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by Zydeco by Birth

Roy Carrier

Zydeco by Birth, a feature length documentary, tells the extraordinary story of the legendary Carrier/Carriére family of Southwest Louisiana. From the La-La legends Bebe' and Dolan (The Carriére Brothers) to Dolan's son Calvin and Bebe's son Andrew, through Zydeco Hall of Fame member Roy Carrier, his sons Chubby (Grammy winner) and Dikki Du, to the dozens of Carrier/Carriére family members who play music.

A STORY THAT HAS TO BE TOLD!

Learn more at www.zydecobybirth.com

Zydeco, the music of southern Louisiana, reflects the rich and varied culture of the Creoles - the people of mixed colonial French, African American and Native American ancestry. It is also the music of families. Zydeco by Birth is the story of one of these families - the Carrières, one of the great musical Creole clans of the Atchafalaya Basin.

Roy, Goldman Thibodeaux, Calvin Carrière

Zydeco by Birth is a story of a family and of a culture that the music helped shape. The film will explore the evolution of Zydeco music and culture through one notable family, the Carrières. A dynasty of Zydeco musicians have over a century of oral and recorded traditions, and whose members continue to perform, record, win awards and international acclaim. Their story will contextualize how the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of Black French Creoles shaped South Louisiana’s present cultural and musical identity with archive film footage paired with new interviews with living Carrière family musicians who continue to play Zydeco and continue to evolve the traditions of those that came before with new influences as each generation joins the family “business”.

Andrew Carrier

Southwest Louisiana is home to two regional music styles that are usually regarded in the same breath: Cajun and Zydeco. They have intertwined over the years but are distinct in their origins. Cajun music’s namesake is that of White Acadians. Zydeco music came out of a history of hardships for Black Creoles. Translated from “les haricots, Zydeco sont pas sale (the beans have no salt) Zydeco was distilled from the community, traditions, and spirit of Black French Creoles of Acadiana. A small group of sharecropping families in rural Louisiana developed a genre of dancehall music that has grown in popularity to captivate communities around the world. It is the foundation and sustaining force for the Creole culture of Southwest Louisiana.

Troy Carrier - (Dikki Du)

Through rarely seen interviews with Carrière elders, historians and musicologists combined with songs as performed by different generations will give the audience an invaluable opportunity to see how Zydeco has evolved and continues to be passed down through generations of families who celebrate Black history, joy, and resilience, even in the face of tough times.

Dwight Carrier

In the words of Jeffery Broussard (one of the most influential modern Zydeco artists), “People need to know the Carrière Family story!”

Troy, Chubby, Elaine (Roy's Children)

Bebe Carrière

Laura Carrier

Meet the Filmmakers

Wayne Kahn - Creator and Producer

Wayne Kahn started the Right on Rhythm record label in 1996 to document the DC area blues and roots music scene. Through it he began working with Zydeco Legend Roy Carrier issuing his last 6 cds. Right on Rhythm was acquired by Smithsonian Folkways in 2019. Zydeco by Birth: the story of the Carrière Family of SW Louisiana is a documentary that was originally started 25 years ago and Wayne has taken it as a mission to complete the story.

Eric Breaux - Director

A Cajun filmmaker from Acadia Parish, Louisiana. Eric Breaux has been in the tv & film industry for over 22 years focusing on South Louisiana Cajun & Creole culture.

Breaux is currently producing a weekly french News TV program called La Veillée, a product of Télé-Louisiane TV that spotlights french language in Louisiana.