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Archive Files of Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco Musicians |
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Richard LeBouef and Two Step |
Richard LeBouef's band in 2008 is named Detour.
Check out his MySpace page
for details.
Richard LeBouef in 2006
Photos above were taken at Festivals Acadiens in Lafayette in September 2005. Click on smaller thumbnails to access larger photos. Abe Manuel Jr. is shown on fiddle. |
Richard LeBouef is really cookin’—for real, with a 30-minute television program, Good Time Kitchen, airing on stations in Lafayette, Lake Charles, and Beaumont. Check out his official web site for the latest program information. His music is still cookin’ too. In 2006, he released a new CD, Longneck Vacation, on D & R Records, P. O. Box 758, Jennings, LA 70546 (1-866-47CAJUN). In addition to performing Cajun standards like “Chère Bassette,” “73 Special,” and “Cypress Inn Special,” Richard LeBouef wrote “Christie’s Waltz,” a beautiful tribute to his wife and their marriage: “Tous le mal, que je mal fait / Notre amour est reforcé.” The CD also features a number of new songs in English. Ken Holloway wrote “Cajun Girls,” celebrating their love of dancing, and “It’s a Louisiana Thing,” celebrating the whole culture. Both songs feature classic Richard LeBouef accordion riffs. Holloway teamed with Dustin Sonnier to write “Two Steps at a Time,” featuring Richard Comeaux’s steel guitar in a countrified account of a woman “losing his memory two steps at a time.” Their “Teach Me to Forget” covers the same musical territory from a male perspective. Sonnier wrote the title cut, “Longneck Vacation,” an upbeat country tune, illustrated on the cover with LeBouef carrying two longneck beers while heading out from an office building toward a yacht. Other songs on the CD include “You Lay a Whole Lot of Love on Me” and Wayne Carson’s “Whiskey Trip.” The surprise cut: Ken Holloway and Dustin Sonnier taking turns singing “Amazing Grace” in English followed by LeBouef in French. |
The photographs in the left column were all taken during a performance by Richard LeBouef and Two Step at the Port Barre Cracklin Festival during November 1999. In the bottom picture, LeBouef could not resist mugging for the camera. The photo in the right column was taken at the 2000 Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival.
All photographs and text by David Simpson.
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Richard LeBouef and Two Step have become one of the most popular bands in Southwest Louisiana, playing at clubs and festivals throughout the region. LeBouef obviously thoroughly enjoys his role as a performer, joking with the audience in between songs and deriving even more energy from the crowd as they respond to his music sung in both French and English. The band performs Cajun and Zydeco numbers with R & B influences blended together to create the "Two Step groove."
Cajun French is LeBouef's first language: he was raised by his grandparents, who spoke only French. He has been playing dances since he was nine years old. Other members of the band also have impressive musical credentials: Eric Adcock on piano, Jimmy Hebert on bass, Tim Picard on guitar, and Kevin Sonnier on drums.
Richard LeBouef and Two Step have recorded four albums, including their most recent, Kickin' in Your Own Backyard, with songs like "Who Stole My Monkey?" "The Eunice Two-Step," and "All Night Long."
