That Swamp-Pop Sound: Rod Bernard & Cajun Rock'n'Roll Part 1

NOTE: A higher resolution version of this video can now be seen at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcO90EITxqk

This is part one of a documentary I made in 1986 about my father, swamp pop musician Rod Bernard. I think it came out well, even though I couldn't get Dad to stop using his "announcer voice" during the interview segments. Dad still plays music today on occasion, and still works in TV (albeit for a different station). My grandfather, who appears in the video, died about a decade ago. This video got me into NYU Film School, which I quit after about a month.

You can see part II of the documentary at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Efi9fOCeASk

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Swamp Pop
• Swamp Pop Music
• Rod Bernard
• Cajun
• Cajuns
• south Louisiana
• Louisiana
• Rock 'n' Roll
• Rhythm and Blues
• Acadiana
• Acadian
• Acadians
• Opelousas

[sthugh]

@considerthesauce You may be right. Thanks for the correction.

[considerthesauce]

@sthugh Mate, your are confusing swamp rock and swamp pop. Pigeonholes can be limiting, but in this case they are useful.

[shrimpcity]

Nice piece. thanks

[sthugh]

@h2oholt Not only that, but my own feeling is that people are woefully misapplying the label "swamp rock" these days. Cajun music is fine, but it has nothing in common with what we called swamp rock back in the 60-70s. Swamp rock is generally a telecaster driven funked-up merge of rock with country, Poke Salad Annie being the prime example along with Jerry Reed's Amos Moses, or even Suzie Q before them both. Roy Buchanan's version of Haunted House is another fine example.

[CajunRouxGumbo]

Semper Fi to Rod and cpkphil and all you Marines out there. I was in the Corps a bit later but not by much. I cut my teeth on Rod's music along with many more great musicians from south Louisiana and southeast Texas. Live in Vegas now but the best music is still Swamp Pop and Blue-eyed soul.

[moorebob1]

Where is Skip

[cpkphil]

We were in the USMC at the same time!!

[h2oholt]

I hate to tell you this but creedence was from northern california. The whole band.

[Trying00]

Rod and I worked together in the 60's at KVOL......what a great man

[xj14y]

That's gotta be Jim Olivier doing the voice-over.

Awesome vid. Not enough of it around on the 'net.

Anyone have an archive of the "videos" played on Passe Partout? That would be a kick.