The name Doug Kershaw usually brings to mind images of a whirling, fiddling, wild man aptly nicknamed The Ragin Cajun; long before this phrase became a common adjective for anyone from the Louisiana Bayous. And, folks, Doug Kershaw is the real deal when it comes to Ragin Cajuns. His signature theme song, "Louisiana Man" is an autobiographical story of his short childhood in the swamps and bayous of Louisiana's Cajun Country. A picturesque and dangerous place where Doug's Daddy Jack hunted gators and other swamp critters with his brothers, and his mother did her best to keep Doug and his younger brother, Rusty, from falling off the houseboat into the murky water. As a distraction from their rough way of life, the Cajuns had a long tradition of dancing and music-making. Saturday night was the time for the French "Fais-do-dos", where there was as much drinking and fighting as music playing. It was common for these French-speaking people to be illiterate but be able to play several instruments with no formal training.Daddy Jack played the French accordion as did Doug's brothers Edward and Peewee. Mama Rita played the guitar and some fiddle. Some time around the age of 5 Doug picked up the fiddle, too, and fiddle playing would never be the same.
In the late 60's Doug Kershaw seemed to explode out of nowhere with his amazingly unique fiddling and singing style. Actually he'd been performing onstage since the age of 9, eventually joining the Grand Ole Opry with brother Rusty when he was just 22. Doug's big break came when he was asked to be on the premiere episode of the Johnny Cash Television Show in 1969 with Johnny, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell. Since then he's performed on the same stage with such major stars as, John Lennon, Ringo Starr, The Rolling Stones, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Waylon and Shooter Jennings, Roger Miller, Jay Leno and the Denver Symphony Orchestra to name just a tiny few.Doug Kershaw nearly single-handedly brought Cajun music and the Cajun culture out of the swamps and into the popular culture. We can be glad he is still out there fiddling, singing and tearing around the stage as the original Ragin' Cajun!
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