Singer Rod Bernard, who helped to pioneer the swamp pop musical sound, passed away on July 12, 2020 in New Iberia, after a short illness.

Bernard was born Rodney Ronald Louis Bernard on August 12, 1940, in Opelousas, Louisiana. His parents were French-speaking Cajuns. As a child he was introduced to traditional Cajun French music that was performed in his grandfather’s dancehall, the Courtableu Inn, located in nearby Po...