Biography
Lil' Band O' Gold revived the swamp pop heritage of Southwest Louisiana while imprinting its distinctive approach on regional rock. Formed as a nine-piece supergroup, the lineup featured singer/guitarist C.C. Adcock, singer/accordionist Steve Riley, singer/pianist David Egan, saxists Dickie Landry, David Greely, and Pat Breaux, bassist Dave Ronson, pedal-steel guitarist Richard Comeaux, and veteran drummer Warren Storm. Because members maintained obligations to other projects, the collective seldom ventured beyond its Lafayette, LA base. That changed when the band played Midsummer Nights Swing at Lincoln Center Plaza in New York City in 2000, followed by sets at the Crawfish Festival in Stanhope, NJ, and Swamp Stomp at Wolf Trap in Virginia in 2001, drawing listeners from well beyond Louisiana.
Adcock and Riley launched the ensemble together in 1998 amid Monday night sessions at the Swampwater Saloon in Lafayette. The concept took shape during a late-night supper of pork chop sandwiches at the Maison Creole restaurant, where both men resolved to recapture the honky tonk flavor of their favorite swamp pop artists from the 1950s through the 1970s. Drummer Warren Storm, already celebrated for fifties work alongside Slim Harpo, Lazy Lester, and Lightnin' Slim as well as solo hits and sessions with Dale & Grace, Freddy Fender, and John Fogerty, anchored the project and drew the remaining players. Once Storm joined, Adcock and Riley quickly assembled the rest of the roster.
Adcock, who had issued a self-titled solo album on Island Records and contributed production and performance to Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys alongside David Greely, maintained those commitments while Storm kept his regular appearances at the Four Seasons Lodge in rural Louisiana. Saxophonist Dickie Landry, previously associated with Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, and Philip Glass, returned to his local parish base through the group. Songwriter David Egan, who also played with File, saw his material interpreted by Percy Sledge, Joe Cocker, and Irma Thomas. Bassist Dave Ranson continued collaborations with slide guitarists Sonny Landreth and John Hiatt, while Pat Breaux, already a recording partner of Storm and a longtime Beausoleil member, viewed the band as an echo of his earlier R&B experience. Pedal-steel guitarist Richard Comeaux, active with the Acadian country outfit River Road, added a further dimension.
On its 2000 self-titled Shanachie debut, Lil' Band O' Gold transformed classic Cajun rock numbers into roadhouse boogie, powered by a potent rhythm section and the St. Martin's Horns. The group drove Dewey Balfa's "Parlez Nous a Boire (Let's Talk About Drinkin')" after revisiting John Fred & the Playboys' "Shirley." Its reading of "7 Letters," a fifties hit for Warren Storm, revealed a slower, more reflective side. Moon Mulligan's "7 Nights to Rock" supplied the rockabilly energy of the 1940s and 1950s, and Lawrence Walker's "Allons Rock 'N Roll," emblematic of his fusion of rhythm & blues and swing with Cajun traditions, captured the band's commitment to its full musical lineage.
Adcock and Riley launched the ensemble together in 1998 amid Monday night sessions at the Swampwater Saloon in Lafayette. The concept took shape during a late-night supper of pork chop sandwiches at the Maison Creole restaurant, where both men resolved to recapture the honky tonk flavor of their favorite swamp pop artists from the 1950s through the 1970s. Drummer Warren Storm, already celebrated for fifties work alongside Slim Harpo, Lazy Lester, and Lightnin' Slim as well as solo hits and sessions with Dale & Grace, Freddy Fender, and John Fogerty, anchored the project and drew the remaining players. Once Storm joined, Adcock and Riley quickly assembled the rest of the roster.
Adcock, who had issued a self-titled solo album on Island Records and contributed production and performance to Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys alongside David Greely, maintained those commitments while Storm kept his regular appearances at the Four Seasons Lodge in rural Louisiana. Saxophonist Dickie Landry, previously associated with Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, and Philip Glass, returned to his local parish base through the group. Songwriter David Egan, who also played with File, saw his material interpreted by Percy Sledge, Joe Cocker, and Irma Thomas. Bassist Dave Ranson continued collaborations with slide guitarists Sonny Landreth and John Hiatt, while Pat Breaux, already a recording partner of Storm and a longtime Beausoleil member, viewed the band as an echo of his earlier R&B experience. Pedal-steel guitarist Richard Comeaux, active with the Acadian country outfit River Road, added a further dimension.
On its 2000 self-titled Shanachie debut, Lil' Band O' Gold transformed classic Cajun rock numbers into roadhouse boogie, powered by a potent rhythm section and the St. Martin's Horns. The group drove Dewey Balfa's "Parlez Nous a Boire (Let's Talk About Drinkin')" after revisiting John Fred & the Playboys' "Shirley." Its reading of "7 Letters," a fifties hit for Warren Storm, revealed a slower, more reflective side. Moon Mulligan's "7 Nights to Rock" supplied the rockabilly energy of the 1940s and 1950s, and Lawrence Walker's "Allons Rock 'N Roll," emblematic of his fusion of rhythm & blues and swing with Cajun traditions, captured the band's commitment to its full musical lineage.