Archive Files of Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco Musicians
Posted between 1999 and 2008

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Jamie Bergeron

and the Kickin' Cajuns
 
Click here to go to Jamie Bergeron's Official Web Site. And here for his MySpace page.

Click here for high res photos posted on Flickr.
 

 

 After a fire Nov. 14, 2008, destroyed the home of Jamie Bergeron and his mother, along with all of their possessions, fans from throughout the region rallied to support them. A benefit was held at the Rayne Civic Center Dec. 14. The photo at left shows some of the crowd dancing to the music of GTO. Among the other performers were Geno Delafose, Sheryl Cormier, Felton LeJeune, Spit Kup,  and Side Show. In the wake of the fire, Bergeron, who has himself played at many, many benefits, continued to make all of his gigs.

2006 CD: I Know Dat's Right!!!

The above photos were taken at the fourth annual
Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns Fan Appreciation Party at the Rayne Civic
Center November 19, 2006. Click on thumbnails for larger versions.

  In 2006, Jamie Bergeron is kickin’ as hard as ever, giving his multitude of fans more of what keeps them kickin’ as well with the release of a new CD, I Know Dat’s Right!!! The title cut, written by Jamie and Rick Lagneaux, sets the mood: "It’s a nonstop party all day and night, hey I know dat’s right.”

“Pop That Coochie” is another new party song on the CD.  And the party keeps going with favorites like Boozoo Chavis’ “Dance All Night,” featuring some nice fiddling by Jason Bergeron, and Jamie smooths out Nathan Abshire’s “Popcorn Blues” without letting up on the fast beat.

For quieter moments, the CD offers “One More Try,” a slow romantic ballad originally recorded by Timmy T., and “I’ll Never Forget You,”  a romantic interlude in French, composed by KBON’s Paul Marx. When KBON began playing "One More Try" before the CD was released, it quickly became the station's most requested song, and country stations are also giving it airplay.

“Bring My Baby Back” draws on John Delafose’s “Gotta Find My Woman” for some Jamie Bergeron zydeco.  In “Louise,” Jamies give us his version of Paul McCartney’s “Lucille.” There’s also a Kickin’ Cajun version of Clifton Chenier’s “Everybody Call Me Crazy” and of “You Got Me Walkin’ the Floor,” songs sung in both French and English.

“Evangeline 1755” is a tribute to the legendary heroine and the Acadian heritage written in French by Kenneth Richard . The CD ends with two novelty songs, Abe Manuel Jr.’s “My Momma Is a Truck Drivin’ Man” and Sal Melancon singing “What Happened?”, with lyrics partly recalling 1970s TV shows like “Welcome Back Kotter” and “What’s Happening?”

For the latest  information on Jamie Begeron, be sure to check out the official web site of Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin’ Cajuns.

2004: Fan Appreciation Party and New CD

In 2004, Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns released a new CD at a fan appreciation party that overflowed the Rayne Civic Center. The party, held Nov. 21, began with other bands on stage, interspersed with what may be a Southwest Louisiana record for door prizes–from beverages to camping gear to tanning sessions, band members called out the winning numbers all afternoon. The Kickin' Cajuns took the stage about 6 p.m. and, as the photo below shows, everyone managed to find enough room to dance. Jamie appeared in the same getup that he is wearing on the cover of his 2004 CD, Garde Pas Ça, including his Kickin' Cajuns fashion statement: red tennis shoe cowboy boots. Those boots are the right trademark for a band that kicks higher and harder with each new recording.

The title cut on the CD has a zydeco rhythm with touch of reggae with the line "Garde pas ça. C'est pas pour toi." repeated in French and English. There is a generous serving of other zydeco numbers later on the CD: Beau Jocque's "Chère Allien," Horace Trahan's "That Butt Thing," and Keith Frank's "Have Mercy," plus Keith Frank's R&B "Pieces to My Heart."

The other French songs are "'Tit Galop Pour la Pointe aux Pins" and Belton Richard's "Give Me Another Chance." Other cover songs are "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Warm and Tender Love."

In addition to the title cut, the CD features three other original songs including "I'll Do Whatever It Takes," a two-step with nice fiddle work by Jason Bergeron; "Put Daddy on the Line," a tribute to Jamie's late father in which Jamie wishes he could speak to him, even asking Jesus to put his father on the line; and "Where's My Woman?", a song about woman and a missing 1984 Cadillac Deville.

About three weeks after his fan appreciation party, Jamie Bergeron made the news  when he a Cajun music fan from Gueydan suffered a heart attack in the club where the Kickin' Cajuns were performing. When he saw the commotion in the crowd, Jamie jumped off the stage and made his way to the woman. Using his day-job skills as a paramedic for Acadian Ambulance, he gave her CPR. She was then air-lifted to a Lafayette hospital where she was pictured in newspaper accounts expressing her thanks for Jamie's quick response.

