Cedric Watson with Bijou Creole Savannah Music Festival GA March 2009

Cedric Watson (born 1983) is an American musician. He has been nominated four times for

Grammy Awards The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

Career

Born in 1983, Cedric grew up in

San Felipe, Texas San Felipe ( ), also known as San Felipe de Austin, is a town in Austin County, Texas, United States. The town was the social, economic, and political center of the early Stephen F. Austin colony. The population was 691 at the 2020 census. Hist ...

surrounded by the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

, old soul,

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

, and

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 ...

music. Though

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

was then popular amongst his peers, Cedric developed an affinity for the old-style French songs of Southwest Louisiana and the greater

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

area. He soon found himself in

Lafayette, Louisiana Lafayette ( , ) is the most populous city in and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, Lafayette Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana, located along the Vermilion River (Louisiana), Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's List of municipaliti ...

where he became part of the musical community and began contributing to the continuity of

Creole music The term Creole music () is used to refer to two distinct musical traditions: art songs adapted from 19th-century vernacular music; or the vernacular traditions of Louisiana Creole people which have persisted as 20th- and 21st-century la la and zy ...

. He has played with some of the great names in Creole music, such as

Dexter Ardoin and the Creole Ramblers Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United St ...

and Jeffrey Broussard and the Creole Cowboys. With the

Pine Leaf Boys The Pine Leaf Boys is an American Cajun and Creole band from South Louisiana, United States. Members include Wilson Savoy (accordion, piano, vocals), Chris Segura (fiddle, vocals), Drew Simon (drums and vocals), Jean Bertrand (guitars), and Tho ...

, Cedric added a Creole and zydeco foundation to the group's roots

Southwest Louisiana Southwest Louisiana (SWLA) is a five-parish area intersecting the Acadiana and Central Louisiana regions in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is composed of the following parishes (counties): Allen, Beauregard, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Jefferson Da ...

sound. Cedric continues to explore the roots of Louisiana's Creole music with his own band, Bijou Creole. He has performed in places across the United States as well as in France, Nova Scotia,

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

, and Spain. He has said he wants "to present the Creole Nation of Louisiana to the Creole Nations in other parts of the world, to make these Creole cultures aware of the one in Louisiana, and vice versa." In 2010 Watson appeared in season 1 episode 7 of the HBO series Treme with

Wilson Savoy Wilson Allen Savoy (born February 1, 1982, in Eunice, Louisiana) is a Grammy winning accordionist, keyboard player, fiddler and singer with the Cajun bands Pine Leaf Boys and The Band Courtbouillon, as well as a local filmmaker in Lafayette, LA ...

and Watson's replacement in the

Courtney Granger. The scenes depict Annie (

Lucia Micarelli Lucia Micarelli is an American violinist, singer and actress best known for her collaborations with Josh Groban, Chris Botti, Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull, and her role as Annie Talarico in ''Treme (TV series), Treme''. Music career Micarel ...

) trying out to join the Pine Leaf Boys on a Canadian tour as Watson's replacement, but choking at the audition. Watson actually left the band to form Bijou Creole in 2006, not 2005 as depicted in the show.

Musical style

Cedric Watson plays a variety of old-school zydeco styles, original material, and Creole traditionals. The polyrhythmic and syncopated sounds of Africa and the Caribbean echo in his ensemble. He plays old La-La French music (traditional Creole music) in accordion, fiddle, and guitar with mentors Edward Poullard and James Adams in Les Amis Creol

With accordionist Corey "Lil' Pop" Ledet, he displays the more blues and R&B influence of

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 ...

John Delafose John Irvin Delafose (April 16, 1939 – September 18, 1994) was an American French-speaking Creole Zydeco accordionist from Louisiana. Early life Delafose was born in the unincorporated village of Duralde, Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, near Ma ...

Canray Fontenot Canray Fontenot (October 16, 1922 – July 29, 1995) was an American Creole fiddle player, who has been described as "the greatest Creole Louisiana French fiddler of our time." Early life Canray Fontenot was born in L'Anse aux Vaches, n ...

Beau Jocque Beau Jocque (born Andrus Espre; November 1, 1953 – September 10, 1999) was a Louisiana French Creole zydeco musician and songwriter active in the 1990s. Beau Jocque is known for his gruff vocals, his fusion of many musical styles into zyde ...

(Andrus Espree ) and

Bebe Carrier Bebe, Bèbè, Bebé, Bébé or BeBe may refer to: People and fictional characters * Bebe (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Bebé (Tiago Manuel Dias Correia, born 1990), footballer * Bebé (f ...

. "Cedric's creative style and obvious joy in playing make him an engaging and exciting performer. Moving with ease between fiddle and accordion, his natural playfulness on stage makes him just plain fun to watch." More recently with Bijou Creole, he is "developing an expansive modern take on his adopted state's already hybridized Creole sounds, flavoring it with hearty injections of soul and Caribbean influences as well as whiffs of bluegrass and string-band music—an approach that reached its fullest expression yet on 013's''Le Troubadour Creole''."

Discography

*''Les Amis Creole'' Les Amis Creole (sic) (2006)

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 ...

*''Goin' Down to Louisiana'' Cedric Watson and Corey Ledet (2006)

Valcour Records Valcour Records is an independent record label based in Eunice, Louisiana. Valcour was founded in 2006 by Joel Savoy (son of Marc Savoy, Marc and Ann Savoy), with friends Phillip LaFargue II and Lucius Fontenot. Valcour Records' first release in ...

—ASIN: B000GBE8EM *''Cedric Watson'' (2008) Valcour Records—ASIN: B00151HZYW *''Homage Au Passe'' with

(2009) Lionsgate Records—ASIN: B0023BZ64E *''L'Esprit Creole'' with Bijou Creole (2009) Valcour Records—ASIN: B0030E7PZ6 *''Creole Moon: Live From Blue Moon Saloon'' (2010) Valcour Records *''Le Soleil Est Leve'' with Bijou Creole (2011) Lache Pas Records atson's own labelref name=Margasak2014/> *''Le Troubadour Creole'' with Bijou Creole (2013) Lache Pas Records

Compilations

* ''Allons Boire un Coup: A Collection of Cajun and Creole Drinking Songs'' Various (2006) Valcour Records * ''En Francais: Cajun 'n' Creole Rock 'n' Roll'' Various (2011)

Bayou Teche Brewing Bayou Teche Brewing is a brewery in Arnaudville, Louisiana, USA. Bayou Teche Brewing, named for the nearby Bayou Teche, was formed by three brothers, Karlos, Byron and Dorsey Knott, when they started brewing in an abandoned railcar on St. Patric ...

CD Baby CD Baby, Inc. is a Portland, Oregon based online distributor of independent music. The company was described as an "anti-label" by its parent company's Chief Operating Officer Tracy Maddux. It was established in 1998 and offered distribution fo ...

On Others' Recordings

* ''L'autre bord de l'eau'' Savoy-Michot Cajun Band (2004) * ''Transatlantic Sessions: Songs of Death, Divorce, Drinking and Dancing'' Cajun Roosters (2011) Whoopee Records-Pine Groove Sound/

* ''Movin' On'' Ilana Katz Katz (2016)

References

External links

Cedric Watson
official website.

Arhoolie Records' album webpage.
Pine Leaf Boys
official website.
Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole: Creole Moon Live from Blue Moon Saloon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Cedric Louisiana Creole people Singers from Louisiana Living people 1983 births American male violinists Cajun musicians Zydeco musicians 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century American accordionists 21st-century American singers 21st-century American violinists 21st-century American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers