Musicians

Musicians to Remember

Zachary Richard

Gregg Martinez

Warren Storm

Jamie Bergeron

Randy Falcon & Kyle Hebert

Jimmy Breaux

Kip Sonnier

    Acadiana has produced its share of country greats in recent times and it boasts a tight knit clan of musicians. They share a common love for country music and have played in and out of each others’ bands for years, all looking for that perfect meld; the combination of players that will bring success. And all the while each individual improving and becoming focused, diverting their energies in one direction, upwards.

   One doesn’t have to look deep into the heart of Acadiana, the Cajun country of Louisiana, to find good food, good times and good music. In fact, it can be found in the many festivals, fairs and nighttime hot spots that dot the Central Louisiana map. Here, you’ll find, nestled among the steamy swamps and cypress trees, one of the states best kept secrets, Kip Sonnier. As hot as the pepper sauces that spice up the Cajun cuisine, a typical balmy night will offer you something you’d least expect, a not – so – rare helping of hot country music. And on-stage, you’d be likely to find a blistering performance from Kip Sonnier.

   Kip Sonnier is a product of his environment, the same environment that reared the talents and honed the skills of the likes of Trace Adkins, Sammy Kershaw and Virgin Records newest recording artists, River Road.

    Kip’s musical career started at 15. Originally a drummer, then a bass player for several years, fate put a six string in his hands that he has yet to put down. In his earliest days he was touring the Texas dance hall circuit with a band called Bayou, a band that included Kip, Trace Adkins and Steve Grisaffe, bass player and lead vocalist from River Road. Someone once said “Success breeds success”, which in this case is true, because Sonnier later found himself in Roundup, a concerted effort that included Mercury recording artist Sammy Kershaw. Sonnier returned home, a veteran of the road, with the talents to prove it.

Cedric Benoit

Cedric Benoit 

   Cajun born from Kaplan Louisiana, singer/songwriter Cedric Benoit can squeeze a box with the best in the business! Cedric has a musical style all his own and with some lyrical content in Cajun French/English. Benoit’s fans refer to his musical body of work as “Cedric Music”. Growing up in Louisiana where musical styles and influences range from Cajun to Zydeco, Blues to Jazz, Southern Rock to Country.

   The possibilities of songwriting are endless. On any given day around the Kaplan area one may observe a crop duster flying over a rice field, crawfish traps all in a row, an abundant variety of waterfowl and much more.  Highway 14 can take you to Delcambre where shrimp boats line up ready to get the big catch of the day! Head the other way and you’ll end up in Gueydan, the “Duck Capitol of the World”, and eventually Lake Arthur. A little further south in Cow Island, Forked Island, Pecan Island and Grand Chenier you can witness hundreds of alligators catching some sun and enjoying the heat and humidity south Louisiana is known for.

   All of this only about 20 miles south of the Cajun Capital “Lafayette”. About three hours from Kaplan is the most magical city in the world, New Orleans. The “Big Easy” or “The Crescent City”, New Orleans is the birthplace of Jazz where Mardi Gras is king and home of the New Orleans Saints and the “Who Dat” nation!!! Louisiana paints a picture of Spanish moss hanging from beautiful oak trees and swamps that offer scenic possibilities that are a photographers dream.

   All of this has created the canvas which Cedric Benoit uses to paint his lyrical and musical body of work. In 2018 Cedric will celebrate 32 years of performing and promoting the GREAT state of Louisiana in the tourist Mecca of  Branson Missouri!    Catch Cedric Benoit and the Cajuns live at Silver Dollar City for their final season. This particular endeavor took Benoit far from home many years ago but the opportunity to spread the music and culture was as Cedric puts it, “far too important to pass up”. For Cedric Benoit being Cajun is like being a SAINTS fan! It’s not just a title, it’s a religion …

KEVIN NAQUIN

By Bill Chaisson
Courtesy of Hibernian Weather Channel Productions

   In the 19th century a burger living in a provincial city of, say, Bohemia, would have known through the newspapers and through gossip in the music-appreciating community about the enormous talent of Franz Liszt, but he would quite likely have never heard the master actually play. Even in this age of recorded media I find myself, in advance of Kevin Naquin’s first appearance in Ithaca, in a position similar to that of a 19th century Bohemian; I have never heard him play, but his reputation proceeds him. And, as we say in the 21st century: the guy is hot.

   Kevin Naquin learned to play the accordion at 14, which is somewhat late to pick up a music instrument. But he apparently had innate talent; two years later he put together the first incarnation of his band, the Ossun Playboys, and began to play out around Lafayette, LA, where he lives. Music is apparently in the blood. Naquin is the great-grandson of Hadley Fontenot, the accordionist on the first Balfa Brothers album. His great-grandfather on his father’s side was a ballad singer, who accompanied himself on fiddle. He has always been surrounded by Cajun music; even his babysitter played a mean accordion.

