Clayton Joseph “C.J.” Chenier was born to the legendary King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier. His father was the first Creole musician to win a Grammy Award. C.J. grew up in the tenement housing projects of Port Arthur, Texas, where his earliest musical influences were an eclectic mix of funk, soul, jazz, and Motown. His first instruments were piano, tenor saxophone, and flute, and as a teenager in the early 1970s he played in Black Top 40 bands throughout Port Arthur.

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It wasn’t until his 21st birthday—after earning a scholarship and studying music at Texas Southern University—that C.J. first performed with his father and the legendary Red Hot Louisiana Band. Life on the road became part apprenticeship, part family tradition. Clifton taught him how to front a world-class touring band and handle the business side of the music. During this time, C.J. developed a deep passion for zydeco, a style he had not fully embraced in his youth. By 1985, as Clifton’s health declined due to diabetes, he encouraged C.J. to take on a larger musical role, including opening the shows and playing accordion more prominently. When Clifton died in 1987, it felt natural to C.J. to continue the family legacy, and he stepped forward as leader of the Red Hot Louisiana Band.

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C.J. recorded his debut album for the respected American roots label Arhoolie Records. In 1990, Paul Simon heard Chenier’s work and featured him on The Rhythm of the Saints as well as the “Born at the Right Time” world tour. Chenier later earned the 1997 Living Blues Critics’ Poll Award and an AFIM Indie Award for Best Zydeco Album for The Big Squeeze. In 2001, he performed before 60,000 fans at the Chicago Blues Festival, introducing his high-energy zydeco sound to a massive audience.

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Although his music honors his father’s legacy, Chenier has said he does not attempt to imitate him: “I play it the way I play it. All my father really told me was to do the best I could do with my own style.” C.J. Chenier was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame in January 2019, securing his place as one of the key carriers of modern zydeco tradition.