Biography
More than a decade in the past, the West Coast-based Zydeco Flames expanded from their original duo configuration into the five-piece ensemble that performs today. Lloyd Meadows and Bruce Gordon laid the foundation, Gordon handling accordion while Meadows covered vocals, harmonica, and rub board. Completing the current roster are William Allums on drums, Timm Walker handling bass and vocals, and Frank Bohan on guitar. Accordionist Gordon contributes a range of prior musical work to the group, among them stints alongside Chicago blues guitarist Luther Tucker and John Delafose, frontman of Louisiana's Eunice Playboys. Delafose's accordion performances have appeared in PBS broadcasts, film soundtracks, and television commercials alike. Meadows supplies Zydeco Flames with a broad foundation across multiple styles, gospel, R&B, blues, classical, and jazz among them. Drummer Allums, sharing Meadows's gospel roots, continues to perform at a house of worship in Oakland, CA. During the 1980s bass player Walker fronted his own group, Winetree, which issued the Cherrie Records album Hittin'. Bohan likewise folds Chicago blues experience into the collective sound, an influence matched by his recorded work with Freeway Frank & the Hotwires. The band has appeared at a wide array of festivals and gatherings, among them six straight years at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, Las Vegas' Fremont Street Experience, and Seattle Arts Festival's Bumbershoot. Planners of Democratic fund raisers and corporate galas have also engaged Zydeco Flames. At the duo stage, Meadows and Gordon first delivered their zydeco at the Arhoolie Records release party for Les Blank's J'ai Ete au Bal.
Albums