   Naquin grew up in a French-speaking household, but it was singing the Cajun ballads on stage that has made him focus on becoming fluent in his ancestral language. He is aware that some younger Cajun singers have little or no French and sing the songs phonetically, which makes it difficult to project the meaning. Both he and his wife are working on their French so that they can pass it on to their children.

   Maintenance of the Cajun culture is important to Naquin. He and the other members of the band all have other jobs (Naquin is a salesman for the Insurance Australia Group) and the Ossun Playboys are essentially a vehicle for spreading the good word about things Cajun rather than a livelihood that they depend on.        Naquin feels that this arrangement allows him to hew more closely to the tradition. When asked if he ever feels drawn to integrate more pop or rock elements into his music, his answer is an emphatic, but polite, “No. I’ve watched other people, like Steve Riley, do it, and that’s shown me that you just don’t have to do it. Just when you’re hot and the crowd is all heated up, you do a rock or pop thing and you lose them.” He hastens to add that he has nothing against cross-over music, but he simply doesn’t feel the need to “chase audiences”, because he’s not playing music for a living.

   The current line-up of the Ossun Playboys has been together for about two years, since earlier bass and guitar players were replaced by Chevy and Wyatt Foreman. Drummer Dwayne Lavergne and fiddler Louis Dronet have been playing with Naquin for six years now. In 2000 and 2002 the Ossun Playboys swept the Cajun French Music Association awards, walking away with “Band of the Year”, “Album of the Year”, and “Accordionist of the Year”. Dronet was nominated to the “Fiddler of the Year” category in both years. In 2000 Naquin was only 21 years old.

   The presence of the electric guitar, bass and drums distinguishes the Ossun Playboys music from that of earlier generations of Cajun players. Naquin asserts that for him “It is all about dancing” and he plays in a honky-tonk style that shares more with Walter Mouton than with the Balfa Brothers. Although he avoids rock elements in the strict sense, he admits that his music is “more aggressive” than the music of his grandparents’ generation. He says that people are delighted to find out that they can do either zydeco or Cajun steps to his music, which he says “has a ‘Zyde-Cajun’ feel that is hard to describe”.

   Last week the Ossun Playboys released their fifth CD, Never Satisfied, while they were on tour in Colorado. It includes five of their own compositions in addition to traditional tunes. Naquin says that it has been well reviewed so far, but, as I said, I haven’t heard it yet. You probably haven’t either. So, like the 19th century Bohemians, I guess we’ll have to hear him when we see him. I bet Liszt would have loved to have been able to sell CDs at his shows.

GG and Jerry

In its heyday the twin Shinn-Lacroix vocal attack drew admiration even from megastars. “The Righteous Brothers really were in awe of GG and Jerry. Bill [Medley] and Bobby [Hatfield] have made many public comments about the talent of these two guys,” Theall recalled. Dubbing themselves “the King Brothers,” Shinn and Lacroix teamed up on numerous duets like “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” and “Let It Be Me.” It was their unbridled artistry and soul that lifted the Boogie Kings – as tight and musically proficient as the musicians themselves were – from mere cover band to something loftier.

As Theall added:
“The two years that we had GG and Jerry as a team molded the sound and style of the band as we totally broke away from the old sound of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. These two guys were so strong that many of our fans think that this was the ‘original’ Boogie Kings. They made such a huge impact on our success that it simply can’t be measured. … The odd thing about them is their contrasting styles. GG has this sweet, pure, smooth voice with a dramatic high register, and Jerry has a rough, get-down-and-dirty, soulful voice. But the two of them together would make the most beautiful blend of rhythm and blues music that the Boogie Kings have ever had.”

And once a Boogie King, always a Boogie King, as evidenced by Shinn’s reappearances with the group during modern-day reunion shows. But who is GG Shinn? Quite frankly, his full story has yet to be told. But Shinn was born Aug. 25, 1939, and hails from Franklin, La., where in 1956 he formed his first band, the Flat Tops. By 1963 he was recruited into the Boogie Kings, which had been founded in 1955 in Eunice, La., by Doug Ardoin, Bert Miller, and Harris Miller. The band played everywhere around Louisiana and east Texas, gaining in notoriety particularly at the Bamboo Club in Lake Charles and the Big Oaks club in Vinton near the Texas border, the latter club drawing a young Janis Joplin as a patron.

Ronnie Eades

R & B Baritone Saxophone Muscle Shoals Horns, Studios.
Born: May 9, 1942, Tarrant City, AL
Lived: Muscle Shoals, AL., Then in Floyds Knobs, IN.
Currently in Arnaudville, La.

