Biography
Danny Poullard carried the sounds of his Louisiana upbringing with him when he relocated to California while still young, never setting aside the Cajun traditions that had shaped his early years. After establishing himself in the San Francisco Bay region throughout the 1960s, he emerged as the central figure spurring the growth of Cajun music across that territory. Fellow players later recalled him, following his passing in 2001, with phrases that emphasized personal warmth over mere influence, calling him the “heart and soul” and “guiding spirit” of the California Cajun community.
An accordionist by trade, Poullard first absorbed a love for the instrument and its repertoire from his father, himself an accordionist, though he refrained from performing until after his departure from Louisiana, possibly respecting his father’s preference that he avoid the instrument. The elder Poullard had once been shot following a performance at a local house dance, an event that underscored his concerns for safety. Poullard’s entry into music came in the early 1960s when he took up bass guitar in the Opelousas Playboys, a group directed by Cajun accordionist John Simeon. From both Simeon and his own father he gathered repertoire and technique before assuming leadership of the Louisiana Playboys. In the early 1980s he united with Eric Thompson and Suzy Thompson to create the California Cajun Orchestra, whose album Not Lonesome Anymore received the Prix Dehors De Nous from the Cajun French Music Association, an honor regarded as the Cajun counterpart to the Grammy.
Poullard’s playing appears on releases by Michael Doucet, D.L. Menard, and Canray Fontenot. His last recording, Poullard, Poullard, and Garnier, documents performances alongside his fiddling brother Edward Poullard and guitarist D’jamier Garnier of File. He also featured in two films directed by Les Blank, Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers and J’ai Ete au Bal. At the age of 63 he suffered a fatal heart attack. Long afflicted with cardiac illness, he had already endured at least three bypass operations plus additional interventions, and physicians were still evaluating whether he might qualify for a transplant in his final months.
An accordionist by trade, Poullard first absorbed a love for the instrument and its repertoire from his father, himself an accordionist, though he refrained from performing until after his departure from Louisiana, possibly respecting his father’s preference that he avoid the instrument. The elder Poullard had once been shot following a performance at a local house dance, an event that underscored his concerns for safety. Poullard’s entry into music came in the early 1960s when he took up bass guitar in the Opelousas Playboys, a group directed by Cajun accordionist John Simeon. From both Simeon and his own father he gathered repertoire and technique before assuming leadership of the Louisiana Playboys. In the early 1980s he united with Eric Thompson and Suzy Thompson to create the California Cajun Orchestra, whose album Not Lonesome Anymore received the Prix Dehors De Nous from the Cajun French Music Association, an honor regarded as the Cajun counterpart to the Grammy.
Poullard’s playing appears on releases by Michael Doucet, D.L. Menard, and Canray Fontenot. His last recording, Poullard, Poullard, and Garnier, documents performances alongside his fiddling brother Edward Poullard and guitarist D’jamier Garnier of File. He also featured in two films directed by Les Blank, Garlic Is As Good As Ten Mothers and J’ai Ete au Bal. At the age of 63 he suffered a fatal heart attack. Long afflicted with cardiac illness, he had already endured at least three bypass operations plus additional interventions, and physicians were still evaluating whether he might qualify for a transplant in his final months.
Albums