Beau Jocque Dead At 45

"Jocque's burly charisma and the Hi-Rollers' ferocious groove make them one of the crawfish circuit's hottest draws and the reason today's zydeco dances are packed with young Creole couples."

Monday September 13 - His idols were the 70's funk band "War" and "Z-Z Top" but what he did to revitalise the ancient Zydeco music of south Louisiana Cajuns will remain his legacy. Beau Jocque died of an apparent heart attack just hours after a weekend concert. He was 45. Cajun "Zydeco" is a type of rhythm and blues with an accordion providing central music. Jocque gained national prominence by infusing the contemporary beats of pop music.

Extract from his record company bio:

"With his imposing six-foot-six, 270-pound presence and raw Howlin' Wolf-like vocals, Beau Jocque is the most sensational Zydeco band leader in Southern Louisiana today. Part of a new breed of Louisiana-based rural bands who play Zydeco music with a modern edge, Jocque and his Zydeco Hi-Rollers have become, in just a few short years, the biggest draw on the South Louisiana/East Texas dancehall circuit, and the most exciting of several young bands pushing the limits of the music's traditional boundaries.

A relative newcomer to the Zydeco scene, Beau Jocque (aka Andrus Espre) only began to play music in 1987, after an industrial accident left him partially paralysed. For 10 months he recuperated, and, with little to do, took up his father's Cajun button accordion. Says Jocque, "After I figured I might be able to play this thing, my wife and I went out to see all the local Zydeco groups to analyse what made them work. We checked out C.J. Chenier, Buckwheat Zydeco, Boozoo Chavis, John Delafose, and I'd watch the crowd. When they got real excited, I'd try to feel what was happening. I realised that when you get the whole thing just right, it's going to move the crowd".

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