Blou is a band from

Meteghan, Nova Scotia Meteghan is an Acadian fishing community along the shores of Baie Sainte-Marie in Clare municipality, Digby County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is 25 miles northeast of Yarmouth. History Founded in 1785 by Prudent Robichaud, Joseph LeBlanc, and other ...

, founded in 1994. The group claims a unique style of music they call 'Acadico' – a mix of

Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the de ...

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 ...

and

Zydeco Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Al ...

styles. The group takes its name from the street where founding member Patrice Boulianne resides: L'Allée des Blou was named after an aboriginal man purported to have lived at the end of that street 100 years earlier. The original band members were Patrice Boulianne (accordion, guitar, vocals), Paul Melanson(guitar, mandolin,vocals), Len LeBlanc (harmonica, guitar, percussion ,vocals), Owen Muise(electric bass, drum, vocals), and drummer Tommy Maillet

History

In 1998, Blou self-produced its first recording, ''Acadico''. This was the first CD by an Acadian artist that had a European distribution, and it won the band the

East Coast Music Association The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mus ...

's 1999 award for Acadian Recording of the Year. In 2000, Blou released its second album, ''Rhythm 'N Blou'', which had a more upbeat sound than ''Acadico''. This album brought two 2001 East Coast Music Association nominations, for Acadian Recording of the Year, and Roots/Traditional Recording of the Year. and the band toured internationally. In 2003, Blou released their third album, ''Blou Blanc Rouge'', which brought a 2004 East Coast Music Award for Francophone Recording of the Year, and nominations for 2004 Entertainer of the Year and 2005 Roots/Traditional Group Recording of the Year. Also that year, Blou won the Prix ZOF-PassepArt-TV5 award. On October 17, 2005, Blou released the first single, ''Come Away Café'' from their fourth album, ''Pied-à-terre''. The album was released in February 2006, and brought the 2007 East Coast Music Association award for Francophone Recording of the Year, and a nomination for Entertainer of the Year. In 2010, Blou recorded a Christmas album with Montreal's Choeur du Nouveau Monde. The album, ''Noël Blou'', won the East Coast Music Association's award for Francophone Recording of the Year in 2010 and, in 2011, was nominated DVD of the year. Also in 2011, Blou was nominated the ECMA's Fan's Choice Entertainer of the Year, an award it would win in 2012.

Discography

* ''Acadico'' (1998) * ''Rhythm 'n Blou'' (2000) * ''Blou Blanc Rouge'' (2003) * ''Pied-à-terre'' (2006) * ''Tringgle'' (2006) * ''Noël Blou'' (with Choeur du Nouveau Monde) (2010)

References

External links

Blou
Official Site
Blou
Myspace Site *
Information from an interview with Patrice Boulianne
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blou Musical groups established in 1994 Musical groups from Nova Scotia Canadian folk music groups Acadian culture