Edmonton Blues Festival

The Graham Guest Band.  Saturday August 17, 1:40 PM

Saturday August 17, 2:35PM

Paul Pigat and Cousin Harley.  

–

Braithwaite and Whitleley.   Saturday August 17, 4:00PM

–

Saturday August 17, 5:30PM

The Cash Box Kings

–

Selwyn Birchwood. Saturday August 17, 7PM

–

Saturday August 17 8:30PM

Bayou Boogie

A 100th birthday celebration of Clifton Chenier, the King of Zydeco, featuring C.J. Chenier, Marcia Ball, Sonny Landreth and the Red Hot Louisiana Band.

Clifton Chenier (June 25, 1925 – December 12, 1987), was an American Creole musician known as a pioneer of zydeco, a style of music which arose from Creole music, with R&B, blues, and Cajun influences. He sang and played the accordion and was the first Creole musician to win a Grammy Award in 1983 and in 2014 was a recipient of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He was known as the King of Zydeco, and also billed as the King of the South. Chenier was a recipient of a 1984 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government’s highest honour in the folk and traditional arts. In 2015, the Library of Congress deemed Chenier’s album Bogalusa Boogie to be “culturally, historically, or artistically significant” and selected it for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

Clayton Joseph “C.J.” Chenier (vocals, accordion, saxophone) Raised in this indigenous American culture with its own distinctive language, cuisine and music, C.J. delivers soulful vocals along with jaw-dropping masterful accordion-driven Rock, Zydeco and Blues. After spending his childhood in the tough tenement housing projects of Port Arthur, Texas, C.J. joined his Father Clifton’s band on his 21st birthday. On the road his father showed him how to front a world class touring band, teaching C.J., a multiinstrumentalist, how to run the family business and how to develop his lifelong passion for music into a career. When Clifton died in 1987, C.J., adopted the Red Hot Louisiana Band and recorded his debut album for the great American independent label Arhoolie Records. Chenier (along with Ringo Starr) was hand-picked by Paul Simon for his 1990 Rhythm of the Saints album which was nominated for Album of the Year and Producer of the Year. He was then invited to go with Simon for his sell out “Born at the Right Time Tour”.

Sonny Landreth (guitar) Landreth is known as “the King of Slydeco” and plays guitar with a strong zydeco influence. Guitarist Eric Clapton has said that Landreth is one of the most advanced guitarists in the world and one of the most under-appreciated. Landreth first played in Clifton Chenier’s Red Hot Louisiana Band at 17 years old, as the only white member of the band.

Marcia Ball (vocals, piano) Marcia Ball, the 2018 Texas State Musician Of The Year, has won worldwide fame and countless fans for her ability to ignite a full-scale roadhouse rhythm and blues party every time she takes the stage. Her rollicking Texas boogies, swampy New Orleans ballads and groove-laden Gulf Coast blues have made her a one-of-a-kind favorite with music lovers all over the world. Ball grew up in the small town of Vinton, Louisiana, right across the border from Texas. Marcia was influenced by Clifton Chenier and titled her 1985 album Hot Tamale Baby after the song of the same name, written by Mr. Chenier.