J. J. Caillier III was born October 27, 1967 in Lafayette, LA. He remembers, "When he was eight years old, his father had a zydeco and blues record store where he would spend most of his time working along side of his dad. He has had the opportunity to meet several legends of Zydeco artists such as Clifton Chenier, Buckwheat, and Rockin Sidney."
In the late 70's, J.J.'s father became a driving force in the Zydeco music revival. He hosted a popular radio show called "Zydeco Gumbo", as well as producing landmark releases by BooZoo Chavis and Clifton Chenier. It was on one of these recordings, "Country Boy, Now Grammy Award Winner 1984" by Clifton Chenier, that J. J. would make his recording debut, creating keyboard tracks for the King of Zydeco. According to J.J., "It was an experience that I'll never forget."
It was in 1996 that he pursued his own career in Zydeco, with a combination of the blues styles of Clifton Chenier and the funky style of Beau Jacque. J.J. says, "With a style like that, you can move everyone," and that's what he intends to do. J.J. creates music with several types of accordions, but loves to play the big piano accordion made famous by Clifton Chenier. J.J. has written 5 CD's in his rising career. He has toured with the late great Beau Jacque and with the Zydeco sweet heart, Rosie Ledet.
His current CD, “Do You Want to Dance?” has a music combination that draws individuals of all ages to dance and enjoy themselves. Watch for J.J. Caillier Zydeco on tour near you!
Taste Louisiana Cajun & Zydeco Festival
AMANA, IA ... May 26-28, 2007
