A guitar player since his teenage years, he hung out at the Blues Box, a music club and cultural center in Baton Rouge run by guitarist Tabby Thomas. Playing guitar alongside Thomas, Raful Neal, Henry Gray and other high-profile regulars at the club, Benoit learned the blues first-hand from a faculty of living blues legends. He formed a trio in 1987 and began playing clubs in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. He began touring other parts of the south two years later and started touring more of the United States in 1991- and he continues to this day.
Benoit landed a recording contract with the Texas-based Justice Records and released a series of well-received recordings, beginning in 1992 with Nice and Warm, an album that prompted comparisons to blues guitar heavyweights like Albert King, Albert Collins and even Jimi Hendrix. Despite the hype, Benoit has done his best over the years to maintain a commitment to his Cajun roots— a goal that often eluded him when past producers and promoters tried to turn him and his recordings in a rock direction, often against his better instincts. These Blues Are All Mine, released on Vanguard in 1999 after Justice folded, marked a return to the rootsy sound that he’d been steered away from for several years.
That same year, he appeared on Homesick for the Road, a collaborative album on the Telarc label with fellow guitarists Kenny Neal and Debbie Davies. Homesick not only served as a showcase for three relatively young but clearly rising stars, but also launched Benoit’s relationship with Telarc that came to fruition in 2002 with the release of Wetlands —arguably the most authentically Cajun installment in his entire ten-year discography.
On Wetlands, Benoit mixes original material like the autobiographical “When a Cajun Man Gets the Blues” and the driving “Fast and Free” with little-known classics like Li’l Bob & the Lollipops’ “I Got Loaded,” Professor Longhair’s “Her Mind Is Gone” and Otis Redding’s timeless “These Arms of Mine” (Tab’s vocal style has long been influenced by Redding).
Later in 2002, Benoit released Whiskey Store, a collaborative recording with fellow guitarist and Telarc labelmate Jimmy Thackery as well as harpist Charlie Musselwhite and Double Trouble—the two-man rhythm section of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton that backed Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Benoit, in 2003, released Sea Saint Sessions, recorded at Big Easy Recording Studio (better known among musicians in the region as Sea Saint Studio) in New Orleans. In addition to Benoit and his regular crew—bassist Carl Dufrene and drummer Darryl White—Sea Saint Sessions includes numerous guest appearances by Big Chief Monk Boudreaux, Cyril Neville, Brian Stoltz and George Porter.
That same year, Benoit and Thackery took their dueling guitar show on the road and recorded a March 2003 performance at the Unity Centre for Performing Arts in Unity, Maine. The result was Whiskey Store Live, a high-energy guitar fest released in February 2004.
Benoit's 2005 release is Fever for the Bayou,which also includes guest appearances by Cyril Neville (vocals and percussion) and Big Chief Monk Boudreaux (vocals).
An interview with Tab Benoit:
http://www.thecelebritycafe.com/interviews/tab_benoit.html
Jambalaya
Tab Benoit Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I got to go, pull the pirogue down the bayou
My Yvonne, she's the sweetest one, me oh, my oh
Son of a gun, we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
Said, jambalaya, craw fish pie, fillet gumbo
'Coz tonight I'm gonna see my machez amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh
Well, Thibodaux and the Fountainbleaux, the place was buzzin'
Kin folk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
Dressed in style, go hog wild, me oh, my oh
Son of a gun, we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
Jambalaya, craw fish pie, fillet gumbo
'Coz tonight I'm gonna see my machez amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh
Son of a gun, we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
Goodbye Joe, I got to go, me oh, my oh
I got to move far from town, get myself a pirogue
I won't take a whole of my friends out on the bayou
Padle away to see my old friend, Woodrow
Well, Jambalaya, craw fish pie, fillet gumbo
'Coz tonight I'm gonna see my machez amio
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh
Son of a gun, we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
I said, son of a gun, we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
Son of a gun, gonna have big fun on the bayou
The lyrics to Tab Benoit’s song 'Jambalaya' tell the story of a man named Joe who needs to leave his hometown and travel down the bayou. He is leaving his lover, Yvonne, behind but is excited about the prospect of going on an adventure. Joe and Yvonne will both have big fun on the bayou. The chorus teaches us about Louisiana’s cuisine and the type of music that will accompany them along their journey.
Joe takes his pirogue, a small flat-bottomed boat, down the bayou to meet up with a friend named Woodrow. Along the way, they will indulge in Louisiana’s traditional dishes such as jambalaya, crawfish pie, and fillet gumbo. They will sing songs and play music, pick guitars, and fill jars full of fruit to be merry as they travel down the bayou.
The lyrics in 'Jambalaya' conjure up images of a lively and culturally-rich Louisiana. It inspires listeners to go on an adventure, enjoy the finer things in life, and be merry with friends. The song encapsulates Louisiana's vibrant spirit, and the way of life saturated in music, food, and camaraderie.
Line by Line Meaning
Goodbye Joe, I got to go, me oh, my oh
I bid farewell to my friend Joe and announce my departure with great enthusiasm
I got to go, pull the pirogue down the bayou
I need to leave and take my small flat-bottomed boat down the Mississippi River
My Yvonne, she's the sweetest one, me oh, my oh
My girlfriend Yvonne is the kindest person I know
Son of a gun, we're gonna have big fun on the bayou
I vow to have a great time on the river
Said, jambalaya, craw fish pie, fillet gumbo
I'll be enjoying the local cuisine, including spicy rice, savory pie, and seafood stew
'Coz tonight I'm gonna see my machez amio
My dear friend and fellow musician is coming to see me tonight
Pick guitar, fill fruit jar and be gay-oh
I plan to play music, drink, and enjoy myself
Well, Thibodaux and the Fountainbleaux, the place was buzzin'
Thibodaux and the Fountainbleau are lively locations where everyone is excited
Kin folk come to see Yvonne by the dozen
Many of Yvonne's relatives come to visit her
Dressed in style, go hog wild, me oh, my oh
Everyone is dressed nicely and ready to have a great time
I got to move far from town, get myself a pirogue
I need to relocate away from the city and acquire a small boat
I won't take a whole of my friends out on the bayou
I don't plan to bring all of my friends with me on my river journeys
Padle away to see my old friend, Woodrow
I will paddle my boat to visit my old friend, Woodrow
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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