\u201cThe trail to today\u2019s Cajun music and culture was blazed a long time ago,\u201d muses Cajun music icon Jo-El Sonnier.<\/p>\n
And Sonnier\u2019s a big part of that \u201ctrail\u201d himself. Often called the \u201cKing of Cajun,\u201d he\u2019s been a fixture on the Cajun music scene since the early 50s, when at the age of three he first picked up an accordion. He had his first recording session at the age of 6. He\u2019s a four-time Grammy nominee, a La. Music Hall of Fame member, and a winner of numerous awards and honors from the Cajun French Music Association. He\u2019s played throughout Louisiana, from festivals to CFMA concerts, throughout the US and all over Europe. But what he remembers most at this point of his long career is, perhaps, playing the clubs in the Lake Area during the late 1950s and 60s.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone had a place to go to listen to music,\u201d Sonnier says. \u201cThere were Cajun music clubs all over the place in Southwest Louisiana. People couldn\u2019t wait to hear Cajun music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Places such as the Sham Rock Club, the Bamboo Club, Club 90, Moulin Rouge, The Green Frog, the Big Oak, The Purple Peacock, The Riceville Club, The Mermentau Club, The St. Regis, Club 73 and so many others.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re all gone now,\u201d says Sonnier. \u201cThere\u2019s no place to play Cajun music here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other than the once-a-year festivals and occasional \u201cswamp pop nights\u201d at some local clubs, people aren\u2019t able to hear and dance to Cajun music as they were each weekend in the 50s and 60s.<\/p>\n
\u201cBands pretty much have to leave this area if they want to play,\u201d says Sonnier.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s something he, along with his wife, Bobbie, would like to see change.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A Place To Eat, Dance,\u00a0Listen And Learn<\/strong><\/p>\n The Lake Area is in dire need of a place, says Sonnier, for people to hear Cajun music \u2014\u00a0and dance to it, of course, for you can\u2019t listen to Cajun music without dancing \u2014 on a regular basis. What\u2019s more, he says, that venue needs to be a center which brings together the music, food, culture and history of the Cajuns.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I see is an entertainment and education center,\u201d says Sonnier.<\/p>\n The Sonniers envision a cultural center complete with museum including exhibits and videos.<\/p>\n \u201cThere could be exhibits of Cajun art, musical instruments, Cajun culture and history, area wildlife,\u201d says Bobbie Sonnier.<\/p>\n The Sonnier\u2019s vision also includes an area for weekend workshops on not just Cajun music, but Cajun arts and crafts \u2014 from piroque building to making a gumbo. There could also be an area for Cajun artisans, craftsmen and food producers to sell their goods \u2014 from woodworks to fruit preserves to wildlife paintings.<\/p>\n \u201cIt could really give people an idea of Southwest Louisiana as it was,\u201d Sonnier says.<\/p>\n The center could also include a restaurant\/buffet.<\/p>\n But, first and foremost, says Sonnier, it would be a place for people to learn about the music of this area\u2019s rich history \u2014 and the musicians who developed it and who\u2019ve kept it alive.<\/p>\n \u201cI learned by showing respect to the older generation of musicians,\u201d says Sonnier. \u201cBy learning from them. If we don\u2019t hand down the music and its history to the younger generation, how will they learn? You\u2019ve got to expose kids to the music and history to keep it alive.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Next Branson?<\/strong><\/p>\n Keeping the music alive would be perhaps the main function of the center. The Sonniers say such a place would not only be a place for visitors and residents to hear the big names in Cajun music, but it would give the area\u2019s younger musicians an opportunity to play without leaving the area.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would you bother to learn Cajun music if there\u2019s no place for you to play?,\u201d says Bobbie Sonnier.<\/p>\n The Sonniers say a cultural center would provide a stage for many musicians; in fact, says Bobbie Sonnier, it might be compared to Branson, Mo., or Nashville, Tenn.<\/p>\n “We could have a little Branson here,” Bobbie Sonnier says, referring to Branson, Mo., and its plethora of country music venues. “It could be a place for people to go and hear music and see a culture’s hsitory. Much like Nashville preserves country music. It would be a place people would plan a vacation to come and see.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Would It Fly?<\/strong><\/p>\n That begs the question, though: Is Cajun music and the Cajun culture really enough of a draw to support such a place?<\/p>\n Absolutely, say the Sonniers.<\/p>\n “People\u00a0 can’t get enough of Cajun music in other areas of the United States, and especially overseas,” says Bobbie Sonnier. “(The Cajun band) Beausoliel just came back from Europe, and they had sold-out crowds. Every time Jo-El plays in Europe, he sells out dinner shows.”<\/p>\n And, say the Sonniers, any time someone comes to this area from out of town, the first thing they want to do is hear Cajun music, then eat Cajun food. They want to experience the Cajun culture.<\/p>\n “Right now, if you want to take out-of-town guests to listen to Cajun music, you have to take them to Lafayette,” says Sonnier.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why Lake Charles?<\/strong><\/p>\n Which brings up another question, of course: Why create such a place in Lake Charles? Isn’t the music and history of the Cajun culture properly preserved in New Iberia, Lafayette and points East?<\/p>\n It is, of course, says Bobbie Sonnier. But there are a couple of things that make Lake Charles an ideal location for a Cajun cultural center.<\/p>\n “We’re on the border,” she says. “We’re the first stop along I-10 from the West. This is a perfect place to introduce people to the history and music of the area, and to its environment.”<\/p>\n Also, say the Sonniers, the coming expansion in the area makes this a perfect time to consider such a venture, with perhaps thousands of people relocating to the area. These people, say the Sonniers, will want to experience and learn about the culture of the area they’re relocating to or simply working in temporarily.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How To Start?<\/strong><\/p>\n While the Sonniers have done much thinking about a cultural center here in Lake Charles, they haven’t taken formal steps toward building such a place. They haven’t discussed the matter with government officials, haven’t drawn up plans, haven’t picked out a building or land for a building.<\/p>\n The first step, they say, would be to organize a committee to explore the matter. Such a committee would include representatives from the music industry, local government, local business and the community.<\/p>\n “We have to start somewhere,” says Sonnier. “Maybe there’s a company that would donate land or buildings.”<\/p>\n The center, he says, would be more than a tourist draw.<\/p>\n “It would keep a legacy alive,” he says.<\/p>\n If interested in serving on an exploratory committee, donating property or otherwise becoming involved, email the Sonniers at backontouragain@bellsouth.net.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cThe trail to today\u2019s Cajun music and culture was blazed a long time ago,\u201d muses Cajun music icon Jo-El Sonnier. And Sonnier\u2019s a big part of that \u201ctrail\u201d himself. Often called the \u201cKing of Cajun,\u201d he\u2019s been a fixture on the Cajun music scene since the early 50s, when at the age of three he [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":862,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4,52,51,50],"yoast_head":"\n