Interview by Michel Tisserand with Bois Sec Ardoin

Accession No.: 
TI1-004

Micheal Tisserand interviewed Bois Sec Ardoin for an arcticle on him and Canray Fontenot about Creole Music.

3:26-Bois Sec talk about the difference between Creole music and Cajun music.

Bois Sec Claims that he doesn't play Zydeco.

Bois Sec's Granchildren are also musicians, his grandson Chris Ardoin plays zydeco.

12:20-Bois Sec said he convinced belton richard to keep playing cajun music instead of shifting to swamp pop

Bois Sec says he feels good about the younger generations playing Cajun Music.

21:11: When Bois Sec was young, the clubs were segregated (split in two separete parts for black and white people)

26:29-Bois Sec started music by playing Triangle with Amede Ardoin at 

32:00-Michel Tisserand asks Bois Sec about his cousin Amede Ardoin

Bois Sec explains that Amede was liked by his family for being a great talented musician and he did not want to work hard.

34:44-"He didn't sweat much"

Amede had good relations with white people, he often played for them.

Bois Sec didn't have a record player at home, he could not listen to his cousin.

38:52-Bois Sec Talk about when Amede Ardoin was beat up by white men after a show.

Some white men did not like that a lady handed Amede a hankerchief when he was sweating a lot during his show. 

42:00-Ameded ardoin had to play dead so they would stop beating him, then we crawled to a man named Celestin Marcantel who helped him. 

According to Bois Sec Amede kept playing after he was beat up.

Later on, he got sick an started to become insane. He ended up at an asylum and died their a coupled years later. 

Barry Ancelet did a lot of work to find when and where Amede Ardoin died so he could have a grave to be remebered.

45:12-Bois Sec Talks about meeting and playng with Canray Fontenot

Bois Sec says him and Canray have a special chemistry  that they both cannot find with other musicians

55:10-Bois Sec says that some people wouldn't let him play blues at their houses because it makes people dance too close.

57:00-Bois Sec talks about Bon soir moreau, he doesn't know who wrote it.  He says it can be danced like a Blues, like a waltz or even like a two step.

58:52-Bois Sec talks about the styles of dancing

59:00-Bois Sec tells Tisserand about baisse bas

1:03:23-Bois Sec explain that music is a way to preserve the creole culture

1:07:47-Bois Sec and Canray were still in good health despite numerous health problems.

1:11:04-Despite not playing zydeco, bois sec already played at Plaisance zydeco festival

1:12:00-Bois Sec talks about Creole language. in music

1:15:53-According to Bois Sec every male in  the Ardoin family is a musician

1:17:42-Bois sec talks about emotions when singing

1:19:00-He has 14 kids

1:21:59-Bois Sec says he usually drinks whiskey when he performs "When you don't drink, you don't play"

1:24:00-Bois Sec talks about the Ardoin's family reunions

Media Type: 
Audio
Collection: 
tisserand
Subject: 
creole ardoin cajun accordion
Creator: 
michel tisserand
Publisher: 
Center for Louisiana Studies
Rights Usage: 
All rights reserved
Language: 
English
Meta Information
Duration: 
1:33:28
Cataloged Date: 
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Digitized Date: 
Thursday, October 13, 2022
Original Format: 
cassette
Digital Format: 
WAV
Bit Depth: 
24 bit
Sampling Rate: 
896 KHZ
Storage Location: 
Archives of Cajun and Creole Folklore-Drawer-111