Written by Bill DeYoung
Originally published in Connect Savannah
During his 40 years in the business of show, Lafayette, Louisiana native Major Handy has held a lot of titles, including Broke Musician.
It never seemed to faze him, however—for years he owned and operated Handy’s Auto Sales and Body Shop, he was a deputy sheriff in St. Martin Parish, and during a lengthy one-man-band run though Canada, his gimmick was to cook up a pot of Cajun gumbo before every show (he’s Creole, not Cajun, but heck, money is money).
The zydeco guitarist, piano accordion player and singer performs Aug. 9 at the Mars Theatre in Springfield, in Effingham County. It’s the fourth in a series of six Mars concerts in support of American roots and blues artists through a fine organization called the Music Maker Relief Foundation.
Handy played guitar in Rockin’ Dopsie’s band for a dozen years. “We used to see Clifton [Chenier] and Buckwheat [Zydeco] all the time,” Handy explained to Living Blues. “Clifton was my buddy. He always wanted me to fix things for him. All those guys know each other. Buckwheat played with Clifton for a while, and when he left to build his own band, he asked me to play guitar in his band. I played with Buckwheat for about a year.
“He’s a sweet guy, but I wanted to have my own band. He respects me as a musician. They all do. They know who I am. They know how much I know. They’ll tell you the truth.”
He’d started, as the teenage son of a sharecropper, playing R&B and rock ‘n’ roll. “Otis Redding had come to Saint Martinville to play at the Dew Drop Inn, and he had a band,” Handy said. “To me that was amazing. He had just come out of Georgia. All the hometown folks were there. For some reason, the guitar player couldn’t play.
“They said, ‘Anybody play guitar in the house?’ I raised my hand up. So, I played with him—just like that. And, he wanted to take me on the road with him, but my mom said, ‘No.’ She didn’t want to let her little baby go.”
Major Handy’s not exactly a household name, but in zydeco circles, he commands respect. I have pride in everything I do,” he told Living Blues. “I don’t give a shit what people think. I’m just going to be good as I am. Whatever that is. I don’t know if that’s good or bad, but I know I’m doing the best I can. Every time I hit the stage, I’m going to give it my all.”
Tickets are $15 advance at marstheatre.com, and will be $20 at the door.
Originally published August 5, 2014
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