In its second year of offering a category for best zydeco or Cajun music album, the Recording Academy is acknowledging five artists from Louisiana.Cedric Watson, Steve Riley and The Mamou Playboys, the Pine Leaf Boys, BeauSoleil and Michael Doucet are nominated this year.Steve Riley, who was also nominated last year with his band Racines, said he is grateful for the recognition. “It’s always a great honor,” Riley said. “When [the album] actually got nominated as one of the finalists, I was pretty shocked.”Riley is being nominated for a live performance at last year’s Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans. Riley said he was surprised a live performance was nominated for the award.”We put a lot of work into our albums, probably more than other Cajun bands,” Riley said. “This was an album that took us an hour to make.”The Pine Leaf Boys are nominated for their second consecutive Grammy Award for their album Homage Au Passé. Wilson Savoy, accordion and fiddle player in the band, said they worked hard to be recognized by the Academy two consecutive years.”The bands that travel are the bands that get nominated,” Savoy said. “The majority of voting members are outside of Louisiana, so you have to travel to be recognized by a national audience.”Savoy said the zydeco and Cajun music category helps acknowledge Louisiana musicians on a national level.”Being nominated promotes the Louisiana bands and is a good tool to have on one’s resumé,” he said.In the two years the Academy has offered the zydeco and Cajun category, only one person not from Louisiana was nominated. Lisa Haley, who is based out of Los Angeles, considered herself the “black sheep nominee” but was very excited to be nominated in 2008.”I’m excited that the Recording Academy is giving attention to the swamp,” Haley said. “We have the opportunity to keep this music in front of people.”Haley said there are more zydeco bands outside of Louisiana than many would think.”There’s a lot of Cajun bands in California,” Haley said. “Look at reggae music — it started in Jamaica and now everybody knows it. I hope that happens with Cajun and zydeco music.”Students said they are excited Cajun and zydeco music is getting put in front of a national audience. Erin Halloran, history graduate student, said the category is long overdue.”It seems it’s about time since zydeco music has been around for so long,” Halloran said. “It’s good they’re recognizing it.”Jessie McCumsey, English senior, said the category may get more people listening to Cajun and zydeco nationally.”It might get people listening to it,” McCumsey said. “It might actually get me to watch the Grammys.”James Yarbough, marketing freshman, said he is glad more people are seeing zydeco music because he grew up listening to it.”Compared to rock or rap or country, you hear zydeco only in Louisiana,” Yarbough said. “You can hear [those other genres] all over the U.S.”—-Contact Ben Bourgeois at bbourgeois@lsureveille.com
La. bands nominated for Grammys
January 29, 2009