Jeffery Broussard (born March 10, 1967) is an American zydeco musician.
Broussard was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, to parents Ethel and Delton Broussard. He had five brothers and sisters, and he was the youngest child. During Jeffery's childhood, the family lived in Frilot Cove, near Opelousas, Louisiana, and his father worked as a sharecropper.[1] Jeffery also worked much on the farm, leaving school after the seventh grade in order to help his family.[2]
Jeffery Broussard's father was also an accomplished musician, and Jeffery was exposed to music early. His mother, Ethel, performed a cappellajuré music at home.[3] Broussard joined his father's band during childhood and went on to become a bandleader in his own right, first with musically innovative Zydeco Force, and then with Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys. One writer has described Broussard this way: he "wears his rural roots when he takes the stage. With his white-straw cowboy hat, silver-plated rodeo belt and black boots, it's as if he just jumped off a horse. He never removes his trademark toothpick from the corner of his mouth, even as he sings in a raspy, bluesy tenor and plays his single-row and triple-row accordions with fluttering triplets and melodic detours."[4] Broussard has stated that Boozoo Chavis and—in contrast—his father are especially strong stylistic influences on his playing.[3] Broussard has performed on a variety of instruments over the years, including drums, diatonic accordion, guitar, bass, and fiddle.[1][4][5]
Broussard began his performance career at eight years old by playing drums in his father's band, Delton Broussard and the Lawtell Playboys.[1][3] He also played his father's accordion in secret as a child, until beginning to play accordion officially, and as his main instrument, during his teenage years.[1] Regarding his choice of diatonic button accordion, Broussard has said in an interview, "I started playing on an old white piano accordion because it was the kind of music that Clifton Chenier had. But when [John] Delafose was playing that little single thing, they were going crazy over that. I started playing that, then I wouldn't give it up for nothing in the world. [Delafose's recording] 'Joe Pitre [à Deux Femmes],' that brought the single-note accordion back."[3]
Zydeco Force became popular on the local trail ride scene and was known for several innovations, a style sometimes called "zydeco nouveau." One was "double-clutching," a technique of two rapid bass-drum kicks reminiscent of a heartbeat. The group also introduced choreographed steps, such as the "Zydeco Push" and "The Dip," to their shows.[3] However, Zydeco Force never toured, because bassist Robby Robinson was unable to leave his work commitments.[6] Zydeco Force released seven albums from 1990 to 2004, all with Maison de Soul: Zydeco Force, The Sun's Going Down, Shaggy Dog Two-Step, Zydeco Push, It's La La Time, You Mean the World to Me, and Rock Awhile! Z-Force Style.[7]
In 2005, Broussard left Zydeco Force to form a more musically traditional band, Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys.[4] Two years later, the band released their first album on the Maison de Soul label, Keeping the Tradition Alive!, which listeners noted as a return to a more traditional sound.[1][5] According to one reviewer, "His 'new' sound falls squarely between Creole la-la and today’s nouveau variety."[5] Regarding this traditional turn, Broussard said in an interview, "I'm a Creole person, a French African-American in Louisiana, and it's all about that tradition. I grew up in this culture, and my father played this music. We grew up on farms, riding horses and playing fiddles and accordions. Some people called it Creole music; some called it la-la, but it was how the music started out before it grew into zydeco and Cajun. I see the music changing a lot, getting more into hip-hop and rap, and I wanted to get back to the origins."[4] Broussard also expressed concern at the loss of French among the younger generation of Zydeco musicians.[6]
In 2022, Jeffery Broussard and the Creole Cowboys released Boots and Boujee, whose title track is a tribute to Broussard's wife, Millie. The album includes seven new compositions and production by Broussard's nephew, Koray Broussard.[8]