Rick Lagneaux, producer of the CD, is shown at left on keyboard. The band members shown below are Robbie Miller, John Dwyer, Jamie Bergeron, Christopher Dwyer (on drums), Jamie Bergeron, Derek Dugas, and Rick Lagneaux.

Go to the Kickin' Cajuns Official Web site or contact the band via email.

 

 

Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns in 2003
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Photos were taken at the 2003 Rayne Frog Festival. Jamie Bergeron is shown in the photo above with John Dwyer.

 For more information on the band, go to the Official Kickin' Cajuns Web site.

Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns keep rolling along in their big bus, bringing high energy Cajun music to clubs, festivals, and special events throughout the land.

The band's 2002 CD, Squeezeville, continues to receive lots of airplay two years later. The CD includes the majority of numbers in French: Aldus Roger's "Duson Waltz," "Step It Fast," "Eunice Mardi Gras" (Mel Pellerin's version of the Mardi Gras Song), "Gone Forever,"  Aldus Roger's "Attention, C'est Mon Coeur Qui Va Casser," plus "Oh Marie!" and "The River" in French and English.

There's also a bit of reggae-zydeco: the Kickin' Cajun's version of Chris Ardoin's interpretation of Musical Youth's "Pass the Dutchie." In English, Jamie Bergeron gives us his version of Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart," and the CD opens with the band's own "Whatcha Gonna Do."

The song that has really got the crowds dancing and that has even inspired the Kickin' Cajuns own line of food seasoning is "Shake It Shake It Baby."

Printed on the CD is the following product information: "CAUTION: cajun/zydeco music at the highest level of energy the law will allow." You have been warned!


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For more information, go to the official site of Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns.

Click here for a few photos taken at the 2002 Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival.

Since the release of their first album in 2000, Traditionally Untraditional, Jamie Bergeron and the Kickin' Cajuns have quickly established a reputation as a young, hot band with some great new Cajun songs that have received a lot airplay on Cajun radio programs in Southwest Louisiana.

Rick Lagneaux, the album's producer, is also credited with writing the new material, either by himself or in collaboration with another musician.

The album opens with "C'est trop tard pour changer" ("It's Too Late to Change"), a lively two-step by Lagneaux and V.J. Boulet; and then offers Lagneaux's "T'habitude d'être ma belle" ("You Used to Be My Girl"), a beautiful waltz. Lagneaux and Boulet also provide another nice waltz, "Garde dans mes yeux" ("Look into My Eyes").

"Moi, je suis gone" ("I'm Gone") by Lagneaux and Clarence "T-Boy" Desormeaux is another two-step that, like the other songs on the album, sounds fresh and contemporary while still capturing the essential rhythms and emotions at the heart of the Cajun tradition.

Jamie Bergeron and Lagneaux collaborated on the two-step instrumental "Just Kickin' It" and on the Cajunized version of "Happy Birthday," titled "Happy Birthday Waltz."

Other French songs include an unrestrained, crowd-pleasing version of "Nonc Adam"; a French version of Gary Stewart's mournful "Empty Glass"; and Pee Wee Trahan's "Le deuxieme mari à jolie blonde" ("Jolie Blonde's Second Husband").

English songs include "The Two Step," "Bury the Bone," which offers touches of blues and zydeco, and "Let's Go All the Way."

Bergeron, the son of the late accordionist Kermit Bergeron, began playing only a year or so before he formed his band. With  a natural singing voice and some gifted hands on the accordion, he clearly enjoys performing on stage, and, when the pictures on this page were taken at the Church Point Buggy Festival June 10, 2001, everyone in the crowd  was also certainly having a good time. An EMT-Paramedic with Acadian Ambulance when he's not playing music, Bergeron explains on his web site, "I save lives by day and make 'em dance all night. And I guess that's really my story."

Other band members featured on the CD include John Dwyer on acoustic guitar and vocals; Bryan Hudson on bass guitar; Clarence "T-Boy" Desormeaux on rubboard and t-fer; Tony Richard on electric guitar; Emile Fourcade on saxophone.

The drummer is young Christopher Dwyer, age 13 in 2001 when the pictures on this page were taken. Christopher, the son of John Dwyer, was inducted into the Young Stars of Cajun Music Hall of Fame at age 10. He has been playing drums with his father's bands since he was three years old.

The CD was produced by Lonyo Tunes, 1-337-934-3772.

During live performances, the Kickin' Cajuns include  their versions of many Cajun standards, as well as favorite swamp pop tunes and a few country songs thrown into the mix.

When the band performed in Church Point, they arrived in a large Kickin' Cajuns van, ready to travel. For more information on the band's schedule, be sure to visit the official web site. The site also contains contact information to book the band.

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All photographs and text by David Simpson.
Originally posted July 2001; updated December 2004.

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