Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys
The San Luis Obispo Blues Society welcomes Rosie Ledet and the Zydeco Playboys on Saturday, February 20. The show will open with Lenny Blue and the Otter Guys at 8:00pm in the SLO Vets Hall at 801 Grand Avenue. Free dance lessons are offered at 7:30pm. All tickets are sold at the door, 21 and over only; Blues Society members $17; general public $20. For more information or to volunteer, call 805/541-7930 or visit www.sloblues.org.
Rosie Ledet & The Zydeco Playboys
Affectionately known as the Zydeco Sweetheart, Rosie Ledet fronts the Zydeco Playboys with a sultry voice and an irresistible accordion that continues the party music tradition of Clifton Chenier and Queen Ida. Since 1994, Rosie has recorded eight albums with over 90 original compositions and has performed at blues, zydeco, and heritage music festivals throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.
Born in rural Louisiana in 1971, Rosie taught herself to play her husband’s accordion by playing along with the recordings of Boozoo Chavis and John Delafose. She sings and writes in both Creole French and English, and is famed for double entendres. Rosie’s lyrics are anchored by a female perspective, “I try to give a woman a voice - they seldom get one in this kind of music,” while her dance-friendly tunes, like all authentic zydeco, are relentlessly rhythm oriented. Rosie tells interviewers that she thinks of zydeco as “sped up blues.” Ledet’s version of zydeco honors the Cajun traditions and Afro-Caribbean rhythms of the genre, while incorporating R&B influences. Currently, the Zydeco Playboys feature Andre Nizzari on guitar, Pernell Babineaux on bass, Kevin Stelly on drums, and Malcom Walker on rubboard. Visit her website for soundclips: www.myspace.com/rosieledet.
Lenny Blue and The Otter Guys
Lenny Blue and the Otter Guys play a lively and danceable musical stew of blues blended with R&B, soul, west coast swing, funk and world-beat. The band features Lenny Blue on guitar and lead vocals, Ed Frawley on lead guitar, Curtis Miller on drums, Jambo on bass guitar and Scott Andrews on saxophone. Listen to “Down to New Orleans” on www.myspace.com/otterguys.