C.J. Chenier

C.J. Chenier was literally born into the musical tradition of southwest Louisiana and Texas Zydeco, a chugging, accordion-led blend of French Creole and African-derived influences. Born the son of great Zydeco king Clifton Chenier, the first Grammy Award winning musician of his genre, C.J. was totally immersed in R&B, funk and jazz from childhood. Despite his family ties, or maybe because of them, C.J. wasn't terribly interested in his father's music as a teenager. A natural player, C.J. won a scholarship to study music at Texas Southern University and spent his college years exploring his own musical style. Coming into adulthood, C.J.'s interest in the music of his ancestors grew and after college graduation he joined his father's legendary Red Hot Louisiana Band on the road. After his father's death in 1987, C.J. assumed leadership of the band. While he continued to develop his personal accordion style, C.J. also gradually began grafting on influences from his boyhood. As C.J. explains, "I play it the way I play it. All my father really told me was to do the best I could do with my own style." For The Desperate Kingdom of Love, C.J. reached back into his father's songbook and recorded a collection of some of the most urgent and heartfelt songs of his career, including "Bogalusa Boogie", a tribute to the Clarence Gatemouth Brown, the revered blues legend who died only days after Hurricane Katrina destroyed his home. A eclectic mix of covers like Hank Williams' "Lost on the River" and the devastating P.J. Harvey ballad "The Desperate Kingdom of Love" add to the somber canvas while Van Morrison's "Comfort You" offers healing. But a C.J. Chenier recording, like a traditional New Orlean's funeral, would not be complete without a tremor of hope for the future and a few great dance tunes. C.J. composed several classic songs (with Denise Labrie and Gerard Chenier) for the album including the plaintive "I've Been Good To You Baby" and the swinging mea culpa "Who's Cheatin'