Boozoo Chavis - Zydeco Trail Ride & Zydeco Homebrew

Wilson Anthony "Boozoo" Chavis (born October 23, 1930 in Lake Charles, LA and died May 5, 2001 in Austin, Texas) was a zydeco musician.

"Boozoo Chavis (born: Wilson Anthony Chavis) was one of the pioneers of zydeco, the Cajun and blues hybrid originating in southwest Louisiana. Although his self-composed 1954 single, "Paper in My Shoes," was the first zydeco hit, Chavis was distrustful of the music industry and refused to perform publicly or record again until 1984. In an interview featured in the 1990 book, The New Folk Music, Chavis explained, "I got gypped out of my record. I get frustrated, sometimes. I love to play, but, when I get to thinking about 1955… They stole my record. They said that it only sold 150,000 copies. But, my cousin, who used to live in Boston, checked it out. It sold over a million copies. I was supposed to have a gold record." After leaving the music business, Chavis devoted his attention to raising champion racehorses in Shreveport and Lafayette, Louisiana and Texas. Chavis waited until 1984 before returning to music. Signing a five-year contract with the Maison de Soul label, he recorded four albums — Louisiana Zydeco Music, Boozoo Zydeco!, Zydeco Homebrew and Zydeco Trail Ride. Chavis' 1997 album, Hey, Do Right, was produced by Terry Adams, keyboardist for NRBQ, who paid tribute to Chavis in their 1989 song, "Boozoo, That's Who."

Chavis' performances, with his band, the Majic Sounds, included much-heralded appearance at the Newport Folk Festival and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The New York Times wrote, "(Chavis is) chaos on two feet. A little bullet of a man, he runs around onstage, shouting and yelling….(his) music can achieve a trancelike intensity". In a review of Chavis' performance at the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival, Paul Scott wrote, "There are a lot of Boozoo prototypes coming out. They may be smoother than Boozoo but they try to get his hard accordion; that rough, raw, style; and his sore throat type of singing. And with that single-note and triple-note accordion, he's doing a lot to bring a return to basic zydeco'.

The son of tenant farmers, Chavis acquired his nickname as a youngster. Chavis was raised by his mother who cleaned houses and sold barbecue at horse races until raising enough money to buy a three acre tract of land where she and Chavis moved in 1944. Acquiring an accordion from his father and teaching himself to play, Chavis was soon playing at local barn dances and in the dance club, opened by his mother, where he often sat in with Morris Chenier and his sons, Clifton and Cleveland. In 1994, Chavis appeared in Robert Mugge's video documentary, The Kingdom of Zydeco. He was inducted into the Zydeco Hall of Fame four years later. And continuing to release music into the new millennium, Chavis issued Johnnie Billy Goat in fall 2000. On May 5, 2001 Chavis died after suffering from complications related to a heart attack he had a month earlier." last FM

Jabo - Hard Times

I don't know 'bout anyone else, but I'm finding Jabo to be an absolutely delightful disovery! On this album he effortlessly slides between killer Zydeco, Deep Southern Soul, and even some 'adult urban' Chitlin Circuit blues. The man has got some serious chops!

I defy you to sit your ass still during 'Hard Times'; dis here zydeco rocks the way Beau Jocque used to do! 'Happy Anniversary' is pure Southern Soul on a level that's pretty damn rare these days. 'Bang Me' is a magic mix of rude Boo Zoo zydeco with a dash of Hip Hop that somehow succeeds brilliantly.

This brother is seriously the real deal, a star already in full bloom. Every damn song is another revelation and the variety is impressive. The two female guest vocalists are Smokin', the musicians are playing real instruments and THEY are Smokin'...these 10 tracks are without a doubt ALL KILLA', NO FILLA'!!

Jabo & Lil Jabo - Southern Choice

"Donald Glenn, better known to Zydeco fans as Jabo The Texas Prince of Zydeco , started singing and playing music in churches at the age of 6. Jabo began his Blues career at 18 and started playing Zydeco at 25. His talented has been received international recognition and critical acclaim. His many accomplishments include:
Headlined in Texas largest magazine, “Texas Monthly” June 1992
The Houston Chronicle featured Jabo in the “Zest” magazine in 1992 & 1993 for Most Popular among the Texas Zydeco players.
Awarded Best Blues & Zydeco singer by “Houston Press” 1994
Featured in “Jam Source” magazine as highlighted artist of the month 2008
Jabo has performed along side such legendary performers as Bobby Blue Bland, Tyrone Davis, Rue Davis, Johnnie Taylor, Marvin Sease
As founding member of Southern Choice Productions, Jabo is committed to mentoring the next generation of Zydeco and Blues artists. His latest albums is a “Musical Zydeco Gumbo” of talent featuring Lil Jabo Prince Jr., Keyun, J. Paul, Carl Marshall, Donna Nash, Roger Valentine, and Zac Shaw just to name a few."

Clifton Chenier - Black Snake Blues

Another superb offering from the Chenier brothers.  Although the star feature here is King Clifton, his brother Cleveland really shines on this.

I'm not sure about the timeline, but at some point Cleveland Chenier had the traditional rubber/washboard reworked to his specs and into the creation you see in the cover photo.  Brother Cleveland works some rhythmic magic with his trusty frottoir and at most points, is prevelant in the mix.  Johnny Can't Dance would have to be the highlight for Cleveland's talents.

