Former Accession # TI1-013

0:00 Sidney tells the story of him recording Toot Toot at his home studio and asking his wife's opinion after recording all night.
5:30 They talk about Sidney's recording studio setup. He hasn't had any other players record in his studio but he has produced and worked with other players in other studios like Ann Goodly and Rosie Ledet. Sidney says he believes there are powerful ways to approach a bandstand. He said he got advice and education like this from older players.
9:23 He says he was making $500-$600/ week in high school and graduated with a brand new '58 Plymouth station wagon painted green and pink. He talks about the ways he would promote himself with his behavioral style. He said there were a lot of things he had to compete, especially because he didn't speak French. He wrote 'Joy to the South'. It was hard for him to get into Zydeco. He decided he wanted to be in Zydeco like Mohammed Ali was in boxing. He said people started to pay attention to him after he challenged the bigger acts like Clifton Chenier and Buckwheat, often at The Summit in Houston, TX.
19:00 Sidney had a white band play behind him. He talks about planning a performance for a month to get people to notice him on the Zydeco scene. Tyronne Davis, Buckwheat, Z.Z. Hill, and Clifton Chenier were all performing the night Sidney pulled his planned act out in Houston. Sidney would dress up like Clifton and also had ventriloquist act he did with a dummy of Buckwheat. He talks about his publicity stunts he learned from the older musician in New Orleans.
32:30 Sidney liked comedy and would dress up like his dad and make his twelve brothers and sisters laugh.
34:17 He would go to The Dream Room on Toulouse St. in New Orleans in the 1950s and show the musicians his pick to let them know he played guitar. The New Orleans musicians would tease him about being from the country.
37:15 Sidney's company is called Toot Toot Communications. He says his station that they are in has a lot of history, including the first black disc jockey, Bubba Lutcher. Nelly Lutcher. The show at The Summit was the Zydeco Blues Fest in 1982 or 1983. Sidney had a character he played called Josh the Pimp and he would sing the song 'Welfare Cadillac'. He had goose that he would dress up for an act in his shows. He did a 'Purple Rain' act. All those acts were before Toot Toot. He talks more about his impersonations of Clifton and Buckwheat and how hard it was to get noticed with great players like them on the scene.
49:18 Luke Collins at the radio station in Eunice said John Delafose would show up at the station within 10 minutes when he heard Sidney there. Sidney said he and John Delafose had a little competition but things were easier for Delafose and Boozoo. They talk about the money the clubs paid and the cover charges at the door and musicians competing for crowds if they played on the same night.
59:29 Sidney talks about how the shows and musicians have changed since his day. He wishes Rosie Ledet would learn some things from him about how to better her stage presence.
1:06:50 He thinks the musicians like Keith Frank and Beau Jocque should try to get along better and put aside competitions. He says he regrets doing those things in his early shows.
1:10:40 Sidney talks about producing Boozoo's 'Dog Hill'.
1:17:15 They talk about Mardi Gras and Luke Collins being the first Zydeco radio d.j. Sidney's stations are KAOK in Lake Charles and KEAZ in DeRidder.
1:27:05 Sidney, Queen Ida, and Clifton all won Grammy Awards.