Rod Bernard
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Rod Bernard | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Rodney Ronald Louis Bernard[1] |
Born | August 12, 1940 |
Origin | Opelousas, Louisiana, U.S. |
Died | July 12, 2020 New Iberia, Louisiana, U.S. | (aged 79)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 1958–2020 |
Labels | Carl, Jin, Argo, Crazy Cajun, La Louisianne, Arbee, CSP, etc. |
Rod Bernard (August 12, 1940
Life and career
Bernard was born in
Around age eight, Bernard obtained his first
In the mid-1950s, however, Bernard came under the influence of
A follow-up single for Argo, "You're On My Mind", backed with "My Life Is A Mystery", failed to achieve the success of his initial national release. In late 1959, Bernard signed with producer Bill Hall of Beaumont, Texas, who switched the artist to Mercury Records, which unwisely replaced Bernard's earthy swamp pop style with lush violin sections and female choruses.[2] Only one minor hit, "One More Chance", emerged from these Nashville sessions.
Around 1962, Bernard left Mercury for Bill Hall's own Hall-Way label in Beaumont, Texas. Recording with local artists Johnny Winter and Edgar Winter, he released several notable tunes, including "Fais Do Do", "Who's Gonna Rock My Baby", and a rock 'n' roll version of the Cajun folksong "Allons Danser Colinda", the latter of which achieved national airplay (as "Colinda") and remains a regional favorite in south Louisiana and east Texas.
A stint in the
During this period Bernard recorded singles for
Bernard performed infrequently during the 1970s, but returned to his roots by releasing several country and western albums, including Country Lovin and Nightlights And Love Songs. He also issued the album Boogie in Black and White with Clifton Chenier, considered a milestone by many because of its raucous blend of Cajun and black Creole elements. One music writer, John Broven, described it as "a wild and woolly rock 'n' roll set with spontaneity one normally only dreams about," while another, Larry Benicewicz, claimed that "such a masterpiece, no doubt, spawned other 'experiments' like Wayne Toups' 'ZydeCajun' style or, perhaps, a Zachary Richard 'Zach Attack,' a similar fusion of Cajun, zydeco, and R&B."[5][4]
Around 1980, he recorded an album of Fats Domino favorites for Jin, titled A Lot of Dominoes, but the masters disappeared until around 1991, when the tracks were finally released (albeit only on cassette). In 2003, he recorded his first new album in over two decades. Titled Louisiana Tradition, the compact disk appeared on the CSP label of Forney, Texas, and included several new songs, as well as reworkings of vintage south Louisiana tunes like fellow swamp pop musician Bobby Charles' "Later Alligator".
In June 2006, Bernard re-recorded his spoken-word single "A Tear In The Lady's Eye", which he had originally written and recorded in 1968 as a pro-military response to anti-Vietnam War protestors. (The "Lady" of the song is the Statue of Liberty.) In the revised version, however, Bernard addressed Americans who opposed the ongoing war in Iraq. At his own expense, Bernard pressed a handful of CD singles containing the revision, which he distributed for airplay to select radio stations and programs, mainly in south Louisiana.
Many of Bernard's songs have been reissued on compact disk, both in the U.S. and abroad, and continue to receive much regional airplay. Significantly, younger generations of south Louisiana musicians, including C. C. Adcock, Marc Broussard, and Zachary Richard, have acknowledged him as a strong musical influence.[6]
Bernard last performed in public in 2015 at the Ponderosa Stomp music festival in New Orleans. He retired from his career as a radio advertising executive in January 2018.
On July 12, 2020, Bernard's son announced his father's death, following a short illness. Bernard was 79.[7]
Selected discography
Singles
- "All Night In Jail"/"Set Me Free", Carl, (matrix numbers J8OW-1229/J8OW-1230 [issued w/o record number]), 1957.
- "Linda Gail"/"Little Bitty Mama", Carl, (matrix numbers H8OW-2441/H8OW-2442 [issued w/o record number]), 1957.
- "This Should Go On Forever"/"Pardon Mr. Gordon", Jin 105, 1958; Argo 5327, 1959.
- "You're On My Mind", Argo 5338, 1959.
- "One More Chance", Mercury 71507, 1959.
- "Colinda"/"Who's Gonna Rock My Baby", Hall-Way 1902, 1962. ("Colinda" also on Tomorrow's Hits (Vee-Jay Records album))
- "Fais Do Do"/"New Orleans Jail", Hall-Way 1906, 1962.
- "Forgive", Hall 1915, 1962.
- "Diggy Liggy Lo", Hall 1917, 1963.
- "Our Teenage Love"/"Doing The Oo-Wa-Woo", Tear Drop 3044, 1964.
- "You're The Reason I'm in Love"/"My Jole Blon", Tear Drop 3052, 1965.
- "No Money Down"/"Little Green Man", Tear Drop 3060, 1965.
- "Recorded in England"/"This Should Go On Forever", Tear Drop 3117, 1965.
- "Recorded in England"/"Somebody Wrote That Song for Me", Arbee 101, 1965.
- "These Were Our Songs"/"Just Another Lie", Arbee 105, 1966.
- "These Were Our Songs"/"Recorded in England", Scepter 12195, 1967.
- "Papa Thibodeaux", Copyright 2316, 1968.
- "Congratulations To You Darling", Jin 232, 1968.
- "New Orleans Jail"/"Big Mamou", Jin 240, 1969.
- "Sometimes I Talk in My Sleep", Jin 325, 1975.
LPs
- Rod Bernard, Jin 4007, ca. 1965.
- Country Lovin, Jin 9008, 1974.
- Night Lights and Love Songs, Jin 9010, 1975.
- Boogie in Black and White [with Clifton Chenier], Jin 9014, 1976.
- This Should Go On Forever And Other Bayou Classics, Crazy Cajun 1086, 1978.
Cassettes
- A Lot of Dominos, Jin 4012, 1991.
CDs
(* = compilation)
- Swamp Rock 'n' Roller, Ace [UK] CDCHD 488, 1994.*
- The Essential Collection, Jin 9056, 1998.*
- Cajun Blue, Edsel 593 [UK], 1999.*
- Louisiana Tradition, CSP 1018, 1999.
- Boogie in Black and White [with Clifton Chenier], Jin 9014, 1976; issued on CD, 2014.
References
- ^ a b "Rodney Ronald Bernard". Dignity Memorial. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ OL 1728908M.
- ^ Layne, Mark. "Swamp Pop Star Rod Bernard died Sunday". KVPI-FM. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ .
- ^ .
- ^ Orteza, Arsenio (2009-06-19) [1997]. "Zachary Richard (1997)". Rock Is Dead But Won't Lie Down. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
- ^ "Swamp pop legend Rod Bernard dies". KATC (TV). New Iberia, Louisiana. 2020-07-13. Archived from the original on 2022-05-26. Retrieved 2022-05-26.
External links
- That Swamp Pop Sound: Rod Bernard and Cajun Rock 'n' Roll, Part I on YouTubeVideo Documentary
- That Swamp Pop Sound: Rod Bernard and Cajun Rock 'n' Roll, Part II on YouTubeVideo Documentary
- Rod Bernard discography at Discogs