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Black Snake Blues

Clifton Chenier
Album cover for Black Snake Blues by Clifton Chenier. Features Cleveland Chenier playing rubboard and Clifton playing accordion, both standing outdoors in front of a leafy wall. The top section is green with bold black and white text reading “Clifton Chenier” and “Black Snake Blues.” By the time Clifton Chenier’s third album, Black Snake Blues, was released in 1967, the zydeco originator was already beginning to cultivate an audience that extended far beyond his home bases in Louisiana and the Texas Gulf Coast. It was his first album to be recorded in California, once again with producer and Arhoolie founder Chris Strachwitz. It was also the first full album to feature the core quartet of Chenier, his brother Cleveland on frottoir (rubboard), Robert St. Judy on drums, and Joe Morris on bass, with an appearance by frequent collaborator Felix James Benoit on guitar on “I Got A Little Girl.” Songs like “Black Snake Blues,” which draws on motifs popularized by Victoria Spivey and Blind Lemon Jefferson, and “Walking to Louisiana,” which riffs on a Fats Domino hit, showcase Chenier’s unique ability to update traditional blues and classic R&B for contemporary audiences while making them all his own.

Track Listing

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1
Clifton Chenier
04:23
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2
Clifton Chenier
03:01
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3
Clifton Chenier
03:33
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4
Clifton Chenier
04:22
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5
Clifton Chenier
03:01
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6
Clifton Chenier
04:29
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7
Clifton Chenier
02:26
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8
Clifton Chenier
03:25
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9
Clifton Chenier
03:11
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10
Clifton Chenier
03:10