Member of the Muscle Shoals Horns. While primarily a studio musician, he toured extensively with Elton John in the mid-70s, playing on the famed “Philadelphia Freedom” recording, which also featured John Lennon. His saxophone can be heard on the recordings of Joe Cocker, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Delbert McClinton and many others. Later in the 70s, the Muscle Shoals Horns released three albums of their own compositions which capitalized on the disco dance craze and toured, opening for groups such as Parliament-Funkadelic.

    Ronnie Eades joined the group in 1987 bringing a distinctive, soulful saxophone style which has been recorded and heard around the world. Co-founder of the Muscle Shoals Horn Section from 1967-88, Ronnie recorded and performed with over 400 artists by 1981. These included such legendary talents as Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, The Oak Ridge Boys, Candy Staton, The Osmond’s, Bob Dillion, Elton John, Paul McCartney, Rod Stewart, Barbara Mandrell, Bob Dylan, Dolly Parton and too many more to name. There was a time when Muscle Shoals Horns were being heard on five hit records at the same time.

YVETTE LANDRY

YVETTE LANDRY grew up in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, not far from the levees of the Atchafalaya Basin, North America’s largest swampland. It was in and around that swamp where she learned an appreciation for the music, dance, stories and language of her Cajun culture. After earning a master’s degree in education and developing a successful teaching career, she began telling stories through song. Playing a variety of instruments in several Cajun bands, Landry also fronts her own band, The Yvette Landry Band. Her debut award-winning album titled “Should Have Known” was released in 2010. (The album was named Offbeat Magazine’s “Best Country/Folk Album” and Landry “Best Country/Folk Artist”). Over the past several years, Landry has traveled the world and played countless cultural festivals and venues – from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival to the Bluebird Café in Nashville. She toured Russia and served as a Cultural Ambassador on behalf of the Library of Congress to perform at the Festival of Traditional American Music and graced the stage at both the Library of Congress and John F. Kennedy Center of Performing Arts in Washington, DC. By day, Landry is an educator, teaching American Sign Language at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She is also a private homeschool teacher and has also taught bass, guitar, accordion and vocals at notable camps including Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, Voice Works @ Centrum, Ashoken Fiddle and Dance Camp, Cajun/Creole Week @ Augusta Heritage Center and Louisiana Folk Roots Camp. By night, Yvette Landry is a musician/singer/songwriter who continues to tour worldwide as a multi-instrumentalist, gracing the stage with greats such as Vince Gill & The Time Jumpers, Darrell Scott, Rhonda Vincent, and many more. State of Louisiana 2013 and 2019 Music Ambassador,  Governor to the Memphis Chapter of the Recording Academy, former Director of Louisiana Folk Roots Summer Cajun & Creole Music Kids Camp, and recently, Louisiana Music Hall of Famer, Landry strives to bring cultures and traditions together, ensuring that they will be passed along.

Since her debut album in 2010, Landry has released four more CDs…First was “No Man’s Land” with a host of friends including Bill Kirchen, Cindy Cashdollar, Dirk Powell lending a helping hand. Later she released, “Me & T-Coe’s Country,” “Oh What A Silent Night” with pedal steel ace, Richard Comeaux and  “Louisiana Lovin’” featuring Roddie Romero, was nominated for Offbeat Magazine’s Best of the Beat Awards in two categories (Best Roots Rock Artist and Best Roots Rock Album).

Her first children’s book, “The Ghost Tree,” was nominated for “Louisiana’s Young Reader’s Choice Award.” Her second, “Madame Grand Doigt,” along with “The Ghost Tree,” were formally accepted into the Library of Congress Collection for Children’s Literature.

Her latest project, “Taking the World, by Storm,” is two-fold.  The book, “A Conversation with the Godfather of Swamp Pop,” covers the lifespan of this living legend Warren Storm, starting with his boyhood in rural Vermilion Parish. From meeting Elvis at Graceland, to shaking Hank Williams’s hand, to sharing the stage with Robert Plant and his idol, Fats Domino, Warren’s endless stories and anecdotes, as well as his incredible collection of photographs and memorabilia, open a window into the life of an important figure in American music. 

The record, produced by Yvette and titled, “A Regional Roots Journey with The Godfather of Swamp Pop,” is quickly becoming as legendary as the Godfather himself.  A host of guests including John Fogerty, Sonny Landreth, and Marc Broussard, contributed their talents to the record.

