Roscoe Chenier

A second cousin to the late zydeco and blues icon Clifton Chenier, Roscoe Chenier performs as an emotive singer and guitarist in the blues and R&B idioms yet remains far less recognized than his celebrated kinsman. Born and raised in Louisiana, he entered the local scene in 1957 while still a teenager by signing on with Rockin' CD & the Blues Runners. Two years later he assembled his own group, and in 1961 he cut the Reynaud single “Born for Bad Luck” backed with “Annie Mae’s Yo-Yo.” Although the release attracted scant national attention, it received steady jukebox play throughout southern Louisiana and later attained collector status. Drawing from sources that stretch from B.B. King to Fats Domino, Chenier maintained a steady presence on the Louisiana club circuit through the 1990s; only in 1993, however, did he return to the studio, issuing his self-titled debut album on Avenue Jazz at the age of fifty-two. The recording proved strong enough to underscore how unfortunate his relative obscurity had been, yet as the decade closed he had still not delivered a follow-up and had not expanded his audience beyond Louisiana.