Oh, Acadiana, your stars are shining tonight.
Louisiana artists made up the bulk of the nominees in the first ever Cajun and Zydeco Grammy category, which included Eunice, LA homeboy Geno Delafose (scheduled to play SXSW), the Racines, the Lost Bayou Ramblers, and young bucks, the Pine Leaf Boys.
Our embedded source at the 2008 Grammy Awards out in the other L.A. has just informed us that the legendary Terrance Simien has taken the first ever win in the Cajun and Zydeco category in the pre-telecast part of the program. Simian and wife Cynthia have worked for years, lobbying the Recording Academy to acknowledge the Louisiana art form as its own Grammy category. Cajun and Zydeco artists have been, up until now, slotted in the highly competitive Contemporary/Traditional Folk music categories, often up against totally unrelated genres.
Technically, this first award went to the album, Live! Worldwide by Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience (AIM Trading Group P/L).
Simien’s star shines brightly this year, as he also joins fellow guests jazz master and Spike Lee-score man Terence Blanchard and NOLA upstart Trombone Shorty on the upcoming Dr. John record.
This article appears in February 8 • 2008.