Sponsored by Appalachian State University English Dept., The Hoppin’ John Festival, Shakori Hills, The Center for the Study of the American South (CSAS), UNC-Chapel Hill.
Cedric Watson is one of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole and Zydeco (Louisiana French) music over the last decade, Cedric Watson is a four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist & songwriter with seemingly unlimited potential. A master of Cajun and Creole fiddle styles, Cedric Watson is a living library of knowledge—not only about the music that put Lafayette on the map, but also about the very instrument that started it all. In his engaging workshops, both participants and audience members receive a crash course in South Louisiana fiddling through Cedric’s dynamic solo performances, interactive audience participation, and rich storytelling. His deep understanding of Louisiana culture, language, and history shines through in every session, as he weaves in fascinating trivia and anecdotes that highlight what makes Bayou State music so distinctive.
Originally from San Felipe, TX (population 868), Cedric made his first appearance at the age of 19 at the Zydeco Jam at The Big Easy in Houston, TX. Just two years later, he moved to south Louisiana, quickly immersing himself in French music and language. Over the next several years, Cedric performed French music in 17 countries and on 7 full-length albums with various groups, including the Pine Leaf Boys, Corey Ledet, Les Amis Creole with Ed Poullard and J.B. Adams, and with his own group, Bijou Creole.
Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole resurrect the ancient sounds of the French and Spanish contra dance and bourré alongside the spiritual rhythms of the Congo tribes of West Africa, who were sold as slaves in the Carribean and Louisiana by the French and Spanish.
With an apparently bottomless repertoire of songs at his fingertips, Cedric plays everything from forgotten Creole melodies and obscure Dennis McGee reels to more modern Cajun and Zydeco songs, even occasionally throwing in a bluegrass fiddle tune or an old string band number. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he is also a prolific songwriter, writing almost all of his songs on his double row Hohner accordion. Cedric’s songs channel his diverse ancestry (African, French, Native American and Spanish) to create his own brand of sounds.
The Town of Boone is a North Carolina Main Street community, designated by the N.C. Department of Commerce Main Street & Rural Planning Center.
The Downtown Boone Development Association is charged with administering the program at the local level and building public-private partnership to spur economic development that achieves measurable results such as investment, business growth, and job creation.
Nationally recognized. Locally powered.
Main Street America™ has been helping revitalize older and historic commercial districts for more than 35 years. Today it is a network of more than 1,600 neighborhoods and communities, rural and urban, who share both a commitment to place and to building stronger communities through preservation-based economic development. Main Street America is a program of the nonprofit National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.