An all-star tribute album honoring Clifton Chenier has won a Grammy.
A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, from Eunice-based Valcour Records, won the Best Regional Roots Music Album category yesterday.
"We did it! This award is a recognition of Clifton Chenier's legacy, all the talented people that came together to make this album possible, and the impact of Zydeco on the music world," a Sunday night post from Valcour Records says. "We're bringing a GRAMMY home!"
Other nominees in the category included Preservation Brass and Trombone Shorty.
It was the third nomination and second win for Valcour founder Joel Savoy.
A release from UL provides this quote from the ceremony, from Savoy:
"This album and this award would not be possible without the legacy that Clifton Chenier left behind not only in South Louisiana but around the globe. It's our honor to accept it on behalf of the entire Zydeco community that works hard day and night to keep this music thriving."
According to the UL release, Savoy produced the winning album, “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco,” with John Leopold and Steve Berlin of the rock group Los Lobos, to honor the legacy of Louisiana music legend Clifton Chenier on the 100th anniversary of his birth.
All proceeds from the album go directly toward funding the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship, supporting students studying zydeco accordion, in the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Endowed Chair in Traditional Music. The fund was created by Valcour Records in collaboration with C.J. Chenier and the Chenier family estate.
Here's what Valcour Records says of the record:
"To honor the legacy of Clifton Chenier – AKA The King of Zydeco – on what would have been his 100th birthday, we’ve gathered an all star cast of Louisiana musicians and global household names like The Rolling Stones, Lucinda Williams, Taj Majal, Steve Earle, and more to honor Clifton’s influence and his uncanny ability to unite traditionalists, rock ‘n’ rollers and Louisiana with the rest of the world. We hope you enjoy our tribute to the undisputed King of Zydeco, recorded in Lafayette, Louisiana where even the “crawfish got soul," the company's website states. "All profits from the sale of this album will be donated to the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship Fund, created by Valcour Records with the Center for Louisiana Studies at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The fund will offer annual financial assistance to students studying Traditional Music, specifically Zydeco accordion, at the university."
The artists who performed on the record include The Rolling Stones, Steve Riley, Taj Mahal, Keith Frank, Lucinda Williams, Anthony Dopsie, Jimmie Vaugh, John Hiatt, Marcia Ball, Geno Delafose and Sonny Landreth.
