Albums

Clifton Chenier

“King of Zydeco & Creole Groove Architect”

Quick Intro

Clifton Chenier (born June 25, 1925, near Opelousas, Louisiana) transformed Creole dance music into modern zydeco—fusing French-Creole melodies with R&B, blues, and a driving dance beat. While his landmark albums appeared on Arhoolie and Alligator, our Flat Town Music catalog keeps cornerstone Chenier titles in circulation for fans and collectors, with select Louisiana reissues appearing alongside his classic catalog. Sadly, Clifton Chenier passed away on December 12, 1987.

In-Depth Profile

Raised in a French-speaking Creole family, Chenier learned accordion from his father and began performing with his brother Cleveland on rubboard. Early records in the 1950s hinted at what he’d soon perfect: a hard-pulsing, bilingual sound that could light up any room. By the mid-’60s and ’70s he was fronting the Red Hot Louisiana Band, cutting landmark studio and live sets that defined zydeco’s feel—tenor sax punching the groove, rubboard chattering like a second snare, and Chenier’s piano-accordion out front, fearless and soulful. He popularized the modern shoulder-hung frottoir (rubboard vest) and carried zydeco from Gulf Coast dancehalls to festival stages around the world. Our Flat Town store continues to carry key releases and reissues so new listeners can discover the King where Louisiana music lives every day.

Signature Tracks

  • “Hot Tamale Baby” — a romping zydeco staple with shout-along hooks and fiery accordion runs built to light up the floor.
  • “Shake It Don’t Break It” — pure dance-directive groove; rubboard chatter and a tight backbeat keep bodies moving.
  • “You Used to Call Me” — mid-tempo and blues-tinged, with aching vocal lines and accordion fills that lean into the pocket.
  • “Mama Told Papa” — old-school Creole swagger; quickstep rhythm and call-and-response feel straight from the dancehall.

Notable Accomplishments & Awards

  • Grammy Award — Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording for I’m Here! (1984).
  • NEA National Heritage Fellowship (1984) — the U.S.’s highest honor in folk & traditional arts.
  • Blues Hall of Fame inductee (1989).
  • Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee (2011).
  • Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2014).
  • “Bogalusa Boogie” honored by the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame (2011) and selected for the National Recording Registry (2016).

Bonus Notes

  • Credited with popularizing the shoulder-hung frottoir (rubboard vest) that became a zydeco standard.
  • Carried zydeco to national TV, major festivals, and global tours—opening the door for generations of Creole and zydeco artists.
  • Our Louisiana label family helps keep his work in print locally, sitting alongside core Arhoolie/Alligator classics in the Flat Town shop.

Album Reviews

Boogie in Black & White
The Advertiser —Written by Herman Fuselier (September 2014)

““A wild and wooly rock ‘n’ roll set with spontaneity one normally only dreams about.”

An album titled “Boogie in Black & White” barely raises an eyebrow today in south Louisiana. But the story was much different story in 1976. Elementary and high schools in the state had just been reluctantly integrated six years earlier. Yet white singer Rod Bernard had a dream. Bernard was already known throughout the area as a TV celebrity and swamp pop singer. He had even hit the Billboard Top 20 and performed on national TV with his 1959 hit, “This Should Go On Forever.” But Bernard longed to record with a black musician who shared his same hometown of Opelousas — Clifton Chenier. “This recording is the final result of an idea I’ve had for many years: to record an album with the ‘Zydeco King,’ Clifton Chenier!,” Bernard wrote in 1976. “You see, I was raised on boogie and blues. My all-time favorites are Fats Domino, B. B. King, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, and, of course …Clifton Chenier.” Bernard’s words, and the landmark album that carried them, have returned almost 40 years later. Jin Records of Ville Platte has re-released “Boogie in Black & White” on CD.

The disc contains the same 10 songs from the original recording, along with new, more extensive liner notes written by Rod’s son, historian Shane Bernard of New Iberia. In the late 1970s, “Boogie” became a hit for its hard-driving, accordion-flavored version of R&B and blues classics. It featured a racially-integrated band with some of the region’s most popular musicians. Chenier, who was already touring internationally with his Red Hot Louisiana Band, brought in two bandmates, his brother Cleveland on rubboard and saxophone ace John Hart. Singer and drummer Warren Storm, known for his 1958 national hit, “Prisoner’s Song,” provided the beat. Glenn Himel (piano), James Stelly (guitar) and Joe Hill (bass) rounded out the ensemble.

“The idea was simple,” wrote Bernard in the notes. “Pick ten ‘boogie’ songs, add Clifton’s unique accordion sound, throw in Cleveland’s scrubboard, let Warren set the beat and try to sing like hell!” The musicians gathered at Floyd Soileau’s Jin Studio in Ville Platte and ripped through “Kansas City, “Shake Rattle & Roll,” “True Fine Mama” and other early R&B and rock ‘n’ roll nuggets. In an interview, Soileau said reaction was strong at home and away. “That was the album we had the best sales in the east Texas area,” said Soileau. “I guess because Clifton was so popular in east Texas and the Houston area. We probably sold more there than in Louisiana. “We must have had some stations over there playing it that I didn’t know about and it created some demand. They liked those R&B hits with that zydeco style. It was just the right time and the right place. It turned out to be a great success.”

Praise came from as far as England. British music writer Bill Millar called the record “a wild and wooly rock ‘n’ roll set with spontaneity one normally only dreams about.” Baltimore music writer Larry Benicewicz suggested the album planted the seed for Wayne Toups’ “zydecajun” style and Zachary Richard’s 1984 “Zack Attack” album.

Soileau is thrilled to see “Boogie” back for a new generation to enjoy. “It was always in the back of my mind that we needed to do a digital version of that. I kept telling my son Chris and he said, ‘We got it on the list.’ “There was always something pushing back and I said ‘It’s past time. I want to see this in digital form before you put me six feet under.’ “I hope the folks will get a hard copy that they can show and present to the younger generation as a remembrance of this music. It was so hot back then. We have to pass that on to future generations.”