0:50 Don got involved in Zydeco around 1987-88 when his brother, Charles, told him about an opening at Z106 in Maurice for a Zydeco radio show. Don and Charles did the show together and it became very popular. They involved people in the community in the show by telling stories and having regular call-ins like Floyd. They had some bands play live in the studio including Zydeco Force who they had discovered in the parking lot of Richard's. They took the show on the road to the trail rides and nursing homes.
4:10 The show played a big role in Don's decision to run for public office. He grew up in Mallet, La. and says he remembers hearing Marcel Dugas play La la music, but that his first memories of Zydeco were of John Delafose.
7:50 About a year after the radio show started, they began to produce a television show where they went to the local clubs, like Richard's, to film. The shows were produced throughout Southwest Louisiana, primarily in St. Landry Parish. They worked with a lot of bands. Boozoo Chavis was probably the first broadcast. Charles worked with Nathan Williams and gave him lots of radio time making Nathan popular locally. Don says that Nathan just played the Democratic Convention last week. He talks about how band rise in popularity in Zydeco and how there never seems room for more than two or three bands to do well locally at the same time. He says the mindset of the fans usually allow them to only support one band at a time and it causes great competition in the Zydeco music scene. The rivalries do not serve the musicians and he feels that if Zydeco is reach it's potential, the musicians should work together.
16:50 Don talks about Boozoo Chavis as a master musician and how he set the stage for the new generation of Zydeco musicians.
20:10 The return to taking about the rivalries between Zydeco musicians. He's had bands refuse to play on the same stage as other bands at festivals and finds it foolish. He says sometimes the audience gets involved in the rivalries too. He talks about some of the musicians who are the nicest to work with too, including John Delafose and Willis Prudhomme.
27:24 He says he misses producing the show and looks forward to doing it again. The show had regular dancers that would come out. Mona Wilson won a dance contest they put on and Don shows a picture of her with her trophy. She teaches dance now. There were rivalries between the dancers too. The dance moves have evolved quite a lot.
32:00 He tells the story of discovering Zydeco Force in the parking lot at Richard's during a trail ride. The played for beer in the gravel parking lot.
33:30 They held contest on the radio for people to suggest the name for their television program, Zydeco Extravaganza. He remembers that it was Zydeco Force that played the first broadcast. They also recorded the theme song for the program. Places like Richard's and El Sido's host political benefits and are centers of the communities. He says Sid Williams is very involved in his community. He talks about how Sid runs his businesses.
37:00 He talks about how being known through the television and radio show created his political position to a large extent. When elected to public office in 1991, he was the first man of color to represent his area. He says he certainly feels his Creole lineage gives him a sense of difference in his position. They talk about the different definitions of Creole and lack of central understanding of the term Creole. Don understands it as African-Americans of French heritage who are bilingual. Mayor Marc Morial in New Orleans fought to have the word Creole removed from 'A Creole Christmas' whereas the people from Acadiana assert to have the name recognized. They talk about the blanket attempt to market all of the regional music as Cajun and the musicians, like Buckwheat, who have been asserting the distinction of Zydeco. He's aware of historical divisions within the Creole community but has not experienced that in his lifetime.
48:00 Wilbert Guillary who produces the Zydeco Festival in Plaisance is Don's cousin. The work together to promote Zydeco music so that both festivals are successful. Don feels like Zydeco music is the best expression of his culture and is glad to see younger musicians carrying on the traditions--especially the children of older Zydeco musicians.
53:30 Trail Rides evolved as a family event. Broadcasting the show from the trail rides injected a festival experience into the events. Showing the horses at the trail ride was an expression of pride.
58:35 The contest was started for a way for the young kids to express themselves and get interested in the music.
1:01:07 Don has so many videos of events to sort through. He says he has ideas for using the materials on the tapes and would like to donate some to a USL cultural center. He wants them to be well-preserved.
1:03:45 He talks about what Zydeco means to him and how it reminds him of family and times gone by and the days he cherished so much. He identifies it with kinship and family values.