LISA HALEY AND THE ZYDECATS

When Lisa Haley’s soaring, compelling “cornbread” voice holds court in the “One World Swamp”, worlds collide!
Her passionate songs, boundless energy and blue violin “Louie” have made her an international ambassador of Americana/Cajun/Zydeco. Lisa’s distinctive sound embraces the multi-faceted genres of Louisiana music, including its French, Irish Celtic, Blues and Jazz genres, in which she is well-versed. Her music celebrates the power of family songs and stories to convey our shared human emotion, and her perspective over time of the cultural journey transforming Cajun/Zydeco into its modern forms.

A fourth-generation fiddler and descendant of immigrants who arrived in Roddy Bayou, Louisiana in 1718, Lisa was born to parents originally from Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia and Virginia. A descendant of Francis Scott Key and F. Scott Fitzgerald, kin to the LeBoeuf, Broussard, Lambert and Thibodaux families,
young Lisa grew up in California under mentorship of several Louisiana-born icons:
– GRAMMY winner Queen Ida (grew up in Daly City, CA,)
– Danny Poulard (40 year resident of San Francisco, CA.) and
– Protégé of Cajun accordion legend Joe Simien (50 year resident of South Los Angeles, CA,) performing in Joe’s band for 15 years.
Bringing progressive Louisiana music to a worldwide audience reaches far beyond a career playing solely traditional genre. Lisa has worked with Beatles producer Sir George Martin, multi-Grammy winner/producer Keb’Mo’, Grammy-winning artists Queen Ida, Al Rapone, Rockin’ Sydney (“Don’t Mess with My Toot-toot”,) Randy Newman, Lyle Lovett, Taj Mahal, John Hiatt, Brian Setzer, and a host of others.
She has been music director for Emmy-winning “Late Mr. Pete Show,” with roles in “The Beverly Hillbillies Movie” (Jim Varney); “Man in the Moon” (Jim Carey); “Red Dragon” (Sir Anthony Hopkins); “Forgetting Sarah Marshall”; and on NBC-TV show “Las Vegas” performing her Zydeco and playing with the legendary Little Richard. She recently appeared in Hollywood Bowl Summersounds, presented by the L.A. Philharmonic Assn, a theatrical production based on 10 of Lisa’s songs.
Lisa performs a world-class show of traditional and contemporary Americana/Cajun/Zydeco music from the Bayous and Swamps. She tours in more than 20 countries and the US, performing up to 150 days a year to millions of fans in concerts and festivals, films, TV, commercials radio and educational shows worldwide and spreading her infectious “Zydecosis” to all ages in the “One World Swamp.”