Clifton Chenier
| Clifton Chenier | ||
|---|---|---|
Chenier Brothers performing at Jay's Lounge and Cockpit, Cankton, Louisiana, Mardi Gras, 1975
Clifton Chenier on accordion, brother Cleveland on washboard and John Hart on tenor saxophone. |
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| Background information | ||
| Born |
June 25, 1925 Opelousas, Louisiana, United States |
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| Died | December 12, 1987 (aged 62) Lafayette, Louisiana, United States |
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| Genres | Zydeco, Cajun, Creole music, R&B, swamp blues | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter | |
| Instruments | Vocals, accordion, frottoir | |
| Years active | 1954–1987 | |
| Labels | Specialty Records,Chess Records | |
| Associated acts | Zydeco Ramblers, Rod Bernard, C.J. Chenier | |
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Clifton Chenier (June 25, 1925 – December 12, 1987), a Louisiana 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. In 1984 he was honored as a National Heritage Fellow. He was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1989, and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2011. In 2014, he was a Grammy recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was known as the 'King of Zydeco', and also billed as the 'King of the South'.
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."
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