Rod Bernard () was an American

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 without ...

who helped to pioneer the musical genre known as "

swamp pop Swamp pop is a music genre indigenous to the Acadiana region of south Louisiana and an adjoining section of southeast Texas. Created in the 1950s by young Cajuns and Creoles, it combines New Orleans–style rhythm and blues, country and western ...

", which combined New Orleans-style rhythm and blues, country and western, and

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 black Creole music. He is generally considered one of the foremost musicians of this south Louisiana-east Texas idiom, along with such notables as

Bobby Charles Robert Charles Guidry (February 21, 1938 – January 14, 2010), known as Bobby Charles, was an American singer-songwriter. Early life An ethnic Cajun, Charles was born in Abbeville, Louisiana, United States, and grew up listening to Cajun mus ...

Johnnie Allan Johnnie Allan (born John Allen Guillot, March 10, 1938) is an American pioneer of the swamp pop musical genre. Career Born in Rayne, Louisiana, United States, Allan, a Cajun, grew up in a musical family, and at age six obtained his first guit ...

Tommy McLain Tommy McLain (born March 15, 1940) is an American swamp pop musician, best known as a singer but who also plays keyboards, drums, bass guitar, and fiddle. Career McLain first began performing in the 1950s, along with country singer Clint West ...

, and

Warren Storm Warren Storm (February 18, 1937 – September 7, 2021) was an American drummer and vocalist, known as a pioneer of the musical genre swamp pop; a combination of rhythm and blues, country and western, and Cajun music and black Creole music. Ba ...

Life and career

Bernard was born in

Opelousas, Louisiana :''Opelousas is also a common name of the flathead catfish.'' Opelousas (french: Les Opélousas; Spanish: ''Los Opeluzás'') is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 were ...

. His parents were French-speaking Cajuns from working-class backgrounds and, as a child, he imbibed the traditional

Cajun French Louisiana French ( frc, français de la Louisiane; lou, françé la lwizyàn) is an umbrella term for the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louisia ...

music performed in his grandfather's dancehall, the Courtableau Inn, located in nearby Port Barre. There, he heard the music of noted Cajun musicians

Aldus Roger Aldus Roger (February 10, 1915 – April 4, 1999) was an American Cajun accordion player in southwest Louisiana, best known for his accordion skills, and television music program. Early life Aldus Roger was born in Carencro, Louisiana and learned ...

Papa Cairo Julius Angelle "Papa Cairo" Lamperez (born July 27, 1920 New Orleans, Louisiana – d. November 13, 1999 Crowley, Louisiana) was a popular guitarist, steel guitarist and country string band artist in Louisiana and southeast Texas during the 1930 ...

, and

Jimmy C. Newman Jimmy Yves Newman (August 29, 1927 – June 21, 2014), better known as Jimmy C. Newman (the C stands for Cajun), was an American country music and cajun singer-songwriter and long-time star of the Grand Ole Opry. Early life Newman was born ...

, as well as

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 ...

pioneer

Clifton Chenier Clifton Chenier (June 25, 1925 – December 12, 1987), was an American Creole musician known as a pioneer of zydeco, a style of music which arose from Creole music, with rhythm and blues, R&B, blues, and Cajun music, Cajun influences. He sang a ...

, all of whom would exert a strong influence on Bernard's music. Around age eight, Bernard obtained his first

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

(an acoustic

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

model) and, around 1950, he began to perform with the Blue Room Gang, a Cajun-country (or "Cajun swing" in the vein of western-swing music) troupe, sponsored by local Red Bird brand sweet potatoes. During this period, Bernard also hosted his own live music

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

program on KSLO in Opelousas, singing Cajun and country tunes while strumming his guitar, in emulation of his musical hero,

Hank Williams, Sr. Hank Williams (born Hiram Williams; September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he reco ...

In the mid-1950s, however, Bernard came under the influence of

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

and

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

music, especially the sounds of

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

and

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. Around 1957 he helped to form a rock 'n' roll band made up of fellow Opelousas teenagers. Calling themselves The Twisters, they recorded two singles for the obscure Carl label of Opelousas. The next year Bernard and his group recorded the sultry ballad "

This Should Go On Forever "This Should Go On Forever" is a popular song of the south Louisiana rock and roll genre known as swamp pop. It was written by J. D. "Jay" Miller and Bernard Jolivette Background King Karl (real name Bernard Jolivette), a black Creole swamp p ...

" for

Floyd Soileau James Floyd Soileau (born November 2, 1938) is an American record producer. Biography Soileau was born in Faubourg, a small community between Ville Platte and Washington, Louisiana. He grew up speaking Cajun French and did not speak English un ...

’s Jin label of

Ville Platte Ville Platte is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 7,430 at the 2010 census, down from 8,145 in 2000. The city's name is of French origin, roughly translating to "flat town ...

, Louisiana. Leased to

Argo Records Argo Records was a record label in Chicago that was established in 1955 as a division of Chess Records. Originally the label was called Marterry, but bandleader Ralph Marterie objected, and within a couple of months the imprint was renamed Ar ...

of Chicago, the song became a national hit in 1959, propelling Bernard onto

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...

