Geno Delafose (born February 6, 1971) is an American

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. ...

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 ree ...

and

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

. He is one of the younger generations of the genre who has created the sound known as the nouveau zydeco. His sound is deeply rooted in traditional Creole music with strong influences from

Cajun music Cajun music (french: Musique cadienne), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem w ...

and also

country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while t ...

. His father was the fellow zydeco accordion player, John Delafose.

History

Delafose was born and raised in Eunice, Louisiana. At the age of eight, he joined his father's band, the Eunice Playboys as a rubboard player and continued to play with the band until his father's death in 1994. He also appeared on several of the band's recordings. He switched to the accordion in the early 1990s and started to play as an opening act for his father. In 1994, he debuted with album ''French Rockin' Boogie'' on

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

. The name of this album also became the name of his band with whom he still plays. He released two more albums on the label, before signing with Times Square Records to release ''Everybody's Dancin in 2003. He has also appeared on the compilation album ''Creole Bred: A Tribute to Creole & Zydeco'' released in 2004 by

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City. It was a primarily classical label at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but also has a catalogue of recordings by a nu ...

. He was nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

in the Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album category for his 2007 album ''Le Cowboy Creole''. Delafose lives in Duralde, near Eunice, Louisiana, where he operates his Double D Ranch raising cattle and horses. He also holds fan appreciation parties annually at the ranch.

Discography

*1994 - ''French Rockin' Boogie'' (Rounder) *1996 - ''That's What I'm Talkin' About!'' (Rounder) *1998 - '' La Chanson Perdue'' (Rounder) *2003 - ''Everybody's Dancin (Times Square) *2007 - ''Le Cowboy Creole'' (Times Square)

References

External links

Official site
* *
World Music Central biographyGeno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie Photo Gallery
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delafose, Geno 1972 births Living people American accordionists Cajun accordionists Louisiana Creole people People from Eunice, Louisiana Rounder Records artists Singers from Louisiana Zydeco musicians 21st-century accordionists 21st-century African-American male singers 20th-century African-American male singers