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Singer-songwriter and poet, Zachary Richard was born
and raised in Southwest Louisiana. His music is influenced
by the styles typical of the region : Cajun, Zydeco and
New Orleans rhythm and blues. But, Zachary has
always gone beyond the limitations of any particular style.
With his latest album “Lumière
dans le noir” (Light in the dark), Zachary Richard
goes deeper into his own unique musical universe.
Zachary Richard began his musical career at the age of 8
years. As first soprano of the Bishop’s Boys
Choir at Saint John’s Cathedral in Lafayette Louisiana,
he discovered his love for singing.
After a university career distinguished mostly by the composition
of his first songs and resistance to the war in Vietnam,
Zachary moved to New York City. It was there that he obtained
his first recording contract in 1972. His
first album, “ High Time,” was
recorded at the Record Plant with the crême de
la crême
of New York session musicians. Victim of the politics
attendant upon the creation of WEA, the album was forgotten
for nearly 30 years in the vaults of Electra Records until
rediscovered and finally released on Rhino Records. Bitter
over his treatment at the hands of the recording company,
Zachary fled to France. It was there, assisted by his
close friend, the guitar builder James
Trussart, that
Zachary found an audience. Even more importantly, that
first trip to France in 1974 put him in contact with his
roots.
Zachary Richard grew up in a typical Cajun family. He
learned to speak French from his grandparents, who were of
the last generation of monolingual French speakers in Louisiana. The
Cajun musical tradition and native Louisiana French would
have a tremendous influence on his career. Completely
bilingual, Zachary Richard composes both in English and in
French. While grounded in Louisiana tradition, Zachary has
been able to forge for himself a unique and uniquely personal
voice.
From 1976 until 1981, Zachary lived in Montreal, recording
seven French language albums. Despite critical and commercial
success, including two gold albums, Zachary decided to return
to Louisiana in the early 1980s and began another phase of
his career, recording in English. After two albums for Rounder
Records, “Mardi
Gras Mambo” and the perennial favorite “Zack's
Bon Ton,” Zachary signed with A&M, recording
two albums back to back, “Women
in the Room,” and “SnakeBite
Love.” Non-stop touring and the strength of these
recordings guaranteed Zachary an international following.
In 1994, Zachary appeared at the Congrès Mondial Acadien
(Acadian World Congress) in New Brunswick, his first Canadian
appearance in over six years. That experience affected
him deeply. Returning to his French language, Zachary
recorded his most successful album to date, the double platinum
“Cap Enragé.” He
had swung full circle reestablishing himself as a prominent
singer-songwriter in both Canada and France.
As well as a songwriter, Zachary Richard is a poet. As he
explains, poetry allows him to express a reality which goes
beyond the confines of the popular song while using the same
basic elements: rhythm, meaning, and melody, but in a profoundly
different way. His second collection of French language poetry,
“Faire
Récolte,” published by Les Editions Perce
Neige, recieved the Prix Champlain, in recognition of his « considerable
contribution » to the French language literature
of North America. In his latest collection of poetry, “Feu,”
published by Les Intouchables, Zachary plunges deeper
into the question of francophone identity in North America.
In 1998, Zachary published a fable for children of all ages,
“Conte
Cajun.” The story had originally been written
for his daughter Sarah in 1980 when she was 8 years old. Nearly
20 years later, she found the manuscript hidden in a drawer
and decided to illustrate the story. It relates the
adventures of a band of small animals in the wake of
a devastating hurricane. A follow up, “l’Histoire
de Télésphore et ‘Tit Edvard dans le
nord,” is published by Les Intouchables (Montreal,2007).
Beyond his artistic endeavors, Zachary Richard is committed
defender of the native French language of Louisiana. He is
a founding member of Action
Cadienne, a volunteer organization dedicated to the promotion
of the Cadien language and culture. He produced and narrated
“Against
the Tide,” a one-hour television documentary detailing
the history of the Cajun people from their origins in France
to the present day. The French version, “Contre vents,
contre marées,” was awarded the Prix Historia
in 2000. Zachary is also committed to the preservation
of the natural environment. He continues to collaborate
with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (www.crcl.org/)
in its efforts to protect the wetlands of South Louisiana.
In New Brunswick, Zachary is involved in the effort to restore
the Petit Codiac River (www.petitcodiac.org),
which flows through the heart of Acadie.
Following the hurricanes of 2005 (Katrina & Rita),
Zachary was deeply involved in the relief efforts in Louisiana,
Canada and France. In collaboration with French singer-songwriter
Francis Cabrel, Zachary organized a concert in Paris in November,
2005. This collaboration resulted in raising a considerable
contribution to the relief effort and in the co-writing of
a song, “La promesse cassée” (The Broken
Promise) which appears on “Lumière
dans le noir.” The artists’ royalties
from the song are devoted to aiding New Orleans musicians
impacted by the hurricane.
With “Lumière
dans le noir,” Zachary
Richard presents us not only with a collection of strongly
felt lyrics and powerful melodies, but also confirms his
social commitment. “La ballade de DL 8-153” draws
attention to the plight of the beluga whales of the Saint
Laurence (whales-online.net). "Ô,
Jésus" deals
with the genocide in Rwanda. The writer’s royalties
of this song are dedicated to Mobilisation
Les Enfants du Monde (www.mem-international.org),
to improve the condition of African children. "La Ballade
de Jackie Vautour", first recorded in 1978, pays hommage
to the courage and tenacity of John L. « Jackie » Vautour
who continues to resist the government’s efforts to
expropriate him from his land in what is today the middle
of the Canadian national park, Kouchibouguac.
Zachary Richard lives in a pecan grove somewhere in South
Louisiana with Claude, his wife of 30 years.
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