Creole Cowboys

Jeffery Broussard, whose roots in Creole and zydeco music are about as deep as anyone’s on the planet, has released Keeping the Tradition Alive!, the first CD with his new group, the Creole Cowboys. The energy and excitement remain undiminished from his years with Zydeco Force, but now he is digging down even deeper to more music inspired by legends like his father, the late Delton Broussard, Boozoo Chavis, and other greats going all the way back to Amédé Ardoin.

The sound, though, is very much Jeffery’s, with his unmatched accordion style, his old-time Creole fiddling that he mastered in the last few years, his superb French and English vocals.

The CD includes four Boozoo favorites: “Motor Dude Special,” “Dog Hill,” “Johnny Billy Goat,” and “Make It to Me.”

Jeffery covers the always popular “Why You Wanna Me Cry?” and “Oh Mom,” along with “Richest Man” (“If teardrops were diamonds …”), a slow drag featuring achingly beautiful solos by Jeffery on accordion and D’Jalma Garnier on guitar;

One special treat among the 10 original numbers is “Broussard Baisse Bas,” an old-style Creole song that Jeffery included to help keep the baisse bas dance tradition alive (in recent years, the only frequently performed baisse bas has been “Bonsoir Moreau”). “Tribute to Amédé” captures the sound and the feeling of old-time Creole music (with Jeffery doubling the accordion tune on fiddle). “Oh Yé Yaille” is a traditional French waltz. “I Lost My Woman” is one of several songs that recall the Zydeco Force sound, with Jeffery’s vocals punctuated by Brandon Ledet’s comments and shouts.

“It Won’t Be Long [before I make you mine]” is a driving zydeco number that Jeffery remembers first hearing played many years ago by Wilfred Latour. “My Baby Needs to Come Back Home,” “Off Time Zydeco,” and “Creole Cowboy Two-Step,” the band’s theme song, will propel fast-stepping dancers across the floor. The ultimate dancing challenge is provided by “Creole Zydeco Hot Step,” the first zydeco bluegrass fiddle song, performed at the request of Jeffery’s sister Sandra, who likes to dance fast (she and the other dancers at the 2007 Zydeco Extravaganza in Opelousas became a zydeco blur as the pace of the tune accelerated).

Keeping the Tradition Alive!, released by Maison de Soul Records, does not revisit the past. It brings the past into the present. Jeffery Broussard takes the tradition, adds to it with his own original songs, and makes it as full of vitality today as it ever has been.

Jeffery Broussard is shown in the top photo at annual Thanksgiving food drive benefit at El Sido's in Lafayette. The other two photos were taken at Festivals Acadiens in Lafayette Oct. 13, 2007.

The thumbnails in the left column were all taken at El Sido's. Pictured, in addition to Jeffery, are D'Jalma Garnier on guitar and Classie Ballou Jr. on bass. On the CD, Jeffery plays bass on all but one track and also plays guitar on eight tracks, plus keyboard on two, in addition to accordion and fiddle.

The bottom photo of the Creole Cowboys was taken at Festivals Acadiens.