LaTouché / LaTouche

La Touché is a five piece band that plays traditional style cajun music along with original progressive cajun music with a country and country-rock flavor. Wilson Touchet, the band leader and accordian player was raised in the cajun parish of St. Martin, LA, on a farm producing mostly cotton and cayenne pepper. His Dad was a sharecropper and they moved several times between Cypress Island and Breau Bridge, LA.. Wilson Touchet spoke only Cajun French until he started school and was taught English. He was raised listening to traditional Cajun music and brings this heritage to the music of La Touché. Chris Sharkey, the bass player, is a native of Boston, Mass.. He has a degree in music from Berkely School of Music in Massachusetts. Chris Sharkey shares lead vocals in La Touché. Calvin Gaudin, the drummer is from New Orleans, LA.. He has been with Wilson Touchet and La Touché the longest. Calvin Gaudin plays rub-board and triangle on La Touché's live acoustic gigs. Eddy Deloney, the guitar player is from New Orleans via Shreveport, LA.. He has written songs for three of La Touché recordings, as of 1999. He also is the appointed representative for the band. Eddy Deloney is the owner of Ralph Records the label that handles La Touché and Allen Fontenot as well as other artists. On the fiddle is, John Babin from Thibodaux, LA.. Some of the bands he has been with are, Gene Savoy and Evan Smith as well as others. John Babin also shares lead vocals for La Touché. Some of the venues La Touché has appeared at are, the John Anson Ford Theater in Hollywood, CA., on river boats in New Orleans, The University of Miami, Blossom Music Center in Akron, Ohio for MCA Records, Walker and Grand Portage, Minn., Michaul's Restaurant and Mulate's Restaurant in New Orleans, New Year's Eve Public Street Party in Mobile, Alabama, and the International Celtic Festival in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1999 La Touché had four albums available in the U.S. and one available in Europe.