Jeffery Broussard & The Creole Cowboys

August 31, 2009; 8:14 PM • by Valerie Catrow

Zydeco
Lafayette, Louisiana

Listen

[audio:http://rvanews.net/folk_festival/2009/artists/JefferyBroussardandTheCreoleCowboys.mp3|artists=Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys|titles=Dog Hill from Keeping The Tradition Alive]

From The Brothers Burton

Scott says: Kind of sounds like Zydeco Ska. Definitely dance-able. The zydeco is in there somewhere, hidden behind the drums, I think.

Taylor says: Kind of like The Specials with an accordion maybe…oh that would be excellent. Nice and upbeat, with plenty of random dude-growls.

Professional Bio

Featuring the masterful accordion and singing of front man Jeffrey Broussard, Jeffery Broussard & The Creole Cowboys is making waves on the Southwest Louisiana zydeco scene, delivering pack-the-floor renditions of Creole classics as well as its own brand of contemporary zydeco. Drawing inspiration from earlier Creole music legends Canray Fontenot and Jeffery’s father, accordion player Delton Broussard, Jeffrey Broussard & the Creole Cowboys are interpreting this infectious dance music for a new generation, and presenting it with contemporary flair.

An accordion-led dance style that fused older Creole music with blues and R&B, zydeco emerged during the post-WWII years. Its development and popularity can largely be credited to accordionist Clifton Chenier (1925-1987). Jeffrey’s father’s band, Delton Broussard and the Lawtell Playboys, was one of the pioneering zydeco ensembles that, in addition to Delton’s driving accordion, featured the great Creole fiddler Calvin Carriere.

The youngest of 11 children, Jeffery Broussard was raised on a farm in the rural community Frilot Cove, Louisiana. At age eight he started playing drums in his father’s band. After seventh grade, Jeffery left school to farm, helping his parents make ends meet by digging and sorting potatoes. Whenever he could, Jeffery would sneak his daddy’s accordion out of the closet, and he taught himself how to play. During his teen years, Jeffery was the drummer in his oldest brother Clinton’s band, The Zydeco Machines, and while in this band made his public debut on the accordion. At the time he was too shy even to speak on stage, let alone sing, but his brother let him play a few songs from time to time. Jeffrey went on to front the influential group Zydeco Force, both as lead singer and accordionist, before forming The Creole Cowboys in 2004. Jeffery plays both the one-row and three-row button accordions, and in 2007 received the Zydeco Music & Creole Heritage Award for “Accordionist of the Year.”

The band’s unique combination of talents and shared interest in the Creole musical legacy has created a special chemistry, one that has made Jeffery Broussard & The Creole Cowboys the “band with the buzz” in Louisiana and beyond. This year, the band won Best Zydeco Album for offBEAT Magazine’s Best of the Beat Awards and toured in Europe and Africa.