''Bogalusa Boogie'' is a studio album by the American

zydeco Zydeco ( ; ) is a music genre that was created in rural Southwest Louisiana by French speaking, Afro-Americans of Creole heritage. It blends African and Caribbean rhythms, blues and rhythm and blues with music indigenous to the Louisiana ...

musician

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

. It was released in 1975 via

Arhoolie Records Arhoolie Records is an American small independent record label that was run by Chris Strachwitz and is based in El Cerrito, California, United States (it is actually located in Richmond Annex but has an El Cerrito postal address.) The label was ...

. The album was inducted into the

Grammy Hall of Fame The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

in 2011. In 2016, the album was inducted into the Library of Congress'

National Recording Registry The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation ...

Production

The album was produced by

Chris Strachwitz Christian Alexander Maria Graf Strachwitz von Groß-Zauche und Camminetz (; July 1, 1931 – May 5, 2023) was a German-born American record label executive and record producer. He was the founder and president of Arhoolie Records, which he esta ...

, and was recorded at the

Studio in the Country Studio in the Country is a recording studio located at 21443 Hwy 436 in Washington Parish, Louisiana. The studio has been in operation since 1972. It was conceived and originally owned by recording engineer William S. "Bleu" Evans. It sits on ...

, in

Bogalusa, Louisiana Bogalusa ( ) is a city in Washington Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 12,232 at the 2010 census. In th2020 censusthe city reported a population of 10,659. It is the principal city of the Bogalusa Micropolitan Statistical Ar ...

. Chenier was backed by his Red Hot Louisiana Band. Chenier sang partly in English and in Creole.

Critical reception

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

wrote: "Crisp, spirited, with John Hart's tenor sax applying a crucial boot in the ass to each side and Cleveland C. rubbing his board to beat the band, this is where Clifton C. finally gets one of his famous parties onto a record."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

thought that "the medium tempo blues numbers such as 'Quelque Chose Sur Mon Idee' are really beautiful, while the instrumental 'Ride 'Em Cowboy' is simply lots of fun, the honking tenor sax and clickety-clacking rubboard riding high in the saddle." ''

The Rolling Stone Album Guide ''The Rolling Stone Album Guide'', previously known as ''The Rolling Stone Record Guide'', is a book that contains professional music reviews written and edited by staff members from ''Rolling Stone'' magazine. Its first edition was published in 1 ...

'' deemed the album "a near-flawless recording." ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' called it "probably the best zydeco album of all time," writing that "like Muddy Waters's 1954 group, Chenier's 1975 ensemble is one of the great bands in American history, and they rip through this set without taking any prisoners."

Track listing

Personnel

- piano accordion *Cleveland Chenier - rub board *John Hart - tenor sax *Robert St. Julian - drums *Joe Brouchet - bass *Paul Senegal - guitar

References

{{authority control United States National Recording Registry recordings 1975 albums Arhoolie Records albums Clifton Chenier albums Bogalusa, Louisiana Albums recorded at Studio in the Country