Boozoo Chavis passes

Janice Brooks · From: Pleasant Gap Pa

A friend found this on Reuters

Zydeco Hero Boozoo Chavis Dies After Heart Attack

By Gary Hill

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - Boozoo Chavis, one of the creators of the Louisiana
Creole accordion music known as Zydeco, died on Saturday at an Austin, Texas,
hospital after a heart attack and stroke. He was 70.

Chavis, known as "The Creole Cowboy" because he raised horses and always wore a
trademark white Stetson hat, was one of the foremost popularizers of Zydeco,
producing a simple, propulsive, idiosyncratic sound with his hard-driving
accordion playing and gritty singing style.

He was admitted to Brackenridge Hospital in Austin after a mild heart attack
early last Sunday following a show the previous night, said his manager, Jack
Reich of Unmanageable Talent. Chavis suffered a severe stroke shortly after.

Wilson "Boozoo" Chavis was a working horse trainer and presided over a busy
household in the poor, rural Dog Hill neighborhood near Lake Charles,
Louisiana, where he grew up and resided with his wife of nearly 50 years, the
former Leona Predium.

He had six children, 21 grandchildren and three great-
grandchildren. Two of his sons played in his band full time and another son and
one grandson sometimes played in the band as well.

FIRST ZYDECO HIT

His "Paper in My Shoe" (1954) is considered Zydeco's first popular record, but
his rough-and-ready style never translated well to recording. He famously told
someone who complained his irregular style was hard to play along with: "You
follow me. If I'm wrong, you're wrong, too."

He recently finished recording a new album for Rounder Records.

Chavis was a bawdy crowd-pleaser who would soften some of the more outrageous
lyrics of his songs if he thought the audience required it. He used to
distribute souvenir panties bearing his picture and the instructions: "Take 'em
off. Throw 'em in the corner."

There are varying accounts of Chavis's age, some of them making him a few years
older, but the authoritative book, "The Kingdom of Zydeco," by Michael
Tisserand, lists his birth date as Oct. 23, 1930.

The origin of his nickname is not known.

Chavis, who was left-handed, had to have the tips of two fingers on his left
hand amputated after an accident hooking a barbecue pit to a trailer hitch.

Chavis and his band, Magic Sounds, were scheduled to play at the New Orleans
Jazz & Heritage Festival on Friday afternoon. His sons carried on without him,
with the addition of Louisiana slide guitarist Sonny Landreth.

Reich said the band played at a Crawfish Festival in Breaubridge, Louisiana,
some four hours after Chavis' death.

With a hard-working spirit that was reflected in the apron Chavis wore onstage,
he and his band toured regularly and extensively.

Their mock "Battles of the Bands" at the Mid-City Bowling Lanes' "Rock 'n'
Bowl" nights and his coronations as King of Zydeco were attended by many
thousands of visitors to New Orleans during Jazz Fests.

Irascible at times and confident of his primacy in his genre, Chavis was an
inspiration to succeeding generations of Zydeco artists who added greater
musical sophistication to his basic style, and to many musicians outside the
genre.

There were several rock and pop songs written about him, notably NRBQ's
"Boozoo, That's Who" and "I Got It From Boo."

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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

i interviewed Booze a few years back when covering Louisiana for some French Musik Reviews.
when i asked him if i could take pictures , he had me get up on stage w: him so he could show that people come a long way to hear him.
i loved every minute of it !
May the Lord give him the right place in that great orchestra in Heaven . RIP

Steve England · From: Austin, TX

Didn't catch Boozoo this weekend in Austin 'cause I didn't realize it would be his last show ever... Too bad. Boozoo was one of the greatest. He will be missed.

Strange but true department. Boozoo apparantly collapsed with heart failiure after playing an zydeco festival in Austin. Two years ago, another Zzydeco performer, Beau Joques, also collapsed and died of heart failiure after playing this show... Wierd!!

Another wierd fact. Boozoo died in Austin, Texas, self proclaimed "live music capital of the world" yet I noticed that the article about his death in the Austin newpaper was reprinted from THE NEW YORK TIMES!!!

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