Chavis, Wilson Anthony

▪ 2002

“Boozoo” 

      American singer and accordion player (b. Oct. 23, 1930, Dog Hill, Lake Charles, La.—d. May 5, 2001, Austin, Texas), helped popularize zydeco music with such hits as “Paper in My Shoe” (1954). Chavis made numerous recordings in the 1950s but, after a dispute with his record company, gave up performing for more than two decades. He launched a successful comeback in the 1980s, touring widely and releasing a string of new albums, including Louisiana Zydeco Music (1986) and Zydeco Homebrew (1988). Chavis, who by the 1990s had earned the nickname “king of Zydeco,” was especially noted for his mastery of the diatonic button accordion.

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