John Jules "J.J." Caillier Jr. died on April 4, 1987 at the age of 42 in Lafayette, Louisiana.
John Jules "J.J." Caillier Jr. died on April 4, 1987 at the age of 42 in Lafayette, Louisiana. Also known as "Jay Jay" Caillier, he was a pioneering Louisiana music entrepreneur, producer, songwriter, and radio DJ who played a crucial role in the 1980s zydeco and soul revival. John Jules "J.J." Caillier Jr was a multi-talented figure who operated on both sides of the studio glass—as a performing artist and singer, and as a powerful music executive. He founded and operated Caillier Records and Jay-Cee Records, providing an essential platform for regional Louisiana artists and deep soul musicians and was a prominent DJ at Lafayette's KJCB station where he used his airtime on his radio show, Gumbo Zydeco to heavily promote local music, kicking off a major wave of mainstream interest in modern zydeco music.
In 1962, Caillier co-wrote and released his first record on Lloyd W. Reynaud’s Opelousas-based ‘Reynaud Records.” Billed as ‘Jay Jay Caillier and The Untouchables,’ the songs included “I Really Love You” and “His Own Troubles.” In 1964, a second release on ‘Reynaud’ followed, which included “She Can’t Do The Money, Dog Or Bird” and “Without Your Love.” During the mid-1970’s, Ville Platte record producer and label owner Floyd Soileau released a Jay Jay Caillier recording, featuring Dalton Francis & The Flaming Arrows’ on his ‘Maison de Soul’ label, which included the songs “Such A Long Time” and “I Got A Grove.” During this time Jay Jay Caillier also created his own ‘Jay-Cee’ label and released two self-written songs, “Pusherman” on one side, with “Louisiana Rapper” on the B-side under the name ‘Herman The Soul Burner.” In the mid-1980’s, he created the Lafayette-based ‘Caillier Records,” releasing a pair of self-written songs with “Bust The Pusher Man” and “Rap On Tap” in 1985 and then a cover of Slim Harpo’s “Baby Scratch My Back” and a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Bring It Home” in 1986.
Jay Jay Caillier also released his lone album on his own ‘Caillier’ label, with an 11-track work, entitled “Zydeco Train Revue.” His band included Fernest Arceneaux on accordion, Morris Francis on bass, Dalton Franks on guitar, Cat Roy on saxophone and washboard, his son, J.J. Caillier II on keyboards and Caillier himself handling the vocals.
John Jules "J.J." Caillier Jr. (and his father, John Jules Caillier Sr.) played a major foundational role in recording the "King of Zydeco," Clifton Chenier. Following his Grammy win for his album "I'm Here!", Clifton Chenier collaborated with producer and record label owner J.J. Caillier Sr. and JJ Caillier Jr to produced and released his subsequent "Country Boy Now Grammy Award Winner 1984!" that featured J.J. Caillier's son, J.J. Caillier III who made his formal recording debut as a 16-year-old keyboard player on the album. The ‘Caillier’ label also released other artists such as Clifton Chenier, Terrance Simien & The Mallet Playboys, Major Handy and The Louisiana Blues Band, Willie Davis & The Zydeco Hitchhikes and Callier’s son, J.J. Caillier III.
John Jules "J.J." Caillier Jr is buried at Immaculate Heart Of Mary Church Cemetery located in Lafayette, Louisiana
