Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas

Based in Lafayette, Louisiana, US, Nathan Williams and his band play zydeco, the "fast and furious accordion-driven dance music of the Creole people of South Louisiana". Its members include Nathan J. Williams (accordion, vocals), Dennis Paul Williams (lead guitar, background vocals), Mark A. Williams (rubboard, background vocals), Paul Newman (bass guitar), and Herman Brown, Jr. (drums). Nathan Williams grew up in a Creole speaking household in St. Martinville. He had an early interest in zydeco music, and as a child, Nathan attempted to watch a Clifton Chenier performance through the window of a St. Martinville bar, the Casino Club. His brother and band manager, Sid “Sid-O” Williams, was also a major influence, as he received his first accordion from him. The accordion’s previous owner had been Buckwheat Zydeco. Nathan attended Buckwheat’s performances, trying to learn from the experienced showman, and eventually earned the opportunity to perform together. Sidelined by an illness, Nathan felt that it was time to reexamine the priorities in his life, and decided to put together a band. Nathan began his twenty-year profession by performing for free at Sid’s Lafayette, La. club, El-Sid O’s, soon becoming a popular performer on the dance hall circuit. Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas have been featured in numerous movies (The Big Easy), commercials (Budweiser frogs), and television programs. The band received several awards, including Offbeat’s “Best Zydeco Band” and “Best Zydeco Album. Their offical website is zydecochachas.com. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.