Zachary Richard
Encyclopedia
Zachary Richard is a Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...

 singer/songwriter and poet. His music is an innovative combination of Cajun and Zydeco musical styles.

Biography

Zachary Richard began his musical career at the age of 8, as soprano in the Bishops’s Boys Choir at Saint John’s Cathedral in Lafayette Louisiana. He attended Cathedral High School and Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...

, graduating summa cum laude in 1972.

Richard has recorded Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...

 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...

 music for over 35 years. He has recorded sixteen studio albums of which five were declared gold albums in Canada with 1 double platinum (Cap Enragé). Although recording in both English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

, Richard’s career has been notably Francophone. He has been awarded 5 Félix (Quebec music award named after Félix Leclerc). He is an Officier in the Ordre des Arts et Lettres de la République Française and a member of the Ordre des Francophones d’Amérique. In 1980, he was awarded the Prix de la Jeune Chanson Française by the French Minister of Culture.

In addition to his musical works, Richard published works include 3 volumes of poetry and 3 children’s books. Faire Récolte earned the Prix Champlain (Quebec) in 1998 and Feu received the Prix Roland Gasparic (Bucharest Roumania) in 2002.

Richard has collaborated on several television documentary projects including Against the Tide, the Story of the Cajun people of Louisiana (producer and music director) which received the Best Historical Documentary prize in 2000 awarded by the National Educational Television Authority (UA). The French version, Contre vents, contre marées received the Prix Historia the following year. Zachary was narrator and musical director of Migrations", "Vu du Large", "Coeurs Batailleurs (24 part series) and most recently Kouchibouguac, l’histoire de Jackie Vautour et des Expropriés.

A lifelong resident of south Louisiana, Richard is a committed to the protection of the natural environment. In collaboration with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, he participated in the television documentary Labranche, Legacy of the Lost. A founding member of Action Cadienne
Action Cadienne
Action Cadienne , founded in April 1996, is a non-profit organization in the United States whose purpose is to preserve, promote and defend the French language, francophonie and the Acadian or Cadien culture within the state of Louisiana.- Manifesto :"We believe strongly that our identity as well...

, Richard remains committed to the preservation and promotion of the French language of Louisiana.

In 2009, he was made an honorary Member of the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...

"for his contributions as an author, composer, singer and poet, and for his important role in defending and promoting the French language and the "Cadian" and Acadian identity".

Discography

  • 1972 - High Time (re-released 2000)
  • 1976 - Bayou des mystères
  • 1977 - Mardi Gras
  • 1978 - Migration
  • 1979 - Allons danser
  • 1980 - Live in Montreal
  • 1981 - Vent d’Été
  • 1984 - Zack Attack
  • 1987 - Zack’s Bon Ton
  • 1988 - Mardi Gras Mambo
  • 1990 - Women in the Room
  • 1992 - Snake Bite Love
  • 1995 - Looking Back (compilation)
  • 1997 - Cap enragé
  • 2000 - Coeur fidèle
  • 2000 - Silver Jubilee (compilation)
  • 2002 - Travailler c'est trop dur (double compilation)
  • 2007 - Lumière dans le noir
  • 2009 - Last Kiss

Published works

  • 1980 - Voyage de nuit (Les Intouchables, Montreal)
  • 1997 - Faire récolte (with audio CD, Perce Neige, Moncton)
  • 1999 - Conte Cajun, l'Histoire de Télésphore et 'Tit Edvard (Les Intouchables, Montreal)
  • 2001 - Feu (Les Intouchables, Montreal)
  • 2007 - Télésphore et 'Tit Edvard dans le Nord (Les Intouchables, Montreal)

Major distinctions

  • 1978 - Gold record, RIAA Canada, L'arbre est dans ses feuilles
  • 1978 - Gold Album, RIAA Canada, Migration
  • 1980 - Prix de la jeune chansons française, République Française
  • 1997 - Félix, l'ADISQ, Chanteur francophone le plus illustré au Québec
  • 1997 - Officier l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres de la Rébublique Française
  • 1998 - Membre l'Ordre des Francophones d'Amérique
  • 1998 - Félix, l'ADISQ, Chanteur francophone le plus illustré au Québec
  • 1998 - Prix Litéraire Champlain, Conseil de la vie française en Amérique
  • 1999 - Félix, l'ADISQ, Chanteur francophone le plus illustré au Québec
  • 2000 - MéritasAcadien, Fédération Acadienne du Québec
  • 2001 - Double Platinum album, RIAA Canada, Cap Enragé
  • 2001 - Félix, l'ADISQ, Chanteur francophone le plus illustré au Québec
  • 2002 - Prix Historia, L'institut d'Histoire de l'Amérique Française
  • 2005 - Phd Musique, Honoris Causa, Université de Moncton, New Brunswick
  • 2007 - Félix, l'ADISQ, Chanteur francophone le plus illustré au Québec
  • 2007 - Chevalier, l'Ordre de la Pléiade
  • 2008 - Phd Fine Arts, Honoris Cause, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
  • 2009 - Phd Literature, University of Sainte Anne, Nova Scotia
  • 2009 - Order of Canada

External links

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