Terrance Simien

Terrance Simien "probably has the best voice in his genre" and a live performance thatwas voted by Billboard Magazine as one of the Top Ten Live Performance Acts of the Year.  This eclectic artist headlines festivals of all types worldwide. His legendary liveperformance is guaranteed to get your audience involved, excited and grooving like you havenever seen before! This all ages show works well in many different formats: World, Folk,Americana, International, Blues or even Jam band. He showers his ecstatic audiences withhandfuls of authentic Mardi Gras beads and invites them on stage for a percussion jam. Thisis the sound that put the Creole culture of Louisiana on the map and is delivered by one ofthe most innovative artists in the genre. He furthers his effort to raise the awarenessabout his indigenous music and Creole heritage by presenting an acclaimed Arts-in-EducationCreole for Kidz and the History of Zydeco (with a companion CD) performance for students K-12 at schools, festivals and art centers around the country.

This ÒZydeco MasterÓ and native Creole of Louisiana is already a legend in his genreafter nearly two decades as a professional touring and recording artist. He hasconsistently diversified and shaped his beloved zydeco music into a sound uniquely his. Atrue visionary, his audience expects him to push the creative envelope. Whether he iscreating new zydeco standards or re-creating a cover to sound refreshingly new he does itall with unconventional arrangements and instrumentation. He delivers this eclectic fusionof sound with astonishing vocals that are often compared to Sam Cooke, Aaron Neville or AlGreen.ÒSimien has the fluid expressive pipes of a great R&B singer.Ó

            In a genre that is rarely recognized by mainstream media, Simien is one of a select fewwho have been given the nod from and featured by Rolling Stone and Time Magazine, VH-1 andCNN Worldbeat just to name a few. He has been featured on House of Blues Radio Hour withDan Aykroyd sponsored by the Louisiana Office of Tourism.

             He has toured with roots greats Los Lobos and pop sensation Robert Palmer. He hasperformed and recorded with Paul Simon. He recently, (2001) toured with the Dave MatthewsBand; a real testament to the level of artistry Simien has achieved in his 20 year artisticevolution. Dave introduced him each night urging his audience Òto take noticeÓ of hisfriends from Louisiana and then later joined Terrance for a duet during his set. MilwaukeeJournal Sentinel/MinneapolisTribune

            He has worked in film, both on screen and on soundtrack. He co-wrote a song with DennisQuaid for the movie ÒThe Big Easy.Ó At Bill ClintonÕs second inaugural celebration StevieWonder joined Simien on stage to play harmonica as the band performed for the President andMrs.Clinton at The Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C.

             His latest release, entitled The Tribute Sessions honors 10 legendary artists throughtheir own songs; those who profoundly inspired him. He also shares through narration, somevery personal stories about each of these remarkable artists. This timely tribute clearlyreflects his rare and valuable capacity to honor the past while remaining decidedly focused on the future. The most recognized music source for Louisiana music, Offbeat Magazine in New Orleans voted it in the Top 50 CDÕs of 2001.

 Thursday, February 7, 2008 7:30 p.m.

 http://www.terrancesimien.com/