Fernest Arceneaux (August 27, 1940 – September 4, 2008) was a French speaking Creole

Zydeco Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. ...

accordionist Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a ree ...

and singer from

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...

Biography

Arceneaux was born to a large Creole family based in

Carencro, Louisiana Carencro (; historically french: St.-Pierre) is a city in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is a suburb of the nearby city of Lafayette. The population was 7,526 at the 2010 census, up from 6,120 in 2000; at the 2020 census, its po ...

. 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 1978, at the behest of his hero

Clifton Chenier Clifton Chenier (June 25, 1925 – December 12, 1987), was an American Creole musician known as a pioneer of zydeco, a style of music which arose from Creole music, with R&B, blues, and Cajun influences. He sang and played the accordion and ...

, did Arceneaux return to the accordion. Also in 1978 Arceneaux and his band were discovered by Belgian blues enthusiast Robert Sacre, recorded their first album, and began touring heavily, particularly in Europe. Arceneaux later earned the title "The New Prince of Accordion" for his virtuostic playing. In addition to his band Fernest and The Thunders, Arceneaux's discography includes recordings under band names Fernest Arceneaux and the Zydeco All Stars, and Fernest Arceneaux & His Louisiana French Band.

Style

Arceneaux's style was heavily influenced by

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became pop ...

, including artists

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

and

Johnny Ace John Marshall Alexander Jr. (June 9, 1929 – December 25, 1954), known by the stage name Johnny Ace, was an American rhythm-and-blues singer. He had a string of hit singles in the mid 1950s. Alexander died of an accidental self-inflicted guns ...

.Herzhaft, Gérard: ''La gran enciclopedia del blues'', Ed. RobinBook, Barcelona, 2003, , p. 381 (''Encyclopedia of the Blues'',

University of Arkansas Press The University of Arkansas Press is a university press that is part of the University of Arkansas and has been a member of the Association of University Presses since 1984. Its mission is to publish peer-reviewed books and academic journals. It ...

)

Discography

Studio and live albums

Singles

Various artist compilation albums

Guest appearance credits

References

External links

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Fernest Arceneaux Dies of Natural Causes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arceneaux, Fernest 1940 births 2008 deaths American accordionists American blues singers Blues musicians from Louisiana Musicians from Lafayette, Louisiana Singers from Louisiana Zydeco accordionists 20th-century American singers People from Carencro, Louisiana 20th-century accordionists