D. L. Menard

D. L. Menard

D. L. Menard playing guitar at the 2008 Black Pot Festival.

Menard at the 2008 Black Pot Festival.
Background information
Birth name Doris Leon Menard
Born (1932-04-14) April 14, 1932
Origin Erath, Louisiana
Genres Cajun
Instruments Guitar
Associated acts Louisiana Aces, Le Trio Cadien

Doris Leon "D. L." Menard[1] (born April 14, 1932) is a notable songwriter, performer, and recording artist in contemporary Cajun music. He has been called the "Cajun Hank Williams." [2]

Biography

Menard was born in Erath, Louisiana, the only child[3] of Ophy and Helena Primeaux Menard.[4] He was part of a Cajun farming family. He took up the guitar at 16 and started playing dances in Louisiana clubs at 17.[4] He is strongly influenced by the late Hank Williams, who he met in 1951 at the Teche Club[3] shortly before Williams's death.[5] Since then Menard has performed in more than 30 countries and served as a good-will ambassador for Cajun culture. He has also recorded with non-Cajun artists, including Bryan Ferry.[6]

Menard and his late wife Louella had seven children, leading to 17 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.[2] He still lives in Erath and continues to play, perform and record. He has maintained a separate career as a craftsman, noted for his handmade ash-wood chairs.[4]

Style

Menard is known for his "tinny" voice and popular guitar strumming style. Anne Savoy generalizes Cajun guitar strumming to two styles: Old Time Style (Cléoma Falcon) and D. L. Menard Style.[7] It uses bass runs on chord changes and incorporates up-strokes along with down-strokes. He modeled his strumming style after David Bromberg, who he met in 1973.[8]

La Porte En Arrière

Menard is best known for the song "La Porte En Arrière" ("The Back Door"), which he both composed and regularly performs. Cajun folklorist Barry Jean Ancelet has called this the most played and recorded Cajun song ever, selling over 500,000 copies in 1962 alone.[9] It has been covered by dozens of Cajun and zydeco bands and by other francophone artists such as Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Menard has said he modeled it on Hank Williams' "Honky Tonk Blues."[3] He says that he composed it in less than an hour, while working at a gas station in Erath.[4]

Awards

In 1993, his album Le Trio Cadien was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best traditional folk album category.[10] In 1994, he was awarded the National Heritage Fellowship Award by the National Endowment for the Arts.[11] In 2009, he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame along with Jo-El Sonnier, Doug Kershaw, and Jimmy C. Newman.[9] In 2010, his album "Happy Go Lucky" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Zydeco or Cajun music album category.

Discography

45 RPM's

33 RPM's

Albums

See also

References

  1. ↑ François 1990, p. 446.
  2. 1 2 "D.L. Menard". Archived from the original on 2008-01-21. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  3. 1 2 3 Savoy 1984, p. 272.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Savoy 1984, p. 270.
  5. ↑ Les Blank (director), Chris Strachwitz (director), Maureen Gosling (October 13, 1989). J'ai été au bal (Documentary). Brazos Films. Event occurs at 49 minutes. Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  6. ↑ "These Vintage years!". Archived from the original on 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  7. ↑ Savoy 1984, p. 8.
  8. ↑ Savoy 1984, p. 273.
  9. 1 2 "Louisiana Music Hall of Fame". Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  10. ↑ "Rock on The Net: 35th Annual Grammy Awards". Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  11. ↑ "Lifetime Honors: Nathional Heritage Fellowships". Retrieved 2009-10-21.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Hobbs, Jim. "Cajun and Zydeco 33 Rpm Long-Play (LP) Records". Retrieved 2009-11-29.
  13. ↑ "eBay: VIN BRUCE AUSTIN PITRE Cajun Hits V. 2 Swallow LP 6003". Retrieved 2009-11-29.
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