Clifton Chenier
Encyclopedia
Clifton Chenier a Creole 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. He also was recognized with a National Heritage Fellowship
, and in 1989 was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame
.
of Professor Longhair
's song). This received some mainstream success. With the Zydeco Ramblers, Chenier toured extensively. They soon signed with Chess Records
of 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."
Chenier was the first act to play at Antone
's, a blues club on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas
. Later in 1976, he reached a national audience when he appeared on the premiere season of the PBS
music program Austin City Limits
. Three years later in 1979 he returned to the show with his Red Hot Louisiana Band.
Chenier's popularity peaked in the 1980s, and he was recognized with a Grammy Award
in 1983 for his album I'm Here. It was the first Grammy for his new label Alligator Records
. Chenier followed Queen Ida
as the second Louisiana Creole
to win a Grammy.
Chenier is credited with redesigning the wood and crimped tin washboard
into the frottoir, an instrument that would easily hang from the shoulders. Cleveland Chenier, Clifton's older brother, also played in the Red Hot Louisiana Band. He found popularity for his ability to manipulate the distinctive sound of the frottoir by rubbing several bottle openers (held in each hand) along its ridges.
During their prime, Chenier and his band traveled throughout the world.
because of associated kidney
problems.
He died of diabetes-related kidney disease in December 1987 in Lafayette, Louisiana
and was buried in All Souls Cemetery in Loreauville
, Iberia Parish
, Louisiana.
www.cjcheniermusic.com has carried on the Zydeco tradition by touring with his father's band and recording albums.
Louisiana Creole French
Louisiana Creole is a French Creole language spoken by the Louisiana Creole people of the state of Louisiana. The language consists of elements of French, Spanish, African, and Native American roots.-Geography:...
-speaking native of Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
, was an eminent performer and recording artist of Zydeco
Zydeco
Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music...
, which arose from Cajun
Cajun music
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
and Creole music
Creole music
Creole music applies to two genres of music from south Louisiana: Creole folk and Creole. Creole folk dates from the 18th century or before, and it consists primarily of folk songs. Many were published, and some found their way into works by Louisiana composers such as Louis Moreau Gottschalk,...
, with R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
influences. He played the accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
and won a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1983. He also was recognized with a National Heritage Fellowship
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
, and in 1989 was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame
Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1980 by the Blues Foundation, it honors those who have performed, recorded, or documented blues.-1980:*Big Bill Broonzy*Willie Dixon*John Lee Hooker...
.
Career
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 coverCover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of Professor Longhair
Professor Longhair
Professor Longhair was a New Orleans blues singer and pianist...
's song). This received some mainstream success. With the Zydeco Ramblers, Chenier toured extensively. They soon signed with Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
of Chicago, followed by the Arhoolie label.
In April 1966 Chenier appeared at the Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
Blues Festival on the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
campus and was subsequently described by Ralph J. Gleason, Jazz critic of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, 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."
Chenier was the first act to play at Antone
Clifford Antone
Clifford Antone was the founder of a well-known Austin blues club, record label, and a mentor to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan and numerous other musicians....
's, a blues club on Sixth Street in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. Later in 1976, he reached a national audience when he appeared on the premiere season of the 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....
music program Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits is an American public television music program recorded live in Austin, Texas by Public Broadcasting Service Public television member station KLRU, and broadcast on many PBS stations around the United States...
. Three years later in 1979 he returned to the show with his Red Hot Louisiana Band.
Chenier's popularity peaked in the 1980s, and he was recognized with a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1983 for his album I'm Here. It was the first Grammy for his new label Alligator Records
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is a Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971.Iglauer started the label with his own savings to record and produce his favorite band Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, whom his employer, Bob Koester of Delmark Records, declined to record...
. Chenier followed Queen Ida
Queen Ida
Ida Lewis "Queen Ida" Guillory is an Louisiana Creole accordionist. She was the first female accordion player to lead a zydeco band...
as the second Louisiana Creole
Louisiana Creole people
Louisiana Creole people refers to those who are descended from the colonial settlers in Louisiana, especially those of French and Spanish descent. The term was first used during colonial times by the settlers to refer to those who were born in the colony, as opposed to those born in the Old World...
to win a Grammy.
Chenier is credited with redesigning the wood and crimped tin washboard
Washboard
A washboard is a tool designed for hand washing clothing. With mechanized cleaning of clothing becoming more common by the end of the 20th century, the washboard has become better known for its originally subsidiary use as a musical instrument....
into the frottoir, an instrument that would easily hang from the shoulders. Cleveland Chenier, Clifton's older brother, also played in the Red Hot Louisiana Band. He found popularity for his ability to manipulate the distinctive sound of the frottoir by rubbing several bottle openers (held in each hand) along its ridges.
During their prime, Chenier and his band traveled throughout the world.
Later years
Chenier suffered from diabetes which eventually forced him to have a foot amputated and required dialysisDialysis
In medicine, dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure...
because of associated kidney
Kidney
The kidneys, organs with several functions, serve essential regulatory roles in most animals, including vertebrates and some invertebrates. They are essential in the urinary system and also serve homeostatic functions such as the regulation of electrolytes, maintenance of acid–base balance, and...
problems.
