Did you miss all the fun of Mardi Gras? May is the new time to enjoy some Louisiana festivities.
Louisiana dance music greats Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys will perform at the PCH Club at the Best Western Golden Sails Hotel in Long Beach today. This is an opportunity for Southern Californians to see one of the top performers in the world of Zydeco for the first time on the West Coast.
Born in tiny Frilot Cove, La., Broussard grew up playing drums in his father’s band, Delton Broussard and the Lawtell Playboys. He learned to play all the instruments in the band, including Creole fiddle, and eventually settled on accordion as his favorite.
A gifted musician, Broussard remembers his mother singing traditional juré songs around the house. Even though his parents only spoke French when they didn’t want him to understand them, Broussard said, “I learned it anyway and I sing the majority of my music in French now.
“Music is a gift God gave me to pass on,” he continued. “I play from my heart. Half the time when I’m playing, it’s like my hands leave my body, I don’t even know what I’m playing.”
He has performed with Marcia Ball, C.J. Chenier and Geno Delafose. In addition to having performed at dance halls and Zydeco trail rides throughout Louisiana and Houston, Broussard has also performed at the World’s Fair and New Orleans Jazz Fest. He’s been invited to perform in New York, Holland and all across the East Coast. His impressive credentials include teaching accordion and rubboard at the prestigious Louisiana Folk Roots, Dewey Balfa Cajun/Creole Heritage Week and as staff instructor at Augusta Heritage Center, Cajun/Creole Week.
The PCH Club, at 6285 East Pacific Coast Hwy., boasts a full bar, large dance floor and ample seating. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the band playing from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Dance lessons are included from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Happy Hour with free food is from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. while supplies last.
Admission is $17 per person. For more information, call (562) 708-8946 or e-mail karinovations@verizon.net.
