Fernest Arceneaux

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Fernest Arceneaux
Fernest Arceneaux.jpg
Fernest Arceneaux playing the accordion
Background information
Birth name Fernest Arceneaux
Also known as The New Prince of the Accordion
Born (1940-08-27)August 27, 1940
Lafayette, Louisiana, United States
Died Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.
Lafayette, Louisiana, United States
Genres Zydeco
Instruments Accordion, singer
Years active 1960s–2000s
Labels Ornament, JSP, Mardi Gras, Black Top
Associated acts Clifton Chenier, Rockin' Dopsie

Fernest Arceneaux (27 August 1940 – 4 September 2008)[1] was an American Zydeco accordionist and singer from Louisiana.

Biography

Arceneaux was born to a large Creole family based in Carencro, Louisiana. Arceneaux first picked up his brother-in-law's accordion as a child and learned to play by copying his father, Ferdinand Arceneaux, who was a Creole musician whom he backed at local house parties. By the 1960s, Arceneaux had switched to guitar in his rock and roll group Fernest and the Thunders. Not until the late 1970s, at the behest of his hero Clifton Chenier, did Arceneaux return to the accordion. His group began recording and touring heavily, particularly in Europe. Arceneaux earned the title "The New Prince of the Accordion" for his virtuostic playing.[1]

Arceneaux also developed his career with his band Hot August Knights, which included saxophonist John Hart, one of the pillars of the sound of Clifton Chenier. His major hit records are the albums Creole Cruiser and Hot Sauce, both published on the label Black Top.[2]

Style

Arceneaux's style is heavily influenced by soul music. He is influenced by some artists of the genre, such as Ray Charles and Johnny Ace.[3]

Discography

  • Live+Well (Ornament, 1980)
  • Zydeco Stomp (JSP, 1981)
  • From the Heart of the Bayous (JSP, 1983)
  • Gumbo Special (Chrisly, 1987)
  • Zydeco Blues Party (Mardi Gras, 1994)
  • Old School Zydeco (Mardi Gras, 2000)
  • Rockin' Pneumonia (Chrisly, 2000)
  • Two Trains Running (Blues Unlimited)

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. This article incorporates information from the corresponding article in the Spanish Wikipedia
  3. Herzhaft, Gérard: La gran enciclopedia del blues, Ed. RobinBook, Barcelona, 2003, ISBN 84-95601-82-6, p. 381 (Encyclopedia of the Blues, University of Arkansas Press)

External links