's ''American Bandstand'', ''The Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show'', and ''The

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

Show'', as well as onto tours with

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

Frankie Avalon Francis Thomas Avallone (born September 18, 1940), better known as Frankie Avalon, is an American actor, singer, and former teen idol. He had 31 charting U.S. ''Billboard'' singles from 1958 to late 1962, including number one hits, "Venus" an ...

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the " Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into th ...

, and B. B. King, among others. A follow-up single for Argo, "You're On My Mind", backed with "My Life Is A Mystery", failed to achieve the success of his initial national release. In late 1959, Bernard signed with producer Bill Hall of

Beaumont Beaumont may refer to: Places Canada * Beaumont, Alberta * Beaumont, Quebec England * Beaumont, Cumbria * Beaumont, Essex ** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s * Beaumont Street, Oxford France (communes) * Beaumont, Ardèche * ...

, Texas, who switched the artist to

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

, which unwisely replaced Bernard's earthy swamp pop style with lush violin sections and female choruses. Only one minor hit, "One More Chance", emerged from these Nashville sessions. Around 1962, Bernard left Mercury for Bill Hall's own Hall-Way label in Beaumont, Texas. Recording with local artists

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

and

Edgar Winter Edgar Holland Winter (born December 28, 1946) is an American musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing keyboards, guitar, saxophone, and percussion, as well as singing. His success peaked in the 1970s with his band the Edgar Winter Group ...

, he released several notable tunes, including "Fais Do Do", "Who's Gonna Rock My Baby", and a rock 'n' roll version of the Cajun folksong "Allons Danser Colinda", the latter of which achieved national airplay and remains a regional favorite in south Louisiana and east Texas. A stint in the U.S. Marine Corps boot camp interrupted Bernard's musical career but, after several months, he returned to south Louisiana to form The Shondells (not to be confused with Tommy James' group) with fellow swamp pop musicians

and Skip Stewart. (Bernard served in the

Marine Corps Reserve The Marine Forces Reserve (MARFORRES or MFR), also known as the United States Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) and the U.S. Marine Corps Forces Reserve, is the reserve force of the United States Marine Corps. It is the largest command, by assigned pe ...

from 1962 to 1968, reaching the rank of

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

.) During the mid-1960s, the group recorded several singles for the La Louisianne label of

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

, Louisiana, and they hosted a live dance program on

KLFY KLFY-TV (channel 10) is a television station in Lafayette, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with CBS and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Eraste Landry Road in Lafayette, and its transmitter is located in Max ...

-TV called "Saturday Hop". This program inspired their circa 1965 album, ''The Shondells at the Saturday Hop'', issued on La Louisianne. During this period Bernard recorded singles for

Huey Meaux Huey Purvis Meaux (March 10, 1929 – April 23, 2011) was an American record producer and the owner of various record labels and recording studios including Crazy Cajun Records, Tribe Records, Tear Drop Records, Capri Records, and SugarHill R ...

's Teardrop and Copyright labels, and for Soileau's familiar Jin label. Isolated singles appeared on the

Scepter A sceptre is a staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of royal or imperial insignia. Figuratively, it means royal or imperial authority or sovereignty. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia The ''Was'' and other ...

and

Shelby Singleton Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. (December 16, 1931 – October 7, 2009) was an American record producer and record label owner. Early life He was born Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. in Waskom, Texas. His parents were Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Sr. and ...

's SSS International labels. These sessions included notable releases such as the Chuck Berry-type rocker "Recorded in England", the Cajun two-step inspired "Papa Thibodeaux", and the doleful ballad "Congratulations To You Darling". Bernard performed infrequently during the 1970s, but returned to his roots by releasing several country and western albums, including ''Country Lovin'' and ''Nightlights And Love Songs''. He also issued the album ''Boogie in Black and White'' with

, considered a milestone by many because of its raucous blend of Cajun and black Creole elements. One music writer, John Broven, described it as "a wild and woolly rock 'n' roll set with spontaneity one normally only dreams about," while another, Larry Benicewicz, claimed that "such a masterpiece, no doubt, spawned other 'experiments' like

Wayne Toups Wayne Toups (born October 2, 1958, in Crowley, Louisiana) is one of the most commercially successful American Cajun singers. He is also a songwriter. Wayne Toups has been granted numerous awards and honors throughout his career including 2010 Fes ...

' 'ZydeCajun' style or, perhaps, a

Zachary Richard Ralph Zachary Richard (born September 8, 1950) is an American singer-songwriter and poet. His music is a combination of Cajun and Zydeco musical styles. Biography Zachary Richard began his musical career at the age of 8, as soprano in the Bish ...

'Zach Attack,' a similar fusion of Cajun, zydeco, and R&B." Around 1980, he recorded an album of Fats Domino favorites for Jin, titled ''A Lot of Dominoes'', but the masters disappeared until around 1991, when the tracks were finally released (albeit only on cassette). In 2003, he recorded his first new album in over two decades. Titled ''Louisiana Tradition'', the compact disk appeared on the CSP label of

Forney, Texas Forney is a city in Kaufman County, Texas, United States, and has been named by the Texas Legislature as the "Antique Capital of Texas". It is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. Its population was 14,661 at the 2010 census, up from 5,5 ...

