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C.J. Chenier Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
December
24, 2003 Contact:
Andrew Sussman at 717-261-1220 for more information ZYDECO
LEGEND C.J. CHENIER & THE RED HOT LOUISIANA BAND TO APPEAR AT CAPITOL
THEATRE JANUARY 16 CHAMBERSBURG.
The Cumberland Valley School of Music will present zydeco legend C.J.
Chenier and The Red Hot Louisiana Band on Friday, January 16, at 8:00 PM in the
historic Capitol Theatre, 159 S. Main St., Chambersburg, PA.
Tickets are only $15, with special $10 price available for students in
grades K – 12. All seats are
reserved, and can be purchased at the Capitol Theatre or by calling
717-263-0202. With a solo career dating back to 1987 and six albums
under his belt, C.J. Chenier is widely regarded as one of the genre’s best
singers, musicians, and live performers. According to THE BOSTON GLOBE, "C.J.
Chenier attacks the accordion with the tension and drive of James
Brown…creating contemporary, turbo-charged dance music." LIVING BLUES
magazine named C.J. Chenier "the best living zydeco singer and
accordionist," and BILLBOARD called him "the heir to the zydeco
throne." C.J.'s music has always embraced the traditions of his
famous father, Clifton Chenier, however he has established his own musical
identity. Born and raised away from
the Louisiana bayou in the housing projects of Port Arthur, Texas, C.J. was
aware of his father's music but also had other tastes. He liked James Brown and
Funkadelic, John Coltrane and Miles Davis. He learned saxophone early on and as
a teenager played in black Top 40 bands in Port Arthur. He studied music in
college and dreamed of making it as a jazz or funk player.
Then, one week before C.J.'s 21st birthday in 1978, Clifton asked him to
bring his sax along and join The Red Hot Louisiana Band. "I didn't know any
of the songs they played," he recalls, "but the guys helped me out and
brought me along. And then one day the music hit me, and I knew this was what I
wanted to do." With each passing show, CJ.'s confidence grew, as did his
desire to take a larger role in the band. In 1985, as the effects of diabetes
began to take their toll on his father, CJ. (at Clifton's request) picked up the
accordion and started opening the shows. "He didn't push it," C.J.
remembers. "He let me decide for myself. But when he first called me to go
out and play with his band, I think it was his idea all along that I would carry
on his music." After Clifton's death in 1987, C.J. inherited his dad's
accordion as well as The Red Hot Louisiana Band. But he took his father's music
and built upon it, adding elements of the music he grew up with and infusing
traditional zydeco with a contemporary punch. After taking over The Red Hot
Louisiana Band, C.J. forged ahead, releasing solo albums on Arhoolie and Slash
Reocrds, and playing hundreds of gigs. The band attracted the attention of fans,
critics and fellow musicians by playing major festivals like the New Orleans
Jazz & Heritage Festival, San Diego's Street Scene, and Milwaukee's
Summerfest. Singer/songwriter Paul Simon heard C.J. and handpicked him to play
on his Rhythm of The Saints album,
then asked him to join his "Born At The Right Time" tour. A few years
later C.J. showed up as a guest on the Gin Blossom's New
Miserable Experience album. 1995 appearances on the Jon Stewart Show and CNN
and subsequent records released on Alligator Records brought C.J.'s music
to his widest audiences yet. But all this attention didn't change his philosophy
toward his music. "You go to a gig by a jazz band," he says, "and
everybody's sitting down, sipping drinks. You play zydeco and you see shoes
flying off. You can't come to my show and stay unhappy all night long. You're
going to break a smile and stomp your foot before too long. This is happy music,
and it makes you dance." For more information, call the Capitol Theatre at 717-263-0202.
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