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Over the last few years, most of the zydeco news has been focused ì on the younger bands--the musicians ready to take up where ì Clifton Chenier left off. While this was going on, though, ì Boozoo Chavis, an old-timer who started recording before most of ì the newcomers were born, made an end run around all the ì youngsters and became zydeco's main man on the Texas-Louisiana ì circuit in 1990. This album collects Chavis's early recordings, ì made between with mid-'50s and early '60s for Louisiana's ì Goldband label. Without question, these are among the most raw ì sounding--and among the most bizarre--performances ever to make ì it onto tape, but they're also refreshingly personal and ì spontaneous.