, and included several new songs, as well as reworkings of vintage south Louisiana tunes like fellow swamp pop musician

' " Later Alligator". In June 2006, Bernard re-recorded his spoken-word single "A Tear In The Lady's Eye", which he had originally written and recorded in 1968 as a pro-military response to anti-

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

protestors. (The "Lady" of the song is the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

.) In the revised version, however, Bernard addressed Americans who opposed the ongoing war in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. At his own expense, Bernard pressed a handful of CD singles containing the revision, which he distributed for airplay to select radio stations and programs, mainly in south Louisiana. Many of Bernard's songs have been reissued on compact disk, both in the U.S. and abroad, and continue to receive much regional airplay. Significantly, younger generations of south Louisiana musicians, including

C. C. Adcock C. C. Adcock (born Charles Clinton Adcock, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and blues rock musician, noted for his cajun, zydeco, electric blues and swamp pop-influenced sound and for his efforts to preserve and promote swamp ...

Marc Broussard Marc Broussard (born January 14, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter. His style is best described as "Bayou Soul", a mix of funk, blues, R&B, rock and pop, matched with distinct Southern roots. He has released eight studio albums, one liv ...

, and

, have acknowledged him as a strong musical influence. Bernard last performed in public in 2015 at the

Ponderosa Stomp The Ponderosa Stomp is an annual American roots music festival dedicated to "recognizing the architects of rock-n-roll, blues, jazz, country, swamp pop and soul music." It was founded in New Orleans in 2002 and produced by the non-profit Mystic K ...

music festival in New Orleans. He retired from his career as a radio advertising executive in January 2018. On , Bernard's son announced his father's death, following a short illness. Bernard was 79.

Selected discography

Singles

* "All Night In Jail"/"Set Me Free", Carl track numbers J8OW-1229/J8OW-1230 ssued w/o record number 1957. * "Linda Gail"/"Little Bitty Mama", Carl track numbers H8OW-2441/H8OW-2442 ssued w/o record number 1957. * "This Should Go On Forever"/"Pardon Mr. Gordon", Jin 105, 1958/Argo 5327, 1959. * "You're On My Mind", Argo 5338, 1959. * "One More Chance", Mercury 71507, 1959. * "Forgive", Hall 1915, 1962. * "

Diggy Liggy Lo "Diggy Liggy Lo" is a single by American country music duo Rusty & Doug. The song was written and originally performed by Terry J. Clement. Released in 1961, their version peaked at number 14 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Singles chart. Doug K ...

", Hall 1917, 1962. * "Colinda", Hall-Way 1902, 1962. (and on the Tomorrow's Hits (Vee-Jay Records album) * "Fais Do-Do", Hall-Way 1906, 1962. * "Our Teenage Love/Doing The Oo-Wa-Woo", Tear Drop 3044, 1964. * "You're The Reason I'm in Love/ My Jole Blon", Tear Drop 3052, 1964. * "No Money Down/Little Green Man", Tear Drop 3060, 1965. * "This Should Go On Forever/Recorded In England", Tear Drop 3117, 1966. * "Recorded In England", Arbee 101, 1965/Teardrop 3117, 1965/Scepter 12195, 1965. * "These Were Our Songs", Arbee 105, 1965. * "Congratulations To You Darling", Jin 232, 1968. * "New Orleans Jail", Jin 240, 1968. * "Papa Thibodeaux", Copyright 2316, 1968. * "Sometimes I Talk In My Sleep", Jin 325, 1975.

LPs

* ''Rod Bernard'', Jin 4007, ca. 1965. * ''Country Lovin'', Jin 9008, 1974. * ''Night Lights and Love Songs'', Jin 9010, 1975. * ''Boogie in Black and White'' ith Clifton Chenier Jin 9014, 1976. * ''This Should Go On Forever And Other Bayou Classics'', Crazy Cajun 1086, 1978.

Cassettes

* ''A Lot of Dominos'', Jin 4012, 1991.

CDs

(* = compilation) * ''Swamp Rock 'n' Roller'', Ace KCDCHD 488, 1994.* * ''The Essential Collection'', Jin 9056, 1998.* * ''Cajun Blue'', Edsel 593 K 1999.* * ''Louisiana Tradition'', CSP 1018, 1999. * ''Boogie in Black and White'' ith Clifton Chenier Jin 9014, 1976; issued on CD, 2014.

References

External links

* Video Documentary * Video Documentary * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bernard, Rod 1940 births 2020 deaths American country singer-songwriters American male pop singers American male singer-songwriters American rock musicians American rock singers Cadet Records artists Cajun people Country musicians from Louisiana Mercury Records artists Military personnel from Louisiana Musicians from Lafayette, Louisiana People from Opelousas, Louisiana Scepter Records artists Singer-songwriters from Louisiana Swamp pop music Tear Drop Records artists United States Marines