Doris Leon Menard François 1990, p. 446. (April 14, 1932 – July 27, 2017) was an American songwriter, performer, and recording artist in contemporary

Cajun music Cajun music (), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based ...

. He was called the "Cajun

Hank Williams Hiram "Hank" Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. An early pioneer of country music, he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential musicians of the 20th century. W ...

Biography

Menard was born in

Erath, Louisiana Erath is a town in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 2,114 at the 2010 census, and 2,030 at the 2020 population estimates program. It is part of the Abbeville micropolitan statistical area and the Lafayette metrop ...

, and was the only child Savoy 1984, p. 272. of Ophy and Helena Primeaux Menard. Savoy 1984, p. 270. He was part of a

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states. Whi ...

farming family. He took up the guitar at age 16 and started playing dances in Louisiana clubs at 17. He was strongly influenced by

, whom he met in 1951 at the Teche Club shortly before Williams's death. Throughout his career, Menard held performances in more than 30 countries and served as a good-will ambassador for

culture. He had also recorded with non-Cajun artists, including

Bryan Ferry Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...

. Menard, and his late wife Louella, had seven children, leading to 17 grandchildren, and 27 great-grandchildren. He died at age 85 on July 27, 2017, in

Scott Scott may refer to: Places Canada * Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec * Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380 * Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Sas ...

, Louisiana. He had maintained a separate career as a craftsman, noted for his handmade ash-wood chairs.

Style

Menard was known for his "tinny" voice and popular guitar strumming style. Musician and historian

Ann Savoy Ann Savoy ( ; ; born January 20, 1952) is a musician, author, and record producer. Biography Savoy was born in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She resides with her husband Marc Savoy and family in Eunice, Southern Louis ...

generalizes Cajun guitar strumming to two styles: Old Time Style (

Cléoma Falcon Cléoma Falcon (née Breaux; May 27, 1906 – April 8, 1941) was an American guitarist and vocalist who, along with her husband Joe Falcon, recorded one of the first known examples of Cajun music. The recording, "Allons à Lafayette" was release ...

) and D. L. Menard Style. Savoy 1984, p. 8. It uses bass runs on chord changes and incorporates up-strokes along with down-strokes. He modeled his strumming style after

David Bromberg David Bromberg (born September 19, 1945) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. David Bromberg biographyat Billboard.com An eclectic artist, Bromberg plays bluegrass rock, blues rock, folk rock, jazz rock, country rock, ...

, whom he met in 1973. Savoy 1984, p. 273.

"La Porte En Arrière"

Menard was best known for the song "La Porte En Arrière" ("The Back Door"), which he both composed and regularly performed. Cajun folklorist

Barry Jean Ancelet Barry Jean Ancelet (pseudonym Jean Arceneaux; born 1951) is a Cajun folklorist in Louisiana French and ethnomusicologist in Cajun music. He has written several books, and under his pseudonym Jean Arceneaux, including poetry and lyrics to songs. E ...

has called this the most played and recorded Cajun song ever, selling over 500,000 copies in 1962 alone. It has been covered by dozens of

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 ...

bands and by other

francophone The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

artists such as

Kate & Anna McGarrigle Kate McGarrigle (February 6, 1946 – January 18, 2010) and Anna McGarrigle (born December 4, 1944) were a duo of folk rock and country folk Canadian singer-songwriters (and sisters) from Quebec, who performed together until Kate's death in 2010 ...

. Menard said he modeled it on Hank Williams's "

Honky Tonk Blues "Honky Tonk Blues" was a hit country and western song written and performed by Hank Williams. The original 1952 recording was a major hit, and it later became a hit for Charley Pride. Background "Honky Tonk Blues" is one of the songs that Willi ...

", and that he composed it in less than an hour while working at a gas station in Erath.

Awards

In 1993, his album ''Le Trio Cadien'' was nominated for a

Grammy Award 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 ...

in the Best Traditional Folk Album category. In 1994, he was a recipient of a

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, which is the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts bestowed by the United States government. In 2009, he was inducted into the

Louisiana Music Hall of Fame The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (LMHOF) is a non-profit hall of fame based in Baton Rouge, the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana, that seeks to honor and preserve the state's music culture and heritage and to promote education about the sta ...

along with

Jo-El Sonnier Jo-El Sonnier (; born Joel Sonnier; October 2, 1946 – January 13, 2024) was an American singer-songwriter and accordionist who performed country music and Cajun music. Originally signed to Mercury Nashville Records, Sonnier charted several min ...

Doug Kershaw Douglas James Kershaw (born January 24, 1936) is an American fiddle player, singer, and songwriter from Louisiana. Active since 1948, he began his career as part of the duo Rusty and Doug, along with his brother, Rusty Kershaw. He had an exte ...

, and

Jimmy C. Newman Jimmy Yves Newman (August 29, 1927 – June 21, 2014), better known as Jimmy C. Newman (the C stands for Cajun), was an American country music and Cajun singer-songwriter and long-time star of the Grand Ole Opry. Early life Newman was born nea ...

. In 2010, his album ''Happy Go Lucky'' was nominated for a

in the Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album category.

Discography

Singles

*"She Didn't Know I Was Married" / "Bachelor's Life"

Swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

45-10139 *"The Back Door" / "I Can't Forget You" Swallow 45-10131 *"Valse De Jolly Rogers" / "La. Aces Special" Swallow 45-10121 *"Rebecca Ann" / "I Can Live A Better Life" Swallow 45-10147 *"Too Late You're Divorced" / "Riches Of A Musician" Swallow 45-10243 *"The Vail and Crown" Swallow 45-10249

Albums

*''Louisiana Aces'' (1974) Rounder Select 6008 *''Cajun Hits Volume 2'' (n.d.)

LP 6003 *''En Bas Du Chene Vert'' (1976)

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 Best of Cajun Hits Volume 3'' (1978) Swallow LP 6033 *''The Back Door'' (1980) Swallow LP 6038 *''Cajun Saturday Night'' (1984) Rounder Select 0198 *''No Matter Where You At, There You Are'' (1988) Rounder Select 6021 *''Le Trio Cadien'' (1992) Rounder Select *''Cajun Memories'' (1995) Swallow LP 6125 *''Happy Go Lucky'' (2010) Swallow CD 6219

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Menard, D. L. 1932 births 2017 deaths Cajun musicians Guitarists from Louisiana People from Erath, Louisiana Rounder Records artists American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists American male songwriters 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Singers from Louisiana National Heritage Fellowship winners 20th-century American male singers 21st-century American male singers Arhoolie Records artists