Belton Richard (October 5, 1939 – June 21, 2017) was an American

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

accordionist Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

and vocalist known for his baritone vocal range.

Biography

Richard was born in

Rayne, Louisiana Rayne is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in Acadia Parish. With a population of 7,326 at the 2020 United States census, it is nicknamed the "Frog Capital of the World", as well as the "Louisiana City of Murals". Rayne is part of the Crowley ...

, in 1939. He began to play the accordion when he was seven, and at 12 he started playing with Neg Halloway and the Rayne Playboys. He founded The Musical Aces in 1959 after a stint playing rock and roll and swamp pop. During his career he released many popular songs, including "Un Autre Soir Ennuyant", "Pardon Waltz", and "Waltz of No Return". Another notable song is "Cajun Streak", a translation of

Ray Stevens Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings "Everything Is Beautiful" and "Misty", as well as novelty ...

' novelty hit "

The Streak Streak or streaking may refer to: *Streaking, running naked in a public place *Streaking or surfactant leaching in acrylic paints * Streaking (microbiology), a method of purifying micro-organisms *Streak (mineralogy), the color left by a mineral ...

". He died on June 21, 2017, at the age of 77, after being hospitalized with

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

Legacy

The 1995

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles Festivals Acadiens et Créoles is a three-day festival celebrating the music, crafts, and food of South Louisiana. It is held annually in Lafayette, Louisiana. History Festivals Acadiens et Créoles formed from many other local events. The old ...

was dedicated to Richard. Richard was inducted into the

Cajun French Music Association The Cajun French Music Association is an association dedicated to the promotion and preservation of Cajun music and culture. History The Cajun French Music Association is a non-profit organization of Cajuns and non-Cajuns whose purpose is to promot ...

's Hall of Fame in 1997, its inaugural year. In 2003, he was inducted into the Acadian museum's 'Living Legends' list. He also won the Cajun French Music Association's 'Male Vocalist of the Year' in 2004.

Discography

*I'm back (1995) *The Older The Wine, The Finer The Taste (2003)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richard, Belton 1939 births 2017 deaths Cajun accordionists People from Rayne, Louisiana Musicians from Louisiana Deaths from pneumonia in Louisiana