Features, Print June 6, 2016

Blues Jam Spotlight: Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band

by Jay Wallace

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Blues music is not a homogenous genre. The various sub-genres of blues music are very much shaped by the location they come from. Zydeco, for instance, hails from Louisiana, shaped by French Creole speakers and taking its inspiration from blues, R&B and indigenous music from both Louisiana Creoles and Native Americans. And Grammy Award Winner Chubby Carrier is bringing some Zydeco to the Greeley Blues Jam.

Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band are definitely a unique flavor for the Blues Jam, but if anyone is qualified to bring Zydeco here, it’s Carrier. His grandfather, Warren, father Roy and cousins Bebe and Calvin are among the best Zydeco artists out there; Chubby even played in his father’s band at age 12. Roy Carrier went as far to create The Offshore Lounge, a club for Zydeco musicians to practice and perform.

Carrier’s discography stretches back to 1989 with Go Zydeco Go, and has played on stage with various other groups and musicians ranging from Carlos Santana and Travis Tritt to Eddie Money and Weird Al Yankovic. His 2010 album Zydeco Junkie earned him a Grammy for Best Zydeco or Cajun Album in 2011.  Chubby Carrier and The Bayou Swamp Band are playing the West Stage at 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 11.

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