By Terelle Jerricks, Managing Editor
The Long Beach Bayou Festival is like a big’ole picnic with live music and line dancing. Between the authentic Cajun and Creole cuisine and the top notch blues, zydeco and Cajun artists on two stages, it’s hard tell which the greater draw is.
This year, Grammy-nominated bands Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys and the Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie are performing.
Also in the lineup is Grammy-winner Joel Savoy and Cajun-Hall-of-Famer, Jesse Legé backed by the band Cajun Country Revival,
On the blues stage, the multiple award-winning Zac Harmon will hook up with the Stony B Blues Band. Harmon has crafted songs for the O’Jays, The Whispers and Karyn Hill, before returning to his blues roots in 2002.
Stony B has played behind such legends as Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Junior Wells, Koko Taylor and others.
Corney Mim’s band The Knowitallz will also be there. Their famed bass player and leader has played with the likes of Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Natalie Cole, Snoop Dogg, George Michael and several others. Mims will bring Barbara Morrison & Rodz Kids from the Roderick D. Jones Foundation to the stage.
Also on the blues lineup: soulful blues-rock singer Tracy Niles Seville, blues and jazz singer Charlie Jené and the finger poppin’ picking style of blues guitarist Bernie Pearl.
Each day of the Bayou Festival, a costumed Mardi Gras parade will be led by the New Orleans Traditional Jazz Band.
As for the food, a colorful French Quarter marketplace will be complete with gumbo, crawfish étouffée, jambalaya, hush puppies and other Cajun and Creole delicacies. As for desserts, there will be loads of sweet potato pie, beignets and an array of cobblers for as far as the eye can see.
And, if you think you’re a champion eater, sign up for the popular crawfish and watermelon eating contests for a prize.
The children aren’t forgotten. The festival’s Kids’ Corner will have extensive children’s activities including costume, masks and umbrella making for the Mardi Gras Parade and other arts and crafts. There will also be storytelling, magic demonstrations, sing-a-longs, and other shows.
SCHEDULE
FULL CHILDREN’S STAGE SCHEDULE
11 a.m. to 7 p.m. June 20
Bayou Kids Fun Stage
11 a.m. to 9 p.m. June 20
Main Gate
12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. June 20
Blues Stage
The blues is life itself to Bernie Pearl. A guitarist with an upbeat, finger-poppin’ picking style he learned at the elbows of blues masters Sam ‘Lightnin’ Hopkins, Mance Lipscomb, Mississippi Fred MacDowell, and others. Yet, Bernie Pearl is no hidebound traditionalist. As music critics and aficionados have said for years, he is a craftsman who packs his songs with melodic interpretations that are new and personal each time he picks up his vintage Martin or National. To hear him tell it…
12 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 20
Blues Stage
DAVID SOUSA & THE ZYDECO MUDBUGS
12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. June 20
Zydeco Stage
Since 1998, the Zydeco Mudbugs have been bringing the heat of Louisiana Zydeco music to the festivals, dance halls, clubs and parties all over So Cal and beyond. The Zydeco Mudbugs play authentic Zydeco, using the Cajun single row and triple row diatonic accordions, and with songs in Louisiana French and English. The Zydeco Mudbugs music features the best of Zydeco from the early Zydeco pioneers Boozoo Chavis and Clifton Chenier, up to the modern innovators such as Beau Jocque…
12 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 20
Zydeco Stage
1:20 p.m. to 1:40 p.m. June 20
Zydeco Stage
1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. June 20
Blues Stage
Stoney B is the real deal, a true Blues Man. He was born in Chicago. He grew up listening to his father, Lil’ Howlin’ Wolf, playing the Blues and his dad learnt his Blues from the Chicago Blues Legend, Howling Wolf. During Stoney B’s career he has played behind well-known Blues Musicians such as Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Junior Wells, Koko Taylor, Johnny Guitar Embry and the Blues Kings, Son Thomas, Homesick James, Lovie Lee, Roosevelt Boobie Barnes and Willie…
T-LOU & HIS SUPER HOT ZYDECO BAND
1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. June 20
Zydeco Stage
