Biography

Van Broussard never broke out to national stardom, but he was a hero and a legend in his native Louisiana, where his blend of rhythm & blues, rock & roll, and Cajun music was eagerly embraced by fans of the regional genre known as "swamp pop." Broussard had a strong, flexible voice that was well suited to the vintage soul and rock numbers that were the staples of his catalog, and backed by a band enriched with horns and keyboards, his sound was warm while spirited enough to fill the dance floor even during slow ballads. His regional hits of the 1960s and '70s can be heard on the 1993 collection Early Years, while 1994's Bayou Boogie Fever and 1997's By Special Request were highlights from his latter-day catalog. Van Broussard was born on March 29, 1937 in Prairieville, Louisiana. The oldest of 12 siblings, Broussard grew up in a musical family. Several of his relatives were well-known Cajun musicians in the area, and his great-grandfather Sydney Babin played fiddle in the house band for the popular country radio show the Louisiana Hayride. When he was ten years old, Broussard struck up a friendship with a guitarist named Pete Franklin, and the youngster set out to learn as many of his tricks as possible, sometimes riding the family's horse out to his home. At the age of 15, Broussard landed a gig playing guitar with the Garson Gautreaux Dixieland Band, and he played regularly with them for several years until one night, someone at a show asked them to play some Elvis Presley tunes. Broussard was the only one to take up the challenge, and he started focusing his energies on rock & roll and honing his skills as a vocalist. In 1957, a severe auto accident that nearly cost him a leg sidelined him for two years, but once he recovered, he assembled a new band and began performing, sometimes sharing the vocal mike with his sister, Grace Broussard. In 1960, Van & Grace Broussard released their debut single, "Feel So Good" b/w "Young Girls," and the following year, Van cut a solo effort, "I Can't Complain" b/w "Winter Wind." Grace would enjoy greater success with singer and pianist Dale Houston; as Dale & Grace, they would top the pop charts in 1963 with the song "I'm Leaving It All Up to You." Van didn't enjoy the same sort of breakthrough, but his 1968 single "Feed the Flame" got a national release on the Bell-distributed