The Sugar Maple Music Festival, with the help of a grant from Dane Arts, is pleased to announce another session in the Virtual Roots & Reasons Series. 

One of the brightest young talents to emerge in Cajun, Creole and Zydeco music over the last decade, Cedric Watson is a four-time Grammy-nominated fiddler, singer, accordionist & songwriter with seemingly unlimited potential.

Friday, March 12, 2021
5:30 pm CST
Streaming live on Facebook

Originally from San Felipe, TX, Cedric made his first appearance at the age of 19 at the Zydeco Jam at The Big Easy in Houston, TX. Just two years later, he moved to south Louisiana, quickly immersing himself in French music and language. Over the next several years, Cedric performed French music in 17 countries and on 7 full-length albums with various groups, including the Pine Leaf Boys, Corey Ledet, Les Amis Creole with Ed Poullard and J.B. Adams, and with his own group, Bijou Creole.

With an apparently bottomless repertoire of songs at his fingertips, Cedric plays everything from forgotten Creole melodies and obscure Dennis McGee reels to more modern Cajun and Zydeco songs, even occasionally throwing in a bluegrass fiddle tune or an old string band number. Unlike many of his contemporaries, he is also a prolific songwriter, writing almost all of his songs on his double row Hohner accordion. Cedric’s songs channel his diverse ancestry (African, French, Native American and Spanish) to create his own brand of sounds.

Cedric’s albums are a tapestry of pulsing rhythms and Creole poetry, and his live performances are unforgettable, all at once progressive and nostalgic.

“To propel our Louisiana culture into the future seems to be quite a task, but if one lives for the music as Cedric does, the path seems effortless. These songs may well be early brushstrokes of a life’s worth of possibilities, not only for himself, but also for the identity survival of a culture.” -Michael Doucet

Join Hubby Jenkins for a live online performance September 22
Show is first in Sugar Maple supported “Virtual Roots & Reasons” series

Hubby Jenkins, who mesmerized the Sugar Maple Music Festival audience in 2019, is a talented multi-instrumentalist who endeavors to share his love and knowledge of old-time American music. Born and raised in Brooklyn he delved into his southern roots, following the thread of African American history that wove itself through America’s traditional music forms. As an integral member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and later Rhiannon Giddens band, Hubby has performed at festivals and venues around the world, earning himself both Grammy and Americana award nominations. Today he spreads his knowledge and love of old-time American music through his dynamic solo performances and engaging workshops.

The Sugar Maple Music Festival, with the help of a grant from Dane Arts, is proud to support Hubby’s live online show (link to performance) on Sept. 22 at 7 pm CST where he will read a “Create your own adventure book,” perform songs and talk about his music.

Hubby’s show is the first in a series of online shows supported by the Sugar Maple Music Festival – performances and conversation about the music with a number of diverse artists including an October 4 (10 am CST) performance by Piedmont Bluz, and an in-depth interview and concert by Grammy nominated solo artist, songwriter and Native Daughters member Amythyst Kiah scheduled for October 10.

Watch our Facebook page for details on all the upcoming shows.