Issue Articles
Fest Focus: Terry Huval
The Jambalaya Cajun Band, including Terry Huval, will perform on the Fais Do Do Stage at Jazz Fest on Saturday, May 7, at 11:20 a.m. Terry Huval & Sons will […]
Fest Focus: The Dopsie Brothers
Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. & The Zydeco Twisters will perform on the Festival Stage at Jazz Fest on Friday, April 29, at 12:30 p.m. Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers will […]
‘Southern Nights’ becomes new Louisiana state cultural song after lobbying by Terrance and Cynthia Simiens
Fifteen years ago, Terrance Simien was headed to the Louisiana State Capitol with a smile as wide as the 34-story building is tall. Simien, along with New Orleans music icon […]
Ancestral Grooves—Terrance Simien and friends lets the good times roll
In 1950, Louis Jordan, Fats Domino, Ruth Brown and other black artists were churning out rhythm and blues hits that built the foundation for rock ’n’ roll, soul and more. […]
Shades of Katrina: Hurricane Laura’s impact on South Louisiana musicians
Jo-El Sonnier knew the 4:30 a.m. phone call in late August couldn’t be good news. A friend told the Cajun and country music icon to pack what he could and […]
Willis Prudhomme (1931-2020)
Willis Prudhomme never told the often-heard, childhood story of zydeco accordionists who had fathers that forbid them to touch their cherished instrument. Prudhomme was 45 years old before he learned […]
Accordion-making was considered a hobby, but Randy Falcon turned it into a business
Randy Falcon grew up in the French-speaking region of southwest Louisiana listening to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Dave Clark Five. He had little interest in his family’s […]
The Devil Went Down to New Iberia: Johnny Sonnier
Johnny Sonnier refers to Cajun music as his blessing. Originals and covers that Sonnier put his own stamp on decades ago are some of the most requested on Cajun radio […]
The First Graduate: Ailee Pardi likes the genre and the people
Ailee Pardi wasn’t living in Louisiana when the Cajun music bug bit. But it left a mark that she happily hopes never heals. Growing up in Edgewood, Washington, Pardi remembers […]
Five Questions with Rusty Metoyer
At 27, Rusty Metoyer is experiencing success unknown to many zydeco musicians twice his age. His gigs stretch from the French Quarter Festival to shows in France and Holland. […]