A leading light of the Los Angeles Zydeco scene, singer and accordionist T-Lou was born Louis Joseph Eaglin in Grand Coteau, LA; the son of sharecroppers, he taught himself guitar at the age of 15 and later played bass in a high school rhythm and blues combo. Upon graduating high school, he relocated to Houston before settling in California; there T-Lou attended a Clifton Chenier concert and fell under Zydeco’s sway, soon learning accordion and forming the Los Angeles Zydeco Band. After issuing 1985’s T-Lou & His Los Angeles…
3:05 p.m. to 3:25 p.m. June 20
Zydeco Stage
3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. June 20
Blues Stage
Charlie grew up in Long Beach, CA and began singing at the early age of three. Her mother also had a beautiful voice & sang as a solo artist in the church. Charlie followed in her mother’s footsteps also as a solo artist. Charlie lost her sight in 1969, and moved to Cleveland, Ohio there she began her professional singing career in the early 70’s. She became the first blind jazz and blues singer in that region. Charlie met and…
JOEL SAVOY, JESSE LÉGE & THE CAJUN COUNTRY REVIVAL
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. June 20
Zydeco Stage
Joel Savoy is one of the most highly regarded Cajun musicians in Southwest Louisiana today. A GRAMMY winner for his production work with The Band Courtbouillon and a nine-time GRAMMY nominee, as well as a two-time winner of the coveted CFMA Fiddler of the Year Award, Joel represents his culture with an authority that few people his age can and his playing leaves no doubt that Cajun music is still very much alive. He has worked and played with the stars, including John Fogerty, Linda…
5:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. June 20
Blues Stage
Cornelius “Corney” Mims is regarded as one of L.A.’s truly “elite” bass players and band leaders. As a producer, songwriter, musician and musical director he has performed live, in studio, and on television with well-known artists throughout the music industry. His list of credits reads like a who’s who of the music industry’s “A-List”. Names like Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Mary J. Blige, LL Cool J, Smokey Robinson, Brandy, Phil Collins, Snoop Dogg and Natalie Cole only scratch the surface of his musical accomplishments.
CHUBBY CARRIER AND THE BAYOU SWAMP BAND
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 20
Zydeco Stage
“Ain’t no party like a Chubby party!” If you haven’t experienced the high energy, swamp funky zydeco sound of Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, it is high time that you join the legions of fans that have. Once the accordion-playing virtuoso grabs the mic and takes to the stage with his band mates, audiences are treated to a show like no other. Chubby’s sound is infectious – a concoction of blues, 70s funk, rock and roll, and good-ole…
7:05 p.m. to 7:25 p.m. June 20
Zydeco Stage
STEVE RILEY AND THE MAMOU PLAYBOYS
7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. June 20
Zydeco Stage
The band is called Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. The guy in the middle holds a button-box that squeezes like an accordion, but shouts hallelujah like a big brass band. The fiddle cracks wise and warm, the guitar falls off the edge of the earth, and the rhythm section is purring rumble like a Coupe DeVille of shark-fin vintage. It all flows as a liquid-smooth groove, topped with three heartfelt voices harmonizing in 17th-century French from the steamy sub-tropics.…
7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. June 20
Blues Stage
Unions that last 39 years are truly special. 39 years of sharing the joy of music is exceptional. Celebrating this unusual achievement is music history. Seville continues as strong now as in the beginning, 1975. Philemon Young Jr JB. Williams Jr, Larry Tate, Tony Williams and Michael Martin Sr. came together in 1975 as “Seville”. Seville’s first sold out performance was 1979 at Dooto’s Music Center in Compton Ca.. It drew a crowd of over 1500 guests. “Seville’s first record was…
11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. June 21
Bayou Kids Fun Stage
11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. June 21
Main Gate
12 p.m. to 1 p.m. June 21
Zydeco Stage
Bonne Musique Zydeco (BMZ), literally “good zydeco music,” is a 6-member band specializing in the Creole music of Louisiana and east Texas. BMZ draws upon the style of traditional Cajun and Creole musicians, and the influences of the blues and New Orleans artists of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s to create a blend of music designed for dancing. Bervick J. Deculus, a native of Louisiana, bass player and leader of BMZ, founded the band in 1991. He is carrying on…
