C.J. Chenier

C.J. Chenier was literally born into the musical tradition of southwest Louisiana and Texas Zydeco, a chugging, accordion-led blend of French Creole and African-derived influences. Born the son of great Zydeco king Clifton Chenier, the first Grammy Award winning musician of his genre, C.J. was totally immersed in R&B, funk and jazz from childhood. Despite his family ties, or maybe because of them, C.J. wasn't terribly interested in his father's music as a teenager. A natural player, C.J. won a scholarship to study music at Texas Southern University and spent his college years exploring his own musical style.

Coming into adulthood, C.J.'s interest in the music of his ancestors grew and after college graduation he joined his father's legendary Red Hot Louisiana Band on the road. After his father's death in 1987, C.J. assumed leadership of the band. While he continued to develop his personal accordion style, C.J. also gradually began grafting on influences from his boyhood. As C.J. explains, "I play it the way I play it. All my father really told me was to do the best I could do with my own style."

For The Desperate Kingdom of Love, C.J. reached back into his father's songbook and recorded a collection of some of the most urgent and heartfelt songs of his career, including "Bogalusa Boogie", a tribute to the Clarence Gatemouth Brown, the revered blues legend who died only days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home. A eclectic mix of covers like Hank Williams' "Lost on the River" and the devastating P.J. Harvey ballad "The Desperate Kingdom of Love" add to the somber canvas while Van Morrison's "Comfort You" offers healing. But a C.J. Chenier recording, like a traditional New Orlean's funeral, would not be complete without a tremor of hope for the future and a few great dance tunes. C.J. composed several classic songs (with Denise Labrie and Gerard Chenier) for the album including the plaintive "I've Been Good To You Baby" and the swinging mea culpa "Who's Cheatin' Who?"

Inspired by Bob Dylan's 1960's collaboration with The Band, C.J. Chenier sought out an existing working band to back him during these sessions. Rounder Records recording artists The Tarbox Ramblers fit the bill with a combination of tight musical camaraderie from years of touring and a deep knowledge of American roots music history. Augmented by session pianist Joe Deleault, the musicians quickly rehearsed and recorded these songs in the cavernous Room A of Boston's Q Division Studios in the autumn of 2005. Inspired by the 1950's Rudy Van Gelder jazz recordings for Blue Note, and Zydeco albums of Clifton Chenier, the songs were recorded live with everyone playing together in the studio with minimal overdubs.

Aside from performing and recording with his own ensemble, C.J. has worked with an impressive array of collaborators, including Paul Simon and The Gin Blossoms. A self-described "road dog", C.J. will be touring extensively in North America for 2010.