Johnnie Allan

Having learned the basics on the rhythm guitar at age 13 in 1951, he joined Walter Mouton, Rodney Miller and Leeman Prejean to form the Scott Playboys playing traditional Cajun music.
By 1954 he had become proficient enough on his new instrument, the steel guitar, to accept a job with Lawrence Walker and the Wandering Aces. But the winds of musical change were flowing down the Cajun bayous in the mid to late 50’s. Rock n Roll enticed the Wandering Aces to quit Walker and form the Krazy Kats band playing this new genre of music which later became known as Swamp Pop.
Their first recording of Allan’s self-penned song “Lonely Days, Lonely Nights” was leased from the local JIN label to national MGM Records for better distribution.
Through the late 50s, 60s and 70s he continued recording and playing numerous south Louisiana and east Texas venues, all the while earning two graduate degrees and holding down teaching and administrative positions in the Lafayette parish public schools.
In 1978, after being pipped at the post by Elvis Presley’s recording of “Promised Land” in England in the early 70s, Johnnie’s Cajun flavored version of the song resurfaced in Europe gaining chart status which enabled him to perform numerous European tours over the next fifteen years.
In 1993 Floyd Soileau of JIN Records presented him with a gold record for selling one million copies of “Promised Land”.
     To date he has recorded around 300 songs, many of which were self-penned. Several of his Cajun and Swamp Pop compositions have been recorded by over forty local, national and international artists. He has also written and published four books on music related issues.
In 2005 he fulfilled one of his numerous bucket list dreams of visiting and walking on all seven continents.
    Now, at age 81, he has slowed down his local and international performances and prefers to relax with friends at home or his camp at Miller’s Lake in Evangeline parish, experimenting with Cajun cooking and assisting his eldest daughter, Donna, in compiling his up and coming life story.

Byron LeBlanc

Born in 1959 in Breaux Bridge in the winter time. Grew up on the banks of Bayou Teche hunting and fishing. A late bloomer to music. Picked up the guitar at age 30 and with the help of local musicians and good friends too many to name started his own band Still Young as lead singer, guitarist and producer. After a twenty year run came the Nasty Willie Shows which only lasted a year. After a few more bands, is currently working as lead singer and guitarist with Caleb Latiolais and David Allemond with their own spin. A wide variety of music known as La Stump Jumpers. And the song plays on.

Steve Adams

One word best describes New Orleans native and soul man Steve Adams… Mojo! Steve Adams has built quite the network over the years. Both a supreme vocalist and drummer Steve Adams musical path spans several decades performing and sharing the stage and studio with several of Louisiana’s greatest artists.  Steve Adams has fronted for several legendary Louisiana bands including TK Hulin and the Boogie Kings as well. Adding to his  impressive list, Ernie K-Doe, Jessie Hill, Erma Thomas, Tommy Ridgley, Oliver Morgan, and Alan Toussaint.These days it’s hard to mention Steve Adams without mentioning bass player and partner in crime  “Wild Bucky Brown” Bill LeBlanc. Having been steeped in a lifetime of muddy water along with their prodigious musical knowledge these two gentlemen have undoubtedly developed one of the strongest rhythm sections the south has ever seen. It’s hard to play this many years with aforementioned talent and not conjure up a lifetime of mojo and soul.  Speaking of mojo, strange enough these two have eluded the limelight of recording fame somehow…  However, if you are lucky enough to live in Southwest Louisiana or be visiting Lafayette Louisiana Steve Adams and his Network play upwards of 150 shows a year. All locally!  The Steve Adams Network knows how to keep it real, whether it’s a full 8 piece band featuring his brass section “the Hurricane horns” complete with piano and percussion (Featured on his 2008 release “Playing With My Friends”) or his configuration of the Steve Adams Trio which features “Wild Bucky” Bill on bass and the incomparable Don Hebert on guitar.  Did we say Steve Adams “Network”??? Well no surprise that the Steve Adams Trio not only hosts a number of talented guitar players such as veteran Ronnie Vice and fresh blood Jerome Vasquez they are also are the backbone for the “Leroy Stank Revue” which boasts local blues favorite Keith Blair.  A soul shaker is what your gonna get with Louisiana’s best kept secret the Steve Adams Network.  

Mister MOJO

Mister MOJO, Star, MOJO & The Bayou Gypsies, and member, NAPAMA Board of Directors
“This Bayou Man, Mister MOJO, and his troupe of near-mad musical provocateurs, have poured Louisiana Fire on audiences across the planet for more than thirty years”, Syndicated News Network.  Thrilling audiences Worldwide since 1985. MOJO & The Bayou Gypsies have made millions of people happy, and enriched the lives of countless children with their Arts Outreach. Mojo has performed on PBS, ABC, CBS, NBC, Superstation WGN, FOX, and CMT TV Networks, put out 22 albums of original Music certified by the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, he is the historian who got the Zydeco Rubboard into the Smithsonian Institution, is executive producer of historic documentaries, is an International Music Ambassador for the State of Louisiana, and is an active advocate for the Arts working with many of America’s top Arts Agencies as a member, a speaker, and mentor. Mister MOJO is a Board Member of NAPAMA (North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents).   MOJO’s life and career are the subject of a feature film, “The Magic Behind the Mojo” which premiered November, 2018.  A recipient of three Shriners Hospitals for Children humanitarian awards,  Mojo’s charitable performances have raised millions of dollars for worthy causes.