Happy Birthday, Geno Delafose!

Zydeco accordionist and singer Geno Delafose was born on February 6, 1972, in Eunice, Louisiana, and at the age of eight, he joined his father John Delafose's band, the Eunice Playboys as a rubboard player. Delafose switched to the accordion in the early 1990s and started to play as an opening act for his father. He played with the band and appeared on many of their recordings until his father’s death in 1994. That same year, he debuted with album French Rockin' Boogie, which also became the name of his band. He released Everybody's Dancin' in 2003, appeared on the compilation album Creole Bred: A Tribute to Creole & Zydeco in 2004, and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Zydeco Or Cajun Music Album" category for his 2007 album  Le Cowboy Creole.

Delafose is one of the younger generations of the genre who has created the sound known as the nouveau zydeco. His sound is deeply rooted in traditional Creole music with strong influences from Cajun music and also country and western. Today let’s wish this amazing Louisiana musician a very happy birthday!

Photo: Masahiro Sumori

Happy Birthday, Sonny Landreth!

Guitarist Clyde Vernon "Sonny" Landreth was born on February 1, 1951, in Canton Mississippi, but lives in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Known as the “King of Slydeco”, Landreth has developed a unique technique that has dubbed him as one of the world’s most advanced, and under-appreciated, guitarists by none other than Eric Clapton. Today and every day, we appreciate this gifted musician … happy birthday, Sonny!

Photo by: Truejustice

Celebrating the Birthday of Kid Ory

Influential early jazz trombonist, bandleader and composer Edward "Kid" Ory was born on December 25, 1886, on Woodland Plantation, near LaPlace, Louisiana. Ory started playing music with homemade instruments in his childhood, was leading a band by his teens, and moved his band to New Orleans when he was twenty-one.  Ory played banjo in his youth, which helped him develop a particular style of trombone playing called “tailgate”, with a rhythmic line underneath the cornets and trumpets. Ory was discovered by Buddy Bolden, and by the 1910s had one of New Orleans’ most well-known bands. He hired many of the City’s greatest jazz musicians including Joe “King” Oliver and Louis Armstrong. 

In 1919, he moved to Los Angeles, and in 1921 his band recorded a number of songs, including two instrumentals, “Ory’s Creole Trombone” and “Society Blues”, which were the first jazz recordings made on the West Coast by an African-American band from New Orleans. Ory paid the recording company Nordskog for the pressings and then sold them at Spikes Brothers Music Store in Los Angeles with his own label, "Kid Ory's Sunshine Orchestra". Ory moved to Chicago in 1925 where he worked and recorded with Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, King Oliver, Bessie Smith, and many others. He also mentored Benny Goodman and, later, Charles Mingus. Ory retired from music during the Great Depression, running a chicken farm in California during that period. But he returned to music in 1944, leading one of the premier New Orleans-style bands of the time. 

The Ory band helped to revive interest in New Orleans jazz, appearing on popular 1940s radio broadcasts, and in 1944–45 the group made a series of recordings for Crescent Records. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, Ory and his group appeared in Los Angeles, and in 1958 he played at 'On the levee' on the San Francisco waterfront. Ory retired from music in 1966 and spent his last years in Hawaii, where he passed away January 23, 1973. He led a remarkable life, which we celebrate today!

Celebrating the Birthday of Dave Bartholomew

David Louis Bartholomew was born on December 24, 1918, in Edgard, Louisiana. He was a musician, bandleader, composer, writer, arranger, and producer in many musical genres including Big Band, swing, R&B, rock and roll, New Orleans and Dixieland Jazz. Bartholomew is best known for his numerous successful collaborations with Fats Domino and other artists, as well as for his significant and influential role in the transition from swing and jump blues to rock and roll. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991 and recognized for these achievements, being dubbed “one of the Crescent City’s greatest musicians.” New Orleans music legend Dave Bartholomew passed away on June 23, 2019, at the age of 100, but his music lives on. Today, on his birthday, we celebrate the life and legacy of Dave Bartholomew!

Photo by Klaus Hiltscher; SpinningSpark

Celebrating the Birthday of Professor Longhair

Pianist and singer Henry Roeland “Roy” Byrd, better known as Professor Longhair, or “Fess” for short, was born on December 19, 1918, in Bogalusa, Louisiana. Learning to play on a piano that was missing some keys influenced his distinctive and instantly recognizable playing style. He began his career in New Orleans in 1948, the heyday of early rhythm and blues. The first version of his signature song, “Mardi Gras in New Orleans”, was recorded in 1949, and his only national commercial hit came in 1950 with “Bald Head”. During the 1950s, he recorded his favorites, “Tipitina” and “Go to the Mardi Gras”, and in 1964 he first recorded “Big Chief” with Earl King, the song’s composer. While he may not have achieved wide success during this time, he influenced many other New Orleans musicians, including Fats Domino, Dr. John and Allen Toussaint. 

In the 1960s, Professor Longhair disappeared from the music scene, and he supported himself as a janitor. But, in 1971, he performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and his career received a well-deserved renaissance. He performed at the Newport and Montreux Jazz Festivals, toured the United Kingdom, and recorded a live album in 1975. His albums became available across America by the 1980s.  Sadly, Professor Longhair died in his sleep on January 30, 1980, while filming the documentary Piano Players Rarely Ever Play Together which costarred Allen Toussaint and Tuts Washington. In recognition of his great talent and contribution to music, in 1981 Longhair was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. In 1987, he was awarded a posthumous Grammy Award for his early recordings released as House Party New Orleans Style, and in 1992, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Today we remember Fess and celebrate his life and many contributions to the music we love so much!

Happy Birthday, Tab Benoit!

Singer songwriter, guitarist, and drummer Tab Benoit was born November 17, 1967, in Houma Louisiana. A guitar player since his teenage years, he plays primarily Delta blues on his 1972 Fender Telecaster, but he’s skilled in a number of blues styles. Benoit learned from blues legends, and formed a trio in 1987, playing clubs in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. Two years later he began touring other parts of the South, and started touring more of the United States in 1991. He landed a  recording contract in 1992, and has been prolific since then, releasing 19 recordings between 1993 and 2012. In that time, he has collaborated and performed with countless legendary musicians including his regular crew, bassist Carl Dufrene and drummer Darryl White, Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Cyril Neville, Brian Stoltz, George Porter, Jr.., Kenny Neal,  Debbie Davies, Jimmy Thackery, Charlie Musselwhite, Tommy Shannon, Chris Layton, Anders Osborne, Michael Doucet, Ivan Neville, and more.

In 2007, Benoit won his first B.B. King Entertainer of the Year award presented by the Blues Music Awards, the most prestigious recognitions afforded to Blues musicians. Benoit was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2010, and two years later, he won three separate Blues Music Awards: Contemporary Blues Male Artist; Contemporary Blues Album (for 2011's Medicine); and for the second time, B.B. King Entertainer of the Year. In 2013, the second year in a row, Benoit won the Blues Music Awards Contemporary Blues Male Artist.

In 2003, Benoit founded 'Voice of the Wetlands,' an organization promoting awareness of the receding coastal wetlands of Louisiana.He promotes the issues that plague Louisiana's imperiled coast to his national audience, and supports outreach and education about Louisiana's Wetlands loss and how Louisiana's rich culture is endangered as its wetlands disappear.In 2010, Benoit received the Governor's Award - Conservationist of the Year for 2009 by the Louisiana Wildlife Federation.

Photo: Bengt Nyman