Hailing from the small town of Eunice, deep in Southwest Louisiana’s bayou country, Geno Delafose learned music at the age of seven in his father’s legendary John Delafose & the Eunice Playboys ensemble.
Delafose and his house-rocking band, French Rockin’ Boogie, have tapped the wealth of inspiration found in the traditional Cajun and Creole repertoires and created their own rich gumbo of Cajun, zydeco, r&b, country and blues.
By taking his explosive live show to nearly 2 arts centers, festivals and nightclubs each year, Geno Delafose has undeniably earned his place as one of the best performers of Zydeco.
Zydeco music is an upbeat blend of African, Caribbean and Cajun music. It is the music indigenous to the Creole culture of Southwest Louisiana. The word Zydeco is derived from the French word for snap beans ‘Les haricots’, which points to the early roots of this music being performed when the fields were being harvested. Modern zydeco has evolved to take on many influences.
Zydeco’s infectious accordion and rubboard driven-party-all-night sound that was born in the bayou and dance halls of southwest Louisiana and raised to a new level by the late Clifton Chenier, is now being heard and appreciated throughout the metropolitan area and around the world.
Discography
French Rockin’ Boogie (Rounder, 1994)
That’s What I’m Talkin’ About! (Rounder, 1996)
La Chanson Perdue (Rounder, 1998)
Everybody’s Dancin’ (Times Square, 2003)
Creole Bred: A Tribute to Creole & Zydeco (Vanguard Records, 2004)
Le Cowboy Creole (Times Square, 2007)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
