Doug Kershaw- Ragin’ Cajun

DSCN4617 (800x790)Another month of the Show.  Yay.  I am slowly whittling away at the backlog.  I also did not buy any new records in April or May.  I have bought only a scant handful in 2016.  I also did not partake in the Half Price Books Memorial Day 20% off Sale which last year led to the backlog.  Anyway, why not start the month with some Cajun music.  This record was $1.00. In writing this post, I discovered something I kind of always knew.  I suck at spelling Louisiana, the state I have lived next to for 35 years.slu_fanfare09_kersha

Doug Kershaw , the Ragin’ Cajun, was born 1936 in Tiel Ridge in Cameron Parrish, Louisiana.  He learned how to play the fiddle (age five) before he learned English (age 8).  He would eventually learn to play 25 instruments.  After playing with family members including his brother, Rusty, Doug went solo around 1964 or so but not before releasing his big number, the autobiographical “Louisiana Man”.

Kershaw put out a good stretch of albums as well as live performances.  He has influenced many in both Cajun and country music and still performs today. 0016

Recent article regarding Kershaw’s early Anthology

This was Kershaw’s 9th solo album, released by Warner Brothers in 1976 and boy it is a blistering one.  It features good ole Cajun music highlighted by Kershaw’s fiddle.  Kershaw wrote all the material.  Not much to say other than this a really good album.DSCN4618 (800x796)

For a sample, I was torn between the raging instrumental “Mamou Two Step” which has an excellent accordion and “It Takes All Day” which is a catchy number with Kershaw’s vocals and incidentally was the single from the album.  I decided to split the difference with “Mon Chapeau” .  On this track, Kershaw plays all the instruments, which I found impressive.

 

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Top Rated Record for sure.

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