Lawrence "Black" Ardoin

Lawrence "Black" Ardoin inherited the musical legacy of his father, the Creole accordion legend Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin, and later handed that legacy forward to his son Chris, widely recognized as one of the leading voices of the nouvelle zydeco style. Born in Duralde, Louisiana, in 1946 as the second of Bois Sec’s sons, he joined his father and brothers Morris and Gustave in the Ardoin Brothers Band. Initially serving as drummer, he switched to accordion after Gustave’s death in a 1974 automobile accident; when his father stepped away in the mid-1970s, Lawrence assumed complete direction of the ensemble. The strict boundaries of traditional Creole repertoire eventually prompted him to launch the French Zydeco Band in the early 1980s, a move that also opened space for his growing interest in Cajun and swamp-pop material. That ensemble issued its first album, Lawrence "Black" Ardoin and His French Zydeco Band, in 1984. After an extended recording break, the group returned with Hot and Spicy Zydeco in 1992. Shortly afterward Lawrence assembled the band Lagniappe, featuring his son Chris on accordion. As Chris developed his own artistic direction he began fronting Double Clutchin’, an outfit that Lawrence also managed.