CJ Chenier

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CJ Chenier Ross Bandstand, Edinburgh 1997

CJ (Clayton Joseph) Chenier (born September 28, 1957 in Port Arthur , Texas) is an American zydeco musician. He was known as the "Crown Prince of Zydeco ", the crown belonged to his father, the late Zydeco legend Clifton Chenier . After his death he took over his band, the "Red Hot Louisiana Band", and continued with it the tradition of his father, but also went beyond tradition.

Life

He spent his youth in Port Arthur, far from his father, and so it was a long time before he came into contact with Zydeco music. Chenier started playing the piano but switched to the saxophone. He received a scholarship and studied music at Texas Southern University. But his main interest was rhythm and blues and modern jazz .

In 1978 his father invited him to play the saxophone in the Red Hot Louisiana Band. When his father fell ill in 1985, he switched to the accordion and took on a bigger role in the band. After the death of his father, he took over his band. In addition, he was also involved in other musical projects. He played on the album The Rhythm of the Saints and on the following "Born At The Right Time" tour.

In 1992, Chenier appeared on the Austin City Limits program broadcast by PBS and in 1996 at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. In 1995, Too Much Fun was nominated for Best Zydeco Album of the Year by Living Blues magazine , and articles about CJ Chenier were featured in major newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times , Chicago Tribune , Billboard, and the Blues Revue. Chenier won the 1997 Living Blues Award and an AFIM Indie Award for The Big Squeeze for best zydeco album. There were also performances at various festivals, such as the Chicago Blues Festival in front of 60,000 listeners. In 2004 he was a guest musician on James Cottons Baby, Don't You Tear My Clothes , and in 2006 the last album to date was The Desperate Kingdom of Love .

Discography

  • 1988 Let Me in Your Heart Arhoolie
  • 1990 Hot Rod Slash
  • 1992 I Ain't No Playboy Slash
  • 1995 Too Much Fun Alligator Records
  • 1996 The Big Squeeze Alligator Records
  • 2001 Step It Up Alligator Records
  • 2006 The Desperate Kingdom of Love World Village

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c C. J. Chenier at Allmusic (English)
  2. ↑ a b http://www.cvsmusic.org/ Biography
personal data
SURNAME Chenier, CJ
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chenier, Clayton Joseph (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American Zydeco musician
DATE OF BIRTH September 28, 1957
PLACE OF BIRTH Port Arthur , Texas