Terrance Simien Artist Profile Extended Version | Page 2

Artist Profile For over 30 years, G RAMMY award winning artist T e rrance Simien , has been shattering the myths about what his indigenous Zydeco roots music is and is not. Leading his Zydeco Experience band, Simien has become one of the most respected and accomplished artists in American roots music. He and his band mates have performed over 7000 concerts, toured millions of miles to over 45 countries during their eventful th career. 2013 marked their 28 consecutive New Orleans Jazz Festival performance: an event that has become the gold standard for showcasing and celebrating all Louisiana music traditions. In 2012 Simien & his band mates are seen performing their original song “Dance Everyday” in the Warner Brothers feature film “The Lucky One” was in theatres worldwide and is now on HBO. Simien’s version of zydeco standard “Unlce Bud” was also used in the film. 2009 marked the release of Disney’s “The Princess & The Frog”, set in the city of New Orleans and featured their first black princess. “Gonna Take You There”, a zydeco flavored song penned by Randy Newman and inspired by Simien’s music. Terrance was a guest musician on the song in a film that made history for his genre. It was the first time Disney featured zydeco and to really seal the deal, the word zydeco was also spoken; introducing millions of families around the globe to this music. In 2005 Simien led HBO producers deep into Creole country for another high visible opportunity for the genre and he introduced them to the prodigious 5 year old zydeco talent, Guyland Leday. This gifted young musician was featured in the HBO doc “The Music in Me: Children’s Recitals from Classical to Latin, Jazz to Zydeco. This was a huge victory for his state, genre and Creole culture. However, it was 2008 that proved to be one of the most memorable years of their eventful career as they were honored with a GRAMMY award, the first in zydeco since th Rockin Sidney Simien received his in1985. They also performed that day at The 50 “ Sim ien is a Zydeco GRAMMY Awards pre-Tel ceremony. Simien was b orn in 1965, into the hippie M aster: his voice folk and soul music era that always intrigued him. He grew artistically being inspired yearning like Sam by all of the music from that period. He was as influenced by Dylan and Simon and th Garfunkel as he was by Sam Cooke and the Commodores. An 8 generation Cooke, he delivers Louisiana Creole his family is documented in history books as one of the first soul worthy of Stax Creole families to settle St. Landry Parish. His musical roots are firmly planted greats and shows alongside the great zydeco pioneers like Chenier, Delafose, Chavis, Ardoin and that other Simien, Rockin Sidney, to name a few. He counts himself one of the fortunate crossover class .” few who hail from a generation with a direct link to these artists, some of whom Rolling Stone mentored him as an emerging talent. He has assumed that same role to a new generation of young Zydeco hot shots because he understands how critical mentoring is to the success of his indigenous music that has become synonymous with the cultural identity of Louisiana and an important part of the musical landscape of this country. In 1983 at the young age of 18, Simien began touring professionally and by 20 he was sharing the stage with Fats Domino and Sarah Vaughn at the Bern Jazz Festival. His career exploded after that and Terrance remains a pivotal part of Zydeco music history. In the early 1980's there were only 2 emerging bands reaching a younger audience with their indigenous roots music the young Terrance Simien & the Mallet Playboys and The Sam Brothers Five. Simien was also vital to the "renaissance" of a genre that was becoming extinct with the passing of each pioneer starting with Clifton Chenier in 1987. By the end of the 1990’s, all of the other influential pioneers had departed. This placed Terrance at the forefront of an exciting period of growth and popularity for his genre. Simien is blessed with an extraordinary talent that expresses the deepest human emotions through the original instrument: The Voice. He takes his audiences on a multicultural tour of the world. His musical language is informed by as the many countries he’s visited on tour. He creates a hypnotic blend of New Orleans funk-reggae-flavored-world-blues-soulful American zydeco roots music that beckons you to your feet and into the groove. He has found a seamless and artful way to deliver his eclectic music as a relevant, evolving artist who is clearly rooted in Creole tradition. Well known for his legendary live performances, Simien also helped change the vocabulary for his genre by introducing complex vocal harmonies, diverse repertoire and carefully crafted high quality recordings. Simien has shared studio & stage with Robert Palmer, Stevie Wonder, Los Lobos, Taj Mahal, Dr. John, the Meters, Alan Toussaint, Paul Simon and Dave Matthews Band to name a few. He & his band mates have been featured in TV commercials and a dozen or more films, including the blockbuster “The Big Easy” which changed the game for Louisiana music in the 80’s. His music has been heard on NPR syndicated radio shows like World Café, American Routes, E-town & House of Blues Radio Hour. Rolling Stone, Billboard, and other notable music industry publications, as well as major daily newspapers have praised his recordings. His extensive discography dates back to vinyl 45’s. In 1991 he was signed to rock label Restless Records by A&R rep Ron Goudie who brought the band Poison to the same label group. In 2005 they