ROSIE LEDET AND THE
ZYDECO PLAYBOYS RETURN TO THE VAIL-LEAVITT MUSIC HALL!
WITH SPECIAL GUESTS LIL CLIFF AND THE CLIFF HANGERS
Doors open: 6:30pm
Tickets: Reserved seating (first 3 rows, first come
first serve) $35 in advance, $40 at the door
General Admission: $25 in advance, $30 at the door
ADVANCE TICKETS WILL BE
AVAILABLE ONLINE SOON. PLEASE CHECK BACK TO
GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.
Zydeco Music
is most identified by the
accordionists who lead the band,
but ..."Today's premier female
artist is Rosie Ledet, whose
soulful voice kicks her male
counterparts right out of the
club"
- Wall Street Journal
Like so many other French kids
raised in rural southwest
Louisiana, she paid no
particular attention to all the
zydeco music that was around her
in her formative years; even
though her parents had tried to
raise her with a healthy respect
for zydeco music, the music held
little appeal for her as a kid.
But one day, after attending a
zydeco dance when she was 16,
hearing Boozoo Chavis, she was
smitten.
Rosie hails from the rural town
of Church Point, Louisiana, and
learned to play the accordion by
watching her husband and then
practicing on his accordion
while he worked during the day
With her self-penned tunes,
Ledet provides a unique female
presence in the male-dominated
zydeco world. She sings in both
Creole French and in English.
Her songs are often sly and
lusty and combined with her
natural good looks and
distinctive, bluesy singing
voice, she wows audiences
wherever she goes.
A prolific songwriter, Rosie has
released eight albums of her own
material. All of her releases
have been on the Maison de Soul
label of the Flat Town Music Co.
in Ville Platte. Rosie's albums
showcase superb lyrics, strong
vocals and skillful accordion
playing. Her newest CD, Pick It
Up was released in 2005 and very
well-received, critically and
commercialy.
She and her band began
performing in 1994 throughout
the Texas-Louisiana triangle,
and have gradually spread their
touring base to include the rest
of the U.S. Ledet and band have
been on several European tours
as well.
"Today's premier female artist
is Rosie Ledet, whose soulful
voice kicks her male
counterparts right out of the
club"... Wall Street Journal
Here are some of Rosie's awards
she was presented with thru the
years:
2008 LOUISIANA TREASURE AWARD BY
BLACK HERITAGE ASSOCIATION OF
LOUISIANA
2007 ZYDECO MUSIC & CREOLE
HERITAGE AWARD~BEST FEMALE
VOCALIST
2006 NEW ORLEANS BIG EASY AWARDS
FOR BEST
ZYDECO ARTIST
2003 LOUISIANA TREASURE AWARD
PRESENTED BY THE BLACK HERITAGE
ASSOCIATION OF LOUISIANA
2001 BEST OF THE BEAT AWARDS BY
OFF BEAT MAGAZINE:
~BEST ZYDECO VOCALIST
~BEST PERFORMER
~BEST BAND
2001 ZYDECO MUSIC & CREOLE
HERITAGE AWARD ~FOR BEST FEMALE
VOCALIST
2001 SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA MUSIC
ASSOCIATION AWARD~BEST ZYDECO
BAND
1999 ZYDECO MUSIC & CREOLE
HERITAGE AWARD~BEST FEMALE
VOCALIST
Discography
Brown Sugar 1994
Zesty Zydeco 1996
Zydeco Sensation 1997
I'm a Woman 1999
It's a Groove Thing! 2000
Show Me Something 2001
Now's The Time 2003
Pick It Up 2005
2009 (new release coming soon!)
But the two-day festival, which
draws thousands of listeners to Vail-Leavitt and the
nearby waterfront every year, will indeed take
place, again under the auspices of Vail-Leavitt.
(The Chamber of Commerce withdrew its application.)
Both Bob Barta, the president of the Vail-Leavitt
board, and Bob Lanieri, the president of the
chamber, said that some disagreement remained, but
they seemed eager to brush off the controversy.
“Certainly between the organizations there is no
animosity,” Mr. Barta said.
The important thing for music fans
is that two outdoor stages downtown along the
Peconic River and the indoor Vail-Leavitt stage will
emit the sounds of the blues from the
Sean Chambers Band;
the
Joe Krown Trio;
Little Toby Walker,
a guitarist, singer and songwriter from East
Northport who is a festival regular;
Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco
Playboys;and other performers. Ms. Ledet,
from Church Point, La., is also known as the “Zydeco
Sweetheart.”
The festival is not intended just
for blues fans. And “even within blues, if it seems
like it’s one umbrella, there are different styles,”
Mr. Barta said. “It is sort of surprising how many
subgenres there are.”
The slate of performers is varied,
too: the band
Who Are Those Guys
plays classic rock in the tradition of the Allman
Brothers and
Neil Young, while
the
Sunnyland Jazz Band
plays, well, that one is obvious. (Mr. Barta is
Sunnyland’s leader and banjo player.)
Throughout the festival, local
merchants will sell food, crafts and memorabilia,
and the 1881 Vail-Leavitt hall is an attraction unto
itself.
“It represents something that is
lasting within the community,” Mr. Barta said. “It’s
a tie back to history.” He could have just as easily
been talking about the blues.
STEVEN McELROY
Riverhead Blues and Music
Festival, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. July 17 and 11 a.m.
to 9 p.m. July 18 on two outdoor stages behind
East Main Street and one in the Vail-Leavitt
Music Hall, 18 Peconic Avenue, Riverhead.
Admission is $10 for a one-day pass and $16 for
a two-day pass (available only online). Children
10 and under are free. Information:
riverblues.org; (631) 727-5782.
