Doug Kershaw

Doug Kershaw ranks as the single Cajun performer most entitled to rock & roll stardom. Joining forces with brother Rusty, he forged an energetic mix of Cajun traditions and rockabilly energy on multiple singles issued in the closing years of the 1950s, reaching a climax with the 1961 Top Ten country hit “Louisiana Man.” The siblings went their separate ways shortly afterward, after which Doug secured his place as a Louisiana music icon through guest appearances alongside both rock and country acts plus a run of Warner Bros. Records albums throughout the 1970s. Although he later withdrew from the crossover limelight, Kershaw stayed visible on the Louisiana scene into the twenty-first century by maintaining a steady schedule of live dates and sporadic studio work.

Born in the unincorporated settlement of Tiel Ridge inside Cameron Parish, Louisiana, Doug grew up in a French-speaking Cajun family whose patriarch hunted alligators. Because the household used only French, Kershaw remained unfamiliar with English until age eight, three years after he had already taught himself fiddle. He mastered that instrument rapidly—indeed he would master twenty-eight instruments over his lifetime—and soon performed publicly at the local Bucket of Blood bar, where his mother supplied guitar accompaniment. Before long he persuaded younger brother Rusty to take up guitar, and together with elder sibling Peewee they launched the Continental Playboys in 1948.

After the Continental Playboys attracted the notice of J.D. Miller, the guiding force behind Louisiana’s Feature label, the producer urged the trio to switch to English-language material, thereby preparing the ground for the later pop-country breakthrough of Rusty and Doug. That became the billing the brothers adopted once Peewee departed in the early 1950s, and the pair quickly cultivated an audience through their fusion of country and Cajun styles. Hickory issued their debut single “So Lovely, Baby” in 1955, which climbed to number fourteen on Billboard’s country chart. The success arrived just as Rusty and Doug joined the Louisiana Hayride radio broadcast from Shreveport. “Love Me to Pieces” likewise reached number fourteen in 1957, earning them an invitation to the Grand Ole Opry in 1958—an honor offset by the brothers’ simultaneous enlistment in the United States Army.

Doug and Rusty served three years; during their absence “Hey Sheriff” peaked at number twenty-two in 1958. Upon discharge they recorded Doug’s new song “Louisiana Man,” which became their biggest single, climbing to number ten on the Billboard country chart in 1961 and eventually attaining status as an American roots standard while also reaching number four on the Bubbling Under chart. “Diggy Liggy Lo” followed it to number fourteen. Hickory released the brothers’ first album, Sing Louisiana Man and Other Favorites, the same year. The duo moved to RCA in 1963, opening their tenure with “My Uncle Abel.” Two further singles, “Cajun Stripper” and “St. Louis Blues,” appeared before they split in 1964.

Doug’s solo path developed gradually. He signed a BMI songwriting agreement in 1967, then a Warner Bros. recording contract, issuing his first solo album The Cajun Way in 1969. He soon gained traction in both country and rock circles, appearing on Johnny Cash’s television variety program that year and contributing to albums by Bob Dylan, Arlo Guthrie, and Grand Funk Railroad.

Kershaw remained with Warner Bros. until 1978, delivering eleven albums during that decade. His strongest seller arrived in 1974 when Mama Kershaw’s Boy reached number fourteen on the Billboard country chart. Three follow-ups—1975’s Alive & Pickin’, 1976’s Ragin’ Cajun, and 1977’s Flip, Flop & Fly—also charted. In 1979 he recorded Louisiana Cajun Country for Starfire, then moved to Scotti Bros. for 1981’s Instant Hero, which contained the single “Hello Woman” that peaked at number twenty-nine, his highest-charting solo entry. By the release of Hot Diggidy Doug on Voodoo Records in 1989—home to his final two charting singles, the Hank Williams, Jr. duet “Cajun Baby” and “Boogie Queen”—it was evident that recordings formed only one part of his activity. He continued to issue albums from time to time, including the all-French Two Step Affair in 1999, Easy on spinART in 2002, and the 2014 Face to Face duet project with Steve Riley, yet he divided his energies among live performance and ownership of The Bayou House restaurant in Lucerne, Colorado, from which he retired in 2007. Doug Kershaw entered the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2009.