Zydeco in the blood: Corey Ledet
Born in Houston and raised in Missouri City, Texas, Corey Ledet has become a zydeco star in Louisiana, but for him music was always in his blood. Corey traces his roots back to the little town of Parks, Louisiana in Saint Matin Parish. He was not the first person in his family to play music; his great grandfather Gabriel Ledet was a jazz bass player who played with Bunk Johnson and his cousins the Potiers. They played with Ike and Tina Turner, B.B. King, Louis Armstrong, and his cousin and fellow zydeco musician Donna Angelle. But it was his grandfather Bucannan Ledet, who played with Clifton Chenier, Fernest Arceneaux, and Rockin Dupsie, who truly inspired him.
Like his father, grandfather, uncles, and cousins, the drums were his first instrument. At the of 13 is when he would be hired for the first time as a drummer for Wilbert Thibodeaux and Zydeco Rascals. But it was his cousin Leon Sam, member of the Sam Bros Zydeco and based in Houston, who taught him how to handle the accordion.
Well, it was not just the music that interested him. Like so many others in the Creole community, he heard the Creole language all around him but never had the chance to speak it. To change that, he produced his first full Creole album “Médikamen.” He said, “I decided to make an album all in Kouri-Vini to make me learn the language… Now he [my dad] is happy that I’m learning our language and doing my part to keep it going.”
But in the start people thought it was not a good idea due to English replacing Creole in the zydeco scene amongst the young generation who does not listen to a lot of Clifton Chenier, Beau Jacque, and Boozoo. Yet, Corey pushed forward and released “Médikamen” in 2023. Songs such as “Alon Kouri Laba”, “Médikamen”, and “Two-Step a Ben Guiné” made people move. For Corey, he witnessed a great reception. According to him, now there are more artist who are motived to integrate the language in their own music as well. He recognized how much of “big comeback it is for our Creole people,” something that can help reinforce our Creole language.
“Médikamen” was not the end for the signer. On June 2nd, he announced that he is producing an album called “Apé Shanté Lê Blues,” another album all in Kouri-Vini. An album in which we can explore and find the blues through his own eyes. The artist declared, “I have a lot of blues in me.” Thus, for the community, this album is something we would not want to forget.
