Amédé Ardoin
Encyclopedia
Amédé Ardoin was an American
Louisiana Creole
musician, known for his high singing voice and virtuosity on the Creole/Cajun Accordion
. He is credited by Louisiana music scholars with laying the groundwork for Cajun music in the early 20th century.
Ardoin, with fiddle player Dennis McGee
, was one of the first artists to record the music of the Acadiana
region of Louisiana
. On December 9, 1929, he and McGee recorded six songs for Columbia Records
in New Orleans. In all, thirty-four recordings with Ardoin playing accordion are known to exist.
. The most common story says that some white men were angered when a white woman, daughter of the house, lent her handkerchief to Ardoin to wipe the sweat from his face. Canray Fontenot
and Wade Fruge
, in PBS
's American Patchwork, explained that after Ardoin left the place, he was run over by a Model A
car and crushed his head and throat, damaging his vocal cords. He was found the next day, lying in a ditch. According to Canray, he "went plumb crazy" and "didn't know if he was hungry or not. Others had to feed him. He got weaker and weaker until he died." Others consider the story apocryphal. Other versions say that Ardoin was poisoned, not beaten, possibly by a jealous fellow musician.
Contemporaries said that Ardoin suffered from impaired mental and musical capacities later in his life, probably from that infamous night. He ended up in an asylum in Pineville, Louisiana
, where he was admitted in September 1942. He died at the hospital two months later, and was buried in the hospital's common grave.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Louisiana Creole
Louisiana Creole
Louisiana Creole can refer to:* Louisiana Creole people* Louisiana Creole French language* Louisiana Creole cuisine...
musician, known for his high singing voice and virtuosity on the Creole/Cajun Accordion
Cajun accordion
A Cajun accordion also known as a squeezebox is single-row diatonic button accordion used for playing Cajun music.-History:Many different accordions were developed in Europe throughout the 19th century, and exported worldwide...
. He is credited by Louisiana music scholars with laying the groundwork for Cajun music in the early 20th century.
Ardoin, with fiddle player Dennis McGee
Dennis McGee
Dennis McGee was one of the earliest recorded Cajun musicians.A fiddle player, he recorded and performed with black Creole accordionist and vocalist Amédé Ardoin, with accordionist Angelas LeJeune, and with fiddlers Sady Courville and Ernest Frugé...
, was one of the first artists to record the music of the Acadiana
Acadiana
Acadiana, or The Heart of Acadiana, is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that is home to a large Francophone population. Of the 64 parishes that make up Louisiana, 22 named parishes and other parishes of similar cultural environment, make up the intrastate...
region of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. On December 9, 1929, he and McGee recorded six songs for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in New Orleans. In all, thirty-four recordings with Ardoin playing accordion are known to exist.
Life and career
The date and place of his death is uncertain. Descendants of family members and musicians who knew Ardoin tell a story, now well-known, about a racially motivated attack on him in which he was severely beaten, probably between 1939 – 1940, while walking home after playing at a house dance near Eunice, LouisianaEunice, Louisiana
Eunice is a city in Acadia, Evangeline and St. Landry parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 11,499 at the 2000 census.The St...
. The most common story says that some white men were angered when a white woman, daughter of the house, lent her handkerchief to Ardoin to wipe the sweat from his face. Canray Fontenot
Canray Fontenot
Canray Fontenot was an American Creole fiddle player, who has been described as "the greatest black Louisiana French fiddler of our time."-Early life:...
and Wade Fruge
Wade Fruge
Wade Fruge was a Cajun fiddle player in southwest Louisiana. He raised sheep and farmed. He learned to play from contemporaries of his time. His only album was recorded in 1988 with various tunes recorded in 1979, 1983, and 1989 at the home of Marc Savoy...
, in PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
's American Patchwork, explained that after Ardoin left the place, he was run over by a Model A
Ford Model A (1927)
The Ford Model A of 1927–1931 was the second huge success for the Ford Motor Company, after its predecessor, the Model T. First produced on October 20, 1927, but not sold until December 2, it replaced the venerable Model T, which had been produced for 18 years...
car and crushed his head and throat, damaging his vocal cords. He was found the next day, lying in a ditch. According to Canray, he "went plumb crazy" and "didn't know if he was hungry or not. Others had to feed him. He got weaker and weaker until he died." Others consider the story apocryphal. Other versions say that Ardoin was poisoned, not beaten, possibly by a jealous fellow musician.
Contemporaries said that Ardoin suffered from impaired mental and musical capacities later in his life, probably from that infamous night. He ended up in an asylum in Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville, Louisiana
Pineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
, where he was admitted in September 1942. He died at the hospital two months later, and was buried in the hospital's common grave.
- Amédé Ardoin & Dennis McGee: Blues du Basile Listen