About

Jim Hobbs has been listening to Cajun, Louisiana Creole and zydeco music since the late 1970s.  He enjoys writing about it, dancing to it, and sharing it with others.  This blog will contain writing about recordings and performances of these unique and exciting styles.  Look for information on recent releases, classic recordings, and sizzling performances.

7 Responses to “About”

  1. Jessica Neal Says:

    March 25, 2010 at 4:58 am

    Hi, Jim,

    The Recording Academy Memphis Chapter will soon be hosting an event in Memphis, and as the Memphis Chapter covers all of Louisiana and has Cajun and Zydeco artists as members, I wanted to send this information to you to consider for your blog.

    Please let me know if you have any interest in posting this.

    Thanks!

    THE RECORDING ACADEMY ® MEMPHIS CHAPTER TO HOST
    GRAMMY® GPS: A ROADMAP FOR TODAY’S MUSIC BIZ
    Music Industry Professionals Gather At An All-Day Conference To Provide Newcomers Tools To Succeed In Today’s Market, Keynote Address By Mark Montgomery

    MEMPHIS, Tenn., (March 24, 2010) — The Recording Academy® Memphis Chapter will present GRAMMY® GPS: A Roadmap For Today’s Music Biz on Friday, April 16 from noon to 7 p.m. at the Playhouse on the Square, 66 South Cooper St. The all-day professional development conference will feature a keynote address by co-founder of echomusic and current entrepreneur-in-residence at Claritas Capital Mark Montgomery and a plethora of music business professionals from artists to producers, mangers to songwriters.

    “The Recording Academy Memphis Chapter has long been dedicated to offering quality professional development programs for artists, labels and managers in the region, and GRAMMY GPS is one of the many initiatives we offer,” said Jon Hornyak, Senior Executive Director of the Memphis Chapter. “There are many talented and creative professionals who are already well on their way to a career in the business but need that extra guidance and our conference will provide them just that, incredible access to industry insiders and a roadmap to the business.”

    GRAMMY GPS: A Roadmap For Today’s Music Biz will include GRAMMY-winning producers, engineers, songwriters and music industry executives. The conference will educate up-and-coming artists, producers and managers about the twists and turns they can encounter in today’s music business and provide the necessary tools to success. The all-day conference will bring newcomers face-to-face with key music industry experts while they learn valuable skills to help them navigate the ever-changing industry.

    Over the past 15 years, keynote speaker Montgomery has worked with hundreds of entertainment and corporate clients, including Sony, Kanye West, Keith Urban, RIM/Blackberry, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, Best Buy, Gnarls Barkley, Rascal Flatts and General Motors. He is a pioneer in the e-commerce and business-to-consumer marketing arena. Montgomery co-founded echomusic, a company focused on building communities around entertainment brands, and was the co-creator of the patented platform echotools, a direct-to-consumer delivery and data management system, which ultimately grew to serve millions of users and distribute hundreds of millions of pages, data feeds and e-commerce transitions. The company was sold in 2007 to IAC/Ticketmaster. For more information about Montgomery, visit http://www.hellomarko.com.

    Confirmed panelists include producer/engineer/film composer and Memphis Chapter President Scott Bomar, Blind Raccoon PR president Betsie Brown, Hip-Hop for Hope founder and director Ben Brubaker, Ardent Music Label representative Joseph Davis, music sales director for Paste Media Group Nate Douglas, GRAMMY-winning engineer (Timbaland) Jimmy Douglass, director of youth programs at Tipitina’s Foundation Erin Frankenheimer, Century Wealth Management president Jay Healy, producer (Yo Gotti) Hot Rod, Downtown Music Publishing vice president of creative services Jedd Katrancha, chief connector/industry conduit at Foundation Music Group Wayne Leeloy, film/TV licensing at Whizbang Adam McCants, LimeWire director of partner relations and marketing Tom Monday, artist manager/agent (Terrance Simien) and Memphis Chapter Trustee Cynthia Simien, director of legal & business affairs at IODA digital distribution Pierce Stacy, vice president of A&R for Capitol Records Kim Stephens, 615 Music Company president Randy Wachtler, GRAMMY-nominated songwriter (Jamie Foxx) Nate Walka, ASCAP membership representative Jesse Willoughby and producer and member of Timbaland’s production team (Jamie Foxx, Diddy) Wizz Dumb. More panelists will be announced shortly.
    (more)

