90 years of creole music legacy
Ferdinand Arceneaux, born in 1892, was an early Louisiana Creole La\La accordionist, great-grandfather to Corey Arceneaux and father to Fernest Arceneaux. Known for performing at lively La/La house dances, he shared his passion for music with Fernest, his son and main protégé, by teaching him the accordion. Fernest picked up the craft by imitating his father’s style at local house parties, where the sounds of traditional Creole accordion tunes filled the air in the 1940s and 1950s. https://www.jazzapedia.com/artists/fernest-arceneaux
John Fernest Arceneaux (August 27, 1940 – September 4, 2008) was a French-speaking Creole zydeco accordionist and singer from Louisiana, and the great-uncle of Corey Arceneaux. Known for his incredible talent, he earned the nickname “The New Prince of Accordion.” A zydeco pioneer, he first picked up the accordion as a child by playing his brother-in-law Samuel Broussard’s instrument while working in the rural Louisiana fields, learning by imitating his father, Ferdinand Arceneaux, a fellow Creole accordionist he often joined at local house parties. By the 1960s, he switched to guitar for his rock and roll group, Fernest and the Thunders, but in the 1970s, encouraged by his hero Clifton Chenier, he returned to the accordion. That same year, Belgian blues fan Robert Sacre discovered him and his band, leading to their first album and extensive touring, especially in Europe. His masterful playing solidified his title as “The New Prince of Accordion.” Arceneaux’s influence went beyond his own performances, inspiring the next generation of zydeco musicians. His great-nephew Corey Arceneaux toured with him for a year in 1991 before forming Corey Arceneaux and the Zydeco Hot Peppers, crediting Fernest as the reason he took up the accordion. From the 1960s through the 2000s, Arceneaux remained a key figure in keeping zydeco alive and evolving, earning international acclaim and deep respect within the Louisiana Creole music community. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fernest_Arceneaux
Joseph Rodney Bernard (Drums, Scrubboard) is Corey Arceneaux’s great uncle. Bernard as a child picking cotton, he would listen to his uncles, Howard Broussard and Samuel Broussard, play accordion during midday lunch breaks. Bernard joined in by scratching out rhythms with two spoons and an old washboard as they made music on the back porch or under a nearby tree. Before long, he was on the bandstand with Wilton Bernard and future accordion legend Fernest Arceneaux. The trio called their sound “French La La,” lively house party music often featuring the popular blues and R&B tunes of the time.The course of Rodney’s music career included playing drums and recording on albums for Rockin’ Dopsie Sr. and Marcel Dugas throughout the 70’s and 80’s. After a three year break from playing drums, he returned to playing the scrubboard for accordionist, Lynn August, marking a notable overseas tour with performances in Germany, Paris, Switzerland, Amsterdam, and Canada. https://www.theadvertiser.com/story/entertainment/2017/11/06/bernard-you-couldnt-make-playing-french/836930001/
The Little Red Arccordion: Corey Arceneaux with his very first accordion
Rodney Bernard on vocals, Corey Arceneaux on accordion, Lee Allen on bass, and Shane Bernard on drums.
Corey Arceneaux began his professional career in 1991, touring alongside his great-uncle Fernest Arceneaux. https://www.jazzapedia.com/artists/fernest-arceneaux
After starting his own band, Corey loved it when his great uncle Fernest would join them to perform every now and then.