D.L. Menard
Encyclopedia
Doris Leon "D. L." Menard (born April 14, 1932) is one of the most important songwriters and performers in Cajun music
. He has been called the "Cajun Hank Williams" because of the country-tinged sound of his voice and music.
. The only child of Mr. Ophy Menard and Mrs. Helena Primeaux Menard. He was part of a Cajun
farming family. He started to play guitar at 16 and started playing dances in Louisiana clubs at 17. He was greatly influenced by Hank Williams meeting him once in 1951 at the Teche Club shortly before Hank's death. Since then he has performed in more than 30 countries and served as a good-will ambassador for Cajun
culture. He has also recorded with non-Cajun artists, including Bryan Ferry
. He and his wife Louella - now deceased - have seven children, seventeen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He still lives in Erath and continues to play music. He has maintained a separate career as a craftsman, noted for his handmade ash-wood
chairs he makes at his one-man factory in Erath.
whom he met in 1973.
has called the most played and most recorded Cajun song, selling over 500,000 copies in 1962 alone. It has been covered by dozens of Cajun
and zydeco
bands and by other Francophone
artists such as Kate and Anna McGarrigle
. Menard has said he modeled it on Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues
." He composed it in under an hour, while working at a service station in Erath.
in the Best Traditional Folk Album category
. In 1994, he was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship Award by the National Endowment for the Arts
. In 2009, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
along with Jo-El Sonnier
, Doug Kershaw
, and Jimmy C. Newman
. In 2010, his album "Happy Go Lucky" was nominated for a Grammy Award
in the Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album
category.
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...
. He has been called the "Cajun Hank Williams" because of the country-tinged sound of his voice and music.
Biography
Menard was born in Erath, LouisianaErath, Louisiana
Erath is a town in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,187 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Abbeville Micropolitan Statistical Area.Erath is home of the Acadian Museum....
. The only child of Mr. Ophy Menard and Mrs. Helena Primeaux Menard. He was part of a Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
farming family. He started to play guitar at 16 and started playing dances in Louisiana clubs at 17. He was greatly influenced by Hank Williams meeting him once in 1951 at the Teche Club shortly before Hank's death. Since then he has performed in more than 30 countries and served as a good-will ambassador for Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
culture. He has also recorded with non-Cajun artists, including Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
. He and his wife Louella - now deceased - have seven children, seventeen grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He still lives in Erath and continues to play music. He has maintained a separate career as a craftsman, noted for his handmade ash-wood
Ash tree
Fraxinus is a genus flowering plants in the olive and lilac family, Oleaceae. It contains 45-65 species of usually medium to large trees, mostly deciduous though a few subtropical species are evergreen. The tree's common English name, ash, goes back to the Old English æsc, while the generic name...
chairs he makes at his one-man factory in Erath.
Style
Menard is known for his "tinny" voice and popular guitar strumming style. Anne Savoy generalizes Cajun guitar strumming to two styles: Old Time Style (Cléoma Falcon) and D. L. Menard Style. It uses bass runs on chord changes and incorporates up strokes along with down strokes. He modeled his guitar strumming style after David BrombergDavid Bromberg
David Bromberg is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. Bromberg has an eclectic style, playing bluegrass, blues, folk, jazz, country and western, and rock and roll equally well. He is known for his quirky, humorous lyrics, and the ability to play rhythm and lead guitar at the...
whom he met in 1973.
La Porte En Arrière
Menard is best known for his song "La Porte En Arrière" ("The Back Door"), which Cajun folklorist Barry Jean AnceletBarry Jean Ancelet
Barry Jean Ancelet is a Cajun folklorist and expert in Cajun music and Cajun French. He has written several books, and under the pseudonym Jean Arceneaux he has written Cajun French poetry and lyrics to Cajun French songs.- Education and career :...
has called the most played and most recorded Cajun song, selling over 500,000 copies in 1962 alone. It has been covered by dozens of 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 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...
bands and by other Francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
artists such as Kate and Anna McGarrigle
Kate and Anna McGarrigle
Kate and Anna McGarrigle, were a pair of Canadian singer-songwriters from Quebec, who performed as a duo until Kate McGarrigle's death on January 18, 2010.-Profile:...
. Menard has said he modeled it on Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues
Honky Tonk Blues
"Honky Tonk Blues" was a hit country and western song written and performed by Hank Williams. The original 1952 recording was a major hit, and it later became a hit for later-day superstar Charley Pride.-Song history:...
." He composed it in under an hour, while working at a service station in Erath.
Awards
In 1993, his album Le Trio Cadien was nominated for a Grammy AwardGrammy 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 the Best Traditional Folk Album category
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album
The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album was awarded from 1987 to 2011. Until 1993 the award was known as the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording.An award for Best Contemporary Folk Album was also presented...
. In 1994, he was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship Award by the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
. In 2009, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
Louisiana Music Hall of Fame
The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame is an IRS certified 501 non-profit organization based in the state capitol of Baton Rouge, La., that seeks to preserve Louisiana's rich music culture and heritage and to further educate its citizens and people worldwide about the state’s unique role contributing...
along with Jo-El Sonnier
Jo-El Sonnier
Jo-El Sonnier is an American singer-songwriter and accordionist who performs country music and Cajun music. Originally signed to Mercury Nashville Records, Sonnier charted several minor singles on the Billboard country charts in the late 1970s...
, Doug Kershaw
Doug Kershaw
Doug Kershaw, born January 24, 1936, is an American fiddle player, singer and songwriter from Louisiana. Active since 1949, Kershaw has recorded fifteen albums and charted on the Hot Country Songs charts.- Early life :...
, and Jimmy C. Newman
Jimmy C. Newman
Jimmy Yves Newman , better known as Jimmy C. Newman , is an American singer and a long time star of the Grand Ole Opry.-Biography:Newman was born near Big Mamou, Louisiana...
. In 2010, his album "Happy Go Lucky" was nominated for 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 the Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album
Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album
The Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album was an honor presented to recording artists at the 50th, 51st, 52nd and 53rd Grammy Awards for quality zydeco or cajun music albums...
category.
45 RPM's
- She Didn't Know I Was Married / Bachelor's Life Swallow 45-10139
- The Back Door / I can't Forget You Swallow 45-10131
- Valse De Jolly Rogers / La. Aces Special Swallow 45-10121
- Rebecca Ann / I Can Live A Better Life Swallow 45-10147
- Too Late You're Divorced / Riches Of A Musician Swallow 45-10243
- The Vail and Crown Swallow 45-10249
33 RPM's
- Louisiana Aces (1974) Rounder SelectRounder RecordsRounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
6008 - Cajun Hits Volume 2 (n.d.) Swallow LP 6003
- En Bas Du Chene Vert (1976) 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...
- The Best of Cajun Hits Volume 3 (1978) Swallow LP 6033
- The Back Door (1980) Swallow LP 6038
- Cajun Saturday Night (1984) Rounder SelectRounder RecordsRounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
0198 - No Matter Where You At, There You Are (1988) Rounder SelectRounder RecordsRounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
6021
Albums
- Le Trio Cadien (1992) Rounder SelectRounder RecordsRounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
- Cajun Memories (1995) Swallow LP 6125
See also
- History of Cajun MusicHistory of Cajun musicCajun music has its roots based in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada and Country music.-Early years:The first form of traditional cajun music began before the 20th century in south Louisiana. When the Acadians came from New Brunswick & Nova Scotia to Louisiana in 1764, they...
- List of Notable People Related to Cajun Music