Amede Ardoin

Amédé Ardoin (March 11, 1898—1941 or 1950) was one of the greatest Creole musicians of the 20th century, Ardoin was one of the few Creole musicians to make commercial recordings before the era of Clifton Chenier. Known for his high singing voice and virtuosity on the ten-button (diatonic or "Cajun") accordion, he is credited by Louisiana music scholars with laying the groundwork for Cajun & Creole music in the early 20th century.

Ardoin, with fiddle player Dennis McGee, was one of the first artists to record the music of the Acadiana region of Louisiana. In December 1929, he and McGee recorded six songs for Columbia Records in New Orleans. In all, thirty-four recordings with Ardoin playing accordion are known to exist.

The date and place of his death is uncertain and in dispute, although some historical accounts list it as November 4, 1941. Descendants of family members and musicians who knew Amédé tell a story, now well-known, about a racially motivated attack on Amédé in which he was severely beaten, probably between 1939-49, while walking home after playing at a house dance near Eunice, LA. The most common story says that some white men were angered when a white woman, daughter of the house, lent her handkerchief to Amédé to wipe the sweat from his face. Canray Fontenot and Wade Fruge, in PBSs "American Patchwork", explain that after Amédé left the place, he was run over by a Model A car and crushed his head and throat, damaging his vocals chords. He was found the next day, lying in a ditch. According to Canray, he "went plumb crazy" and "didn't know if he was hungry or not. Others had to feed him. He got weaker and weaker until he died." Others consider the story apocryphal. Other versions say that Amédé was poisoned, not beaten, possibly by a jealous fellow musician.

Contemporaries said that Amédé suffered from impaired mental and musical capacities later in his life probably from that infamous night. He ended up in an asylum in Pineville, LA. Author Michael Tisserand in his book The Kingdom of Zydeco concludes that Amédé probably died in the asylum, though no definitive record of his death exists.

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