St. Landry Sounds: Amédé Ardoin Tribute
St. Landry Parish Visitor Center 978 Kennerson Road, Opelousas, Louisiana 70570
The St. Landry Parish Visitor Center is kicking off its debut installment of St. Landry Sounds, a new music and conversation series with local artists, at 2 pm on March 9. The first ever featured guest of the series will be Lawrence "Black" Ardoin, relative of Creole and Cajun music pioneer Amédé Ardoin. The event also marks the one-year anniversary of the unveiling of the "Bring Amédé Home" grassroots-funded Amédé Ardoin statue at the Center.
Executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission Herman Fuselier said the tribute to the Ardoin legacy is the perfect kickoff for the St. Landry Sounds series. "[The Ardoin family] has been recording Louisiana French music for close to ninety years," he said. "We'll explore the legacy with songs and stories with one of his oldest relatives, Lawrence Ardoin."
Lawrence himself has played Creole music since the 1960s with the Ardoin Brothers Band. His sons, Chris and Sean Ardoin, are two of zydeco's top attractions today. For more information, visit cajuntravel.com.