St. Landry Sounds, a music and conversation series with local artists, debuts at 2 p.m. March 9 at the St. Landry Parish Visitor Center at I-49, exit 23 in Opelousas. Lawrence “Black” Ardoin, a relative of Creole and Cajun music pioneer Amédé Ardoin, will be the featured guest.
The event also marks the one-year anniversary of the Amédé Ardoin statue unveiling at the Visitor Center. The statue was the result of “Bring Amédé Home,” a grass roots effort that funded a 1,500-pound, steel statue sculpted by Russell Whiting of Breaux Bridge.
Herman Fuselier, executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission, said a tribute to the Ardoin legacy is the perfect kickoff for the St. Landry Sounds series.
“Amédé was born March 11, 1898, and our statue was unveiled in March 2018,” said Fuselier. “We were expecting maybe 100 people and more than 500 showed up.
“We’ll explore the legacy with songs and stories from one of Amédé’s oldest relatives, Lawrence Ardoin.”
Lawrence Ardoin is the son of the late Alphonse “Bois Sec” Ardoin, Amédé’s cousin, who played Creole music across the globe for more than 60 years. Lawrence and his siblings fueled the Ardoin Brothers Band, a popular group in the 1960’s and ‘70s.
Lawrence’s sons, Chris and Sean, are two of zydeco’s top attractions. Chris and his NuStep Zydeco band routinely draw capacity crowds at their shows. The band and Keith Frank perform for the Zydeco Fleaux event at 9 p.m. March 2 at the Opelousas Civic Center.
Sean Ardoin’s 2018 CD, “Kreole Rock and Soul,” was nominated for two Grammys.
For more information, visit the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission website at cajuntravel.com.