12 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. June 21
Blues Stage
Voted the Best Blues Band in San Diego by the San Diego Music Association and Reader Magazine; one of the most sought after local bands in the city. He has also been featured in numerous newspaper, radio and television interviews. Since his first CD, “Steppin’ Out”, he has just been tearin’ up the San Diego Blues Scene. His album “Low Down Dirty Blues” has received rave reviews in several publications such as “Blue Ink”. His latest work entitled “Good Morning…
12 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 21
Blues Stage
June 21 at 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Zydeco Stage
1:05 p.m. to 1:25 p.m. June 21
Zydeco Stage
1:20 p.m. to 1:40 p.m. June 21
Blues Stage
1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. June 21
Zydeco Stage
The band is called Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. The guy in the middle holds a button-box that squeezes like an accordion, but shouts hallelujah like a big brass band. The fiddle cracks wise and warm, the guitar falls off the edge of the earth, and the rhythm section is purring rumble like a Coupe DeVille of shark-fin vintage. It all flows as a liquid-smooth groove, topped with three heartfelt voices harmonizing in 17th-century French from the steamy sub-tropics.…
1:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. June 21
Blues Stage
TRACY NILES is a brilliant song-writer, soulful blues-rock singer and an engaging performer who sings her original songs from her heart ranging from “guttural growls to falsetto highs.” She catches every audience’s attention immediately! Judges agreed at the 13th Annual L.A. Music Awards where she won “Female Vocalist of the Year” and performed her song “You’re My Way Home” with her Taylor guitar and a 20-piece orchestra. Niles’ new album is long overdue. The clever title track “One Step Ahead”, should be renamed “One GIANT…
June 21 at 3:05 p.m. to 3:25 p.m.
Blues Stage
3:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. June 21
Blues Stage
CAFÉ R&B, featuring Vocalist Roach, and her guitar-slinging husband Byl Carruthers, has been wowing audiences throughout the U.S. and Europe for 15 years. They have released 4 Critically acclaimed Albums, including their most recent: “American Music” They are considered one of the most exciting live acts in the Blues, and beyond. The CAFÉ R&B sound is firmly rooted in electric Blues, but theirs is a tapestry of Blues, Rock, Jazz, R&B, and Americana. Past Performances Include: Chicago Blues Festival…
3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. June 21
Zydeco Stage
“Ain’t no party like a Chubby party!” If you haven’t experienced the high energy, swamp funky zydeco sound of Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band, it is high time that you join the legions of fans that have. Once the accordion-playing virtuoso grabs the mic and takes to the stage with his band mates, audiences are treated to a show like no other. Chubby’s sound is infectious – a concoction of blues, 70s funk, rock and roll, and good-ole…
4:50 p.m. to 5:10 p.m. June 21
Blues Stage
5:05 p.m. to 5:25 p.m. June 21
Zydeco Stage
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 21
Blues Stage
Born and raised in the heart of Jackson, Mississippi, Zac Harmon is a true disciple of the music that emanated from the city’s historic Farish Street district, universally recognized as the home of such great blues legends like the late, great Elmore James. While in high school and college, Harmon gigged as a guitarist for the likes of Z.Z. Hill, Dorothy Moore and Sam Myers. Relocating to L.A. in the early eighties, he worked as a studio musician and then…
5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 21
Zydeco Stage
Geno Delafose (born February 6, 1971 in Eunice, Louisiana) is a zydeco accordionist and singer. He is one of the younger generations of the genre who has created the sound known as the nouveau zydeco. His sound is deeply rooted in traditional Creole music with strong influences from Cajun music and also country and western. His father is the famous zydeco accordion player John Delafose. Delafose was born and raised in Eunice, Louisiana. At the age of eight, he joined his father’s band,…
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