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.
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 Zydeco Cha-Chas, was born on April 19, 1937 in St. Martinville, Louisiana. “Big Daddy” Hypolite’s blues inspiration came starting at about age 12 when he cut sugar cane for $1 a ton around his native St. Martinville, Louisiana. He dropped out of school to work after the fourth grade and didn't learn English until about age 14, speaking until then Creole French.
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