    GRAMMY GPS: A Roadmap For Today’s Music Biz Press Release
    Page 2

    Seminar topics offered during the all-day conference include “Are You The Next Big Thing?”; “Rock And Urban Demo Critiques”; “FretWorks: Guitar Tips From The Masters”; “Lights, Camera, Soundtrack: Music & Film”; “Laying It Down: Anatomy Of A Beat”; “From The Stage To Your Web Page: Direct-To-Fan And Internet Marketing”; “Supply & Demand: The Basics Of Distribution”; “What’s Your Music Worth To You? Music Licensing For A New Era”; “Passion To Profession: How To Break Into The Biz”; and “The Dream Team: Artist Personnel.” Sign-up stations for ASCAP, BMI, the Memphis Music Foundation and The Recording Academy will be available throughout the day. Also, attending artists will have the opportunity to perform in between panels.

    Attendees can register up until the day of the event, but reservations by Monday, April 5 are encouraged. Conference admission for the general public is $40, and the event is free for Recording Academy and GRAMMY U® members. The event will be followed by GRAMMY GPS Fest at the Hi-Tone Café at 1913 Poplar Ave. Admission to the Fest is free for conference attendees and $10 for the general public.

    On Thursday, April 15, The Recording Academy also will present an opening party for the conference at 7 p.m. at the Warehouse at 36 East G.E. Patterson Ave., with performances by regional independent artists. The opening party is only open to Recording Academy members and pre-registered conference attendees.

    For more information about GRAMMY GPS, please contact the Memphis Chapter at 901.525.1340 or memphis@grammy.com, or visit http://www.grammy.com/memphis.

    About The Recording Academy
    Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards — the preeminent peer-recognized award for musical excellence and the most credible brand in music — The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs. The Academy continues to focus on its mission of recognizing musical excellence, advocating for the well-being of music makers and ensuring music remains an indelible part of our culture. The Recording Academy Memphis Chapter, founded in 1973, nourishes the region’s music scene by developing local pride in its rich musical heritage as well as creating opportunities to help independent music makers and emerging artists. The Chapter represents music professionals from New Orleans and Lafayette, La., to all of Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri.

    For more information about The Academy or the Memphis Chapter, please visit http://www.grammy.com. For breaking news and exclusive content, join the organization’s social networks on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thegrammys), MySpace (www.myspace.com/thegrammys), Twitter (www.twitter.com/thegrammys), and YouTube (www.youtube.com/thegrammys).

    # # #

    Reply
    1. cajunandzydeco Says:

      March 26, 2010 at 8:32 pm

      I’m approving your comment and will post an abridged version for a quick read. Thanks.

      Reply
  2. Janine Says:

    June 28, 2010 at 12:57 am

    Louisiana Travel Blog – Would love to have you be part of the team!

    Hi Jim,

    My name is Janine Diller, my company consults with Miles Media for Louisiana Tourism on their social media. We found your blog on the internet and thought you would be a great addition to the Louisiana Tourism Blog. We are currently re-branding the blog and are focusing on getting authentic bloggers who offer a glimpse of the unusual places, events and characters that makes visiting Louisiana a rare and enjoyable experience.

    We will be incorporating Louisiana Travel social media sites like YouTube, Twitter, Flickr and the Facebook ‘like’ page on the blog. We will be using all of these channels as well as the main site http://www.louisianatravel.com/ to promote the blog once it’s launched. The vision is to marry the blog content throughout the main site as well to offer an insider view.

    Louisiana Blog Structure
    Our blog will be divided up by categories that can be used by a tagging structure for each blog post.
    Music
    Culture
    History & Heritage
    Outdoors & Nature
    Food & Nightlife
    Green
    I have placed you as a Music and Culture Blogger for New Orleans, but please feel free to let me know if you see yourself elsewhere within our categories. Note that I will be applying sub-categories to each post so your content can be easily accessed by all readers depending on their interest.

    Each blogger will have their own bio where they can promote their own blog and tell a little about themselves. There will also be a blog roll on the travel blog where your blog would be listed.

    How often would you like to submit content?
    Our bloggers have the choice of submitting weekly posts, bi-weekly posts and monthly posts. We don’t mind if you need to repurpose your own blog posts on the Louisiana Travel blog.

    Type of blog posts?
    We will accept traditional written blog posts as well as photos and video only posts.