He died of diabetes-related kidney disease in December 1987 in Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
and was buried in All Souls Cemetery in Loreauville
Loreauville, Louisiana
Loreauville is a village in Iberia Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 938 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, Iberia Parish
Iberia Parish, Louisiana
Iberia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is New Iberia. As of 2000, the population was 73,266.Iberia Parish is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lafayette–Acadiana Combined Statistical Area.Iberia, along with...
, Louisiana.
Legacy and tributes
Since 1987 his son C. J. ChenierC. J. Chenier
C. J. Chenier C. J. Chenier C. J. Chenier (born Clayton Joseph Thompson, September 28, 1957, Port Arthur, Texas, is the Creole son of the Grammy Award winning "King of Zydeco", Louisiana musician, Clifton Chenier. In 1987, Chenier followed in his father's footsteps, and led his father's band as an...
www.cjcheniermusic.com has carried on the Zydeco tradition by touring with his father's band and recording albums.
- Famed Irish blues guitarist and songwriter Rory GallagherRory GallagherWilliam Rory Gallagher, ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995, was an Irish blues-rock multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and bandleader. Born in Ballyshannon, County Donegal, Ireland, and raised in Cork, Gallagher recorded solo albums throughout the 1970s and 1980s, after forming the band Taste...
wrote a song in tribute to Clifton Chenier entitled "The King Of Zydeco". - Paul SimonPaul SimonPaul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
mentions Chenier in his song "That Was Your Mother", from his 1986 album GracelandGraceland (album)Graceland was Paul Simon's highest charting album in the U.S. in over a decade, reaching #3 in the national Billboard charts, receiving a certification of 5× Platinum by the RIAA and eventually selling over 14 million copies, making it Simon's most commercially successful album... - John MellencampJohn MellencampJohn Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
refers to "Clifton" in his song "Lafayette", about the Louisiana city where Chenier often performed. The song is on Mellencamp's 2003 album Trouble No MoreTrouble No MoreTrouble No More is American singer-songwriter and musician John Mellencamp's eighteenth full-length album and his final recording for Columbia Records, released in 2003. It consists of blues and folk covers....
.
- In 1989, Clifton Chenier was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of FameBlues Hall of FameThe Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1980 by the Blues Foundation, it honors those who have performed, recorded, or documented blues.-1980:*Big Bill Broonzy*Willie Dixon*John Lee Hooker...
.
- The jam band PhishPhishPhish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
often covers Chenier's song "My Soul" in live performances.
Partial discography
- Clifton's Blues (Elko Records), 1954
- Louisiana Blues & Zydeco (Arhoolie RecordsArhoolie RecordsArhoolie Records is a small record label run by Chris Strachwitz. The label was founded by Strachwitz in 1960 as a way for him to record and publish previously obscure "down home blues" artists such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Snooks Eaglin and Bill Gaither...
), 1965 - Bon Ton Roulet ! (Arhoolie RecordsArhoolie RecordsArhoolie Records is a small record label run by Chris Strachwitz. The label was founded by Strachwitz in 1960 as a way for him to record and publish previously obscure "down home blues" artists such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Snooks Eaglin and Bill Gaither...
), 1967 - Bogalusa Boogie - Blues & Zydeco (Arhoolie RecordsArhoolie RecordsArhoolie Records is a small record label run by Chris Strachwitz. The label was founded by Strachwitz in 1960 as a way for him to record and publish previously obscure "down home blues" artists such as Lightnin' Hopkins, Snooks Eaglin and Bill Gaither...
), 1975 - Frenchin' The Boogie (Blue StarBlue starA blue star is a type of star.Blue star or bluestar may also refer to:The Blue Star Is Kind Of Shiny It Is All Of Stars To Protect The Moon-Music:* Bluestar Entertainment, record label* "Blue Star" , first recorded 1955...
), 1976 - Boogie in Black and White (with swamp popSwamp popSwamp rock is a musical genre indigenous to the Acadiana region of south Louisiana and an adjoining section of southeast Texas. Created in the 1950s and early 1960s by teenaged Cajuns and black Creoles, it combines New Orleans-style rhythm and blues, country and western, and traditional French...
musician Rod BernardRod BernardRod Bernard is an American singer who helped to pioneer the musical genre known as "swamp pop", which combined New Orleans-style rhythm and blues, country and western, and Cajun and black Creole music...
, Jin RecordsJin RecordsJin Records is a Ville Platte, Louisiana-based swamp pop record label, although some Cajun recordings have also been issued on the label. It was started by Floyd Soileau in 1958....
), 1976 - Boogie & Zydeco (Sonet RecordsSonet RecordsSonet Records is a jazz record label operating as an imprint of Universal Music Sweden. It was founded in Sweden in 1956.Sonet Records was established by Sven Lindholm and Gunnar Bergström, who managed the label into the 1980s. Dag Haeggqvist, the owner of Gazell Records, became an executive of the...
SNTF 801), 1979 - I'm Here (Alligator Records), 1982