blues sound that continues to resonate today. For bebop, it might have been 52nd Street in New York City in the 1940s, when Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk deconstructed jazz. For zydeco, I would argue that it was Southwest Louisiana in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Boozoo Chavis came roaring back onto the scene at Richard’s Club in Lawtell. Read more.
Tag: Clifton Chenier
Rare Clifton Chenier film to screen at SXSW tonight
SXSW is well underway, with thousands of music and film fans converging in the streets of Austin, TX to make new musical discoveries. One of those discoveries could be Clifton Chenier, as the late Louisiana bandleader is showcased in a recently uncovered concert film that will be screened at C-Boy’s Heart & Soul tonight. Read more
Happy Mardi Gras – listen to our Fat Tuesday zydeco video playlist
Happy Mardi Gras! Enjoy our playlist of zydeco flavored tunes for Fat Tuesday by Queen Ida, Clifton Chenier, Rockin’ Dopsie, Jr. (pictured above), Beau Jocque, and Terrance Simien.
Richard’s Club and Boozoo Chavis: The Golden Age of Zydeco
Historians can look back to several junctures of time and place in American music when it was clear that something significant was happening. For Southern blues, it might have been Beale Street in Memphis in the early 1950s, when B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland pioneered a modern blues sound that continues to resonate today. For bebop, it might have been 52nd Street in New York City in the 1940s, when Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk deconstructed jazz. For zydeco, I would argue that it was Southwest Louisiana in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Boozoo Chavis came roaring back onto the scene at Richard’s Club in Lawtell. Read more.
Watch a rare video of Clifton Chenier performing “Bon Ton Roulet”
Outstanding! Here’s a rare video of Clifton Chenier With CJ Chenier on saxophone, Cleveland Chenier on rubboard, and the late Harry Hypolite on guitar.