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The Hackberry Ramblers at the Liberty Theater 2003 and on National Television |
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The Hackberry Ramblers were featured on the NBC Today Show Feb. 21,
2003. The NBC crew filmed the Hackberry Ramblers at the Liberty Theater Feb. 8, 2003, as
part of the package that also included footage from an appearance at McGee's Landing in
Henderson.
Luderin Darbone, who plays fiddle, was born in 1913, and Edwin Duhon, born in 1910, is the accordionist. They named their band The Hackberry Ramblers in 1933, and they've been together ever since. In 2003, they're on their 70th anniversary tour.
On September 18, 2002, the National Endowment for the Arts announced presented one of 13 National Heritage Fellowships awarded in 2002 to Darbone and Duhon. The award is the country's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. The fellowship included a one-time award of $10,000. The choice was based on Darbone and Duhon's artistic excellence, authenticity and contributions to their field.
Other members of the band shown are Glen Croker on guitar; the late Johnny Faulk (1925-2004) on bass; and Ben Sandmel, the band's manager, on drums.
Photos on this page were taken during the performance at the Liberty Theater in Eunice, Feb. 8, 2003.
Here is some of news sent via e-mail from the Hackberry Ramblers and The Hot Biscuits Recording Company on Feb. 20, 2003:
The Hackberry Ramblers appear on the CD anthology Thacker
Mountain Radio, a live album recorded in the literary confines of Square Books, in
Oxford, MS (www.squarebooks.com ); such noted authors as Larry Brown and William Gay also
appear on the compilation, reading from their work. Arhoolie Records has just released the
CD anthology Luderin Darbone's Hackberry Ramblers: Early Recordings 1935 - 1950 (
www.arhoolie.com ). In addition, the Ramblers contribute two songs to Boozoo, That's
Who, an upcoming tribute album to the late zydeco accordionist Boozoo Chavis, slated
for release in February on the Fuel 2000 label (www.fuel2000.com) . The Hackberry Ramblers
will perform at The French Quarter Festival in New Orleans on Saturday, April 12, 2003
(www.fqfi.org ) and at The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (www.nojazzfest.com )
on Thursday, April 24. And 2003 will see the debut of Make 'Em Dance!, a
full-length documentary about the Ramblers, directed by independent film-maker John
Whitehead, in association with Vetter Communications of Baton Rouge, LA (www.vettercom.com
).
These exciting events come on the heels of a big year for the band in 2002, including
debut performances in Holland, France, and at The Newport Folk Festival; a National
Heritage Fellowship for Darbone and Duhon, conferred by the National Endowment for the
Arts; and feature coverage in USA Today and on National Public Radio's Weekend
Edition.
Cajun Boogie, the Ramblers' acclaimed album from 1993, has just been re-released by Hot Biscuits (HOTBI-5002), and is co-released as Volume 10 of the Louisiana Folklife Recording Series ( www.crt.state.la.us/folklife/ ). Cajun Boogie is available, along with the Grammy-nominated Deep Water (HOTBI-5001) from the Hackberry Ramblers new website: www.hackberryramblers.com.
All photographs and text by David Simpson.