Amédé Ardoin

Amédé Ardoin ( born March 11, 1898 in L' Anse Rougeau, Louisiana, † November 9, 1941 in Alexandria, Louisiana) was an American, Creole Zydeco musicians. The virtuoso on the 10 - button accordion ( diatonic or " Cajun " accordion) is considered the father figure of the Cajun music at the beginning of the 20th century.

Lived the great-grandson of a slave and worked as a child with his family on a farm in L' Anse des Rougeau in Basile. In the accordionist Adam Fontenot, the father of Canray Fontenot, and the Alphonse LaFleur Fiedler learned Ardoin making music. From a young age he joined with LaFleur or the Black Douglas Bellard ( fiddle) on at festivals and dance events.

During his youth Ardoin led an unsettled life. He earned his living as a farm laborer and as a musician. With the White Dennis McGee ( fiddle), he formed one of the first mixed-race Cajun duo, often accompanied by Ardoins Bois Sec Ardoin cousin.

On December 9, 1929 Ardoin took McGee in New Orleans seven songs. In total there are 31 recordings Ardoins that emerged by 1934 in four sessions. They are regarded as standards of the zydeco and were often re-recorded later.

In the late 1930s Ardoin joined often with the fiddler Sady Courville on in Eunice. However, there are no recordings of this duo.

Ardoins death is shrouded in legends. According to one version he was allegedly poisoned by a jealous colleague, according to another he was killed by a white farmer, whose daughter Ardoin had handed a towel to wipe the sweat. Recent research strongly suggests that Amédé Ardoin died of circulatory disease. Place and date of his death are disputed.