As great as the rhythms are on BSB's, Clifton manages to steal the spotlight.  I think his talents are best heard on the tune Wrap It Up, where he busts out a solo that's equal parts solid rhythm and improvisation.  Incredible.  Of course his searching, yearning voice can be heard all over this one - with plenty of ha!s and huh!s thrown in for funky measure.

Enjoy this one mes amis!!!  Chitlins style...

Arhoolie 1038
1967

Clifton Chenier - v / acc;  Cleveland Chenier - frottoir;  Robert St. Judy - d;  Felix James Benoit -g;
Joe Morris - b.

Clifton Chenier - Louisiana Blues And Zydeco

Another drop dead classic from the only King you're gonna hear around these parts.  Get yuh boogie on!!

Arhoolie Records 9053
1965

Clifton Chenier (vocals, accordion); Cleveland Keyes, Felix Benoit (guitar); Elmore Nixon (piano); Fulton Antoine, Joe Morris (bass); Bob Murphy, Madison Guidry, Robert St. Judy (drums); Cleveland Chenier (rubboard).

Recording information:
Bill Quinn's Gold Star Studio, Houston, TX (05/11/1965);
Gold Star Recording Studios, Houston, TX (05/11/1965);
Sierra Sound Laboratories, Berkeley, CA (05/11/1965).

This was the first full album by a zydeco artist to be released by Arhoolie. It became something of an advance scout as the Cajun accordion army began to spread its music outside of the Louisiana bayous, with Clifton Chenier winding up with a Grammy for his efforts, as well as performances all over the world. This album puts together a few different instrumental lineups for recording at Houston's Gold Star studios, a facility with an important place in Texas blues history. Nonetheless recording sound is a tad thin, as perhaps the engineers were frightened by some of the manic moves of a few of the instrumentalists. Although this style of music is known mostly for the accordion and rubboard antics as featured on the second side, the tracks on the first side also include some ferocious piano and electric guitar playing. Some tracks just really cook and should put any listener in a good mood. The instrumental "Hot Rod" has a great drum part and accordion improvising that sounds totally relaxed, followed by an under-recorded but nasty-sounding guitar solo. Too bad it fades out so quickly. Altogether, lots of variety, plenty of creative musical ideas, and some deeply soulful singing delivered by this great zydeco artist just as his career was starting to lift off.  - Eugene Chadbourne/AMG

Clifton Chenier - Bayou Blues

Clifton Chenier (June 25, 1925 - December 12, 1987), a Creole French-speaking native of Opelousas, Louisiana, was an eminent performer and recording artist of Zydeco, which arose from Cajun and Creole music, with R&B, jazz, and blues influences. He played the accordion and won a Grammy Award in 1983.  He also was recognized with a National Heritage Fellowship, and in 1989 was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame.  He was known as the 'King of Zydeco'.



Chenier began his recording career in 1954, when he signed with Elko Records and released Clifton's Blues, a regional success. His first hit record was soon followed by "Ay 'Tite Fille (Hey, Little Girl)" (a cover of Professor Longhair's song).  This received some mainstream success. With the Zydeco Ramblers, Chenier toured extensively. He also toured in the early days with Clarence Garlow, billed as the 'Two Crazy Frenchmen'.  Chenier was signed with Chess Records in Chicago, followed by the Arhoolie label.

In April 1966, Chenier appeared at the Berkeley Blues Festival on the University of California campus and was subsequently described by Ralph J. Gleason, Jazz critic of the San Francisco Chronicle, as "... one of the most surprising musicians I have heard in some time, with a marvelously moving style of playing the accordion .. blues accordion, that's right, blues accordion."

Chenier was the first act to play at Antone's, a blues club on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas. Later in 1976, he reached a national audience when he appeared on the premiere season of the PBS music program Austin City Limits. Three years later in 1979 he returned to the show with his Red Hot Louisiana Band.

Chenier's popularity peaked in the 1980s, and he was recognized with a Grammy Award in 1983 for his album I'm Here.  It was the first Grammy for his new label Alligator Records. Chenier followed Queen Ida as the second Louisiana Creole to win a Grammy.

Chenier is credited with redesigning the wood and crimped tin washboard into the frottoir, an instrument that would easily hang from the shoulders. Cleveland Chenier, Clifton's older brother, also played in the Red Hot Louisiana Band. He found popularity for his ability to manipulate the distinctive sound of the frottoir by rubbing several bottle openers (held in each hand) along its ridges.

During their prime, Chenier and his band traveled throughout the world.

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Bayou Blues compiles a selection of 12 tracks Clifton Chenier cut for Specialty Records in 1955, including the original versions of "Boppin' the Rock," "Eh, Petite Fille," "I'm On My Way" and "Zodico Stomp." It may not be a definitive retrospective, but it's an entertaining and necessary sampler of Chenier at the beginning of his career.  - Thom Owens/AMG

Here is where the Chenier legend began. This disc contains the 12 Bumps Blackwell-produced tracks Clifton cut in 1955 in Los Angeles for Specialty Records. On tracks like "The Cat's Dreamin'" or his first hit single, "Ay 'Tète Fey" ( which is the Cajun-French form of its better-known title, "Eh, Petite Fille" meaning "Hey, Little Girl" ), Chenier's amalgam of blues, R&B, and rock & roll mixed with traditional French dance tunes is still rough but already has the power and drive that he (and his accordion) would later hone to a fine edge. Instrumental greats and mainstays of Chenier's early road bands like tenor saxman Lionel Prevost and guitarist Lonesome Sundown add their considerable talents to these sessions. The starting point for any comprehensive Chenier collection. ~ Robert Baird