    What’s in it for you?
    We will be heavily promoting the blog on the social media channels, main website and with traditional pr and what we can offer you is – exposure. We can offer you a much broader reach with Louisiana Tourism and give you’re an audience that you might have not found with your own personal blog.

    We will be rolling out the new design by the end of July. If you are interested in getting more information I can provide you with our blogger guide and submittal process. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns and I’ll be happy to provide more information.

    You can reach me at janine@interactiveswim.com

    Join in the conversation and have some fun!

    Thanks,
    Janine

    PS. If you know of any fellow bloggers that might be interested in being part of the new Louisiana Blog please feel free to send them my way.

    Reply
  3. Marsha Engelbrecht Says:

    March 24, 2011 at 4:21 pm

    Hi Jim from Louisiana Folk Roots in Lafayette,
    Our flagship event, The Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week, is coming up April 15-22. Your readers might enjoy reading about the fantastic line-up of bands and instructors for this year’s camp:

    Louisiana Folk Roots’ 12th annual Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week

    Friday, April 15, through Friday, April 22, 2011

    Chicot State Park near Ville Platte, Louisiana

    Culinary Director Chef Pat Mould, Dance Instruction Coordinator Millie Ortego and instrument instructors Gina Forsyth, David Greely, Steve Riley, Anya Burgess and Ed Poullard are just a few of the leading artists on tap for the 2011 Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week at Chicot State Park.

    Spend the week or a day or even an afternoon under the pines at Chicot State Park in Evangeline Parish. The Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week has something for just about everyone. Full-time participants stay in the park’s deluxe waterfront cabins, group dorms, or in the park’s campsites and enjoy a week of intensive classes in accordion, fiddle, guitar, as well as Louisiana cuisine served up by Chef Mould. The week also includes workshops, cooking demonstrations, master artist presentations, Cajun and zydeco dance lessons, jam sessions, and dances every night with top Cajun and zydeco bands.

    Saturday, April 16, features the family-oriented Roots Heritage Festival with music and dancing, food, activities for the kids, workshops, jam sessions and much more.

    The festival day and nightly dances are open to the public, and part-time participation in the week’s other activities is encouraged.

    Here’s the music and festival line-up for the week:

    NIGHTLY DANCES 7:30—10:30 p.m.:
    Friday, April 15: Balfa Toujours
    Monday, April 18: Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys
    Tuesday, April 19: Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie
    Wednesday, April 20: The Red Stick Ramblers
    Thursday, April 21: Bonsoir, Catin

    ROOTS HERITAGE FESTIVAL Saturday, April 16, gates open 10:00 a.m.:
    Ryan Brunet &The Malfecteurs; Cedric Watson et Bijou Créole; High Performance; Ray Abshire & Friends; Heritage Stage presentations; a boucherie; jam sessions; children’s activities; great food and more!

    ROOTS COMMUNITY JAM Sunday evening, April 17, gates open 4 p.m. :
    Community jam session featuring acclaimed musicians as jam hosts! Bring your instruments and join the fun!

    Admission: Nightly dances — $5 / person
    Saturday—$7 / person, Sunday – free admission for the Community Jam
    Children 12 & under and members of Friends of LFR get in FREE!

    For more information contact Louisiana Folk Roots at (337) 234-8360 or e-mail info@lafolkroots.org or visit http://www.lafolkroots.org

    Reply
  4. Robert Harris Says:

    November 30, 2013 at 11:42 am

    Hi
    My album, “Christmas Cajun Style with Robert Harris” is now available in Amazon.com, iTunes and CDbaby (plus a few sites I don’t know about) thanks for mentioning me in your blog
    Joyeux Noel et Bon annee

    Robert Harris

    Reply
  5. Cynthia Says:

    August 20, 2016 at 12:44 pm

    Hey Jim. I read your blog post. The official GoFundMe for Buckwheat is live with this link gofund.me/2khuzztk on behalf of Tomorrow Dural as indicated on the page. Offbeat, The Daily Advertiser and the Picayune are all endorsing this campaign along with the LA State AG Jeff Landry who are monitoring all flood GoFundMe. We’ll hope you’ll endorse this, share the link with friends and music fans, to help Buck and his family in their time of need. All best, Cynthia and Terrance

    Reply
    1. cajunandzydeco Says:

      August 20, 2016 at 3:04 pm

      Thanks for the update!

      Reply

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