Amédé Ardoin
Amédé Ardoin (born March 11, 1898 in L'Anse Rougeau , Louisiana , † November 4, 1941 in Alexandria , Louisiana) was an American, Creole Zydeco musician. The virtuoso on the 10-button accordion (the diatonic or “Cajun” accordion ) is considered the father figure of Cajun music at the beginning of the 20th century.
The great-grandson of a slave lived and worked as a child with his family on a farm in L'Anse des Rougeau near Basile. Ardoin learned to play music from the accordionist Adam Fontenot, Canray Fontenot's father , and the fiddler Alphonse LaFleur. At a young age he performed with LaFleur or the black Douglas Bellard (fiddle) at parties and dance events.
Ardoin led an unsteady life during his youth. He made his living as a farm worker and as a musician. With the white Dennis McGee (Fiedel) he formed one of the first multiracial Cajun duos, often accompanied by Ardoin's cousin Bois Sec Ardoin .
On December 9, 1929, Ardoin recorded seven songs with McGee in New Orleans . There are a total of 31 photographs by Ardoin, which were taken in four sessions by 1934. They are considered the standards of Zydeco and were later re-imported many times.
In the late 1930s, Ardoin often performed with the fiddler Sady Courville in Eunice . However, there are no recordings of this duo.
Ardoin's death is shrouded in legend. According to one version, he was poisoned by a jealous colleague, according to another, he was killed by a white farmer whose daughter Ardoin had handed a towel to wipe off her sweat. Recent research suggests that Amédé Ardoin died of complications from a circulatory disease. The place and date of his death are disputed.
Web links
- Amédé Ardoin at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
personal data | |
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SURNAME | Ardoin, Amédé |
BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American, Creole Zydeco musician |
DATE OF BIRTH | March 11, 1898 |
PLACE OF BIRTH | L'Anse Rougeau , Louisiana , United States |
DATE OF DEATH | November 4, 1941 |
Place of death | Alexandria , Louisiana , United States |