The Lawtell Playboys

Masters of the rural zydeco sound, the Lawtell Playboys stood out from the crowd in their innovative use of violin, drums and electric instrumentation; unlike the majority of their peers, they also relied on the one-row, button accordion to bring to life their traditional Cajun songs. The group's long history begins with brothers Eraste "Dolon" and Joseph "Bebe" Carriere, practitoners of the traditional Cajun "la-la" style who first began performing at house parties in the Lawtell, Louisiana area during the 1930s; they began appearing under the Lawtell Playboys banner in the decades to follow, bringing Eraste's violinist son Calvin and guitarist daughter Beatrice aboard during the early 1960s. In 1966 the elder Carriere siblings retired from active duty, and Calvin soon joined with accordionist/vocalist Delton Broussard and rubboard player J.C. Gallow to form a new Lawtell Playboys lineup which rejected la-la in favor of zydeco. Becoming the house band at the famed Creole club Slim's Y-Ki-Ki in Opelousas, their ranks later grew to include several of Broussard's 11 children, and over time the influence of the younger generation helped push the group towards a more contemporary sound. After Broussard's 1994 death, the Lawtell Playboys were taken over by his son John, ensuring that the combo's lengthy existence would continue on and keep pace with the times.