December 13

Clifton Chenier, “the King of Zydeco” and Creole French speaking native of Notelyville, a small community outside of Opelousas, Louisiana died on December 12, 1987 at the age of 62 after a long strugg...

Joseph Melvin Walker was born on Thursday, December 14, 1944 in Lafayette, Louisiana. An accomplished accordionist, guitarist and keyboardist with a powerful and unique gospel influenced voice, Joe Wa...

The Zydeco Nation's own elder statesmen, Creole Musician and lead accordionist for Goldman Thibodeaux & the Lawtell Playboys was inducted into the Acadian Museum's Order of Living Legends on Saturday,...

James Carroll Booker III, known as the Piano Prince, was an extremely talented jazz, New Orleans rhythm and blues and soul musician, was born on December 17, 1939 in New Orleans, Louisiana. While stil...

Joseph Melvin Walker died on Saturday, December 18, 2021 at 2:00 am in Lake Charles, Louisiana. An accomplished accordionist, guitarist and keyboardist with a powerful and unique gospel influenced voi...

Henry Roeland Byrd, known to the world, as Professor Longhair, one of New Orleans’ greatest pianist, was born December 19, 1918 in the small rural town of Bogalusa, Louisiana, the only son of Ella Mae...

Earl Rodney Jones, legendary radio personality, DJ, and Bluseologist, died on Friday, January 2, 2004 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana of lung cancer at the age of 75. E. Rodney Jones was born on August 8, 1...

Huddie Ledbetter, better known to the music world as “Lead Belly” was born January 20, 1889, in Mooringsport, Louisiana (near Shreveport). Lead Belly was the only child of Wesley and Sally Ledbetter....

Leo "The Bull" Thomas died on Tuesday, April 13, 2021 at the age of 84 in Elton, Louisiana. Known in the Zydeco Nation as "The Bull" and the "Best Dress Man In Zydeco," Leo Thomas was the first and on...

Blues pianist Albert "Sunnyland Slim" Luandrew died on March 17, 1995 in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 87. He was coming home from a winter show, he slipped and fell on some ice which led to medical...

Thomas Andrew Dorsey, the father of gospel music, died on January 23, 1993 in Chicago, Illinois at the age of 93. He is interred there in the Oak Woods Cemetery. Earlier in his life he was a leading b...

Harry 'Big Daddy' Hypolite, talented guitarist and sideman for more than 40 years, most notably in the bands of the Zydeco great Clifton Chenier, later Chenier's son C.J. Chenier and Nathan & the Zyde...