Waylon Thibodeaux
Born in Louisiana’s “Bayou Country” just a few miles southwest of New Orleans, Houma native Waylon Thibodeaux, has been dubbed “Louisiana’s Rockin’ Fiddler”. Today, this talented, self-taught Cajun musician has gained a notable reputation as one of Louisiana’s best known recording artists. His talents have led him to play festivals, clubs and other special events throughout the United States, Canada, France, Central and South America. His rollicking, crowd-pleasing performance on stage is exactly what one would expect from someone who, at age 16, was Louisiana’s state fiddle champion. He never fails to serve up a good helping of spicy, high-energy Louisiana and Cajun/Zydeco music. His unique musical style is best described by Thibodeaux himself:
“It’s a mixture – it’s Cajun, but not too traditional, it’s Zydeco with a pinch of New Orleans’ sound, a small pinch of South Louisiana ‘Swamp Pop’, a taste of Country and a little Rock n’ Roll, that’s sure to get you on your feet and dancing.”
Any way he plays it, Thibodeaux’s music certainly gets one’s attention. He has two new albums that has just been released on Rockin’ River Records. The album, In Jackson Square is a powerful mixture of Cajun, country, zydeco and New Orleans style music that Waylon sings in English. The other album, Tu Me Fais Crier! is completely sung in French and contains the theme song for the 1999 international reunion known as “Congres Mondial Acadian”. Both of these recordings give listeners a real taste of good high-energy Louisiana music. Along with six earlier independent releases to his credit, three of his original English compositions were included on a 1995 compilation album by Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville/Island Records entitled, Margaritaville Cafe New Orleans – Late Night Gumbo. Thibodeaux released an independent acoustic album with Gina Forsythe, entitled Dans La Louisiane. This album, a collection of traditional Cajun French songs, won the 1996 OffBeat Magazine’s Best of the Beat Award for Best Cajun album. Thibodeaux has also performed in numerous radio and television commercials and four of his original compositions were featured in the 1993 NBC movie, House of Secrets.
Having played for years to filled-to-capacity crowds on New Orleans’ famous Bourbon Street, Thibodeaux has literally entertained people from all over the world. Fiercely proud of his Acadian heritage, he keeps his home base in southeast Louisiana, always striving to perfect his style of music. A versatile entertainer, Thibodeaux can charm his audiences in French and/or English. His is always a “must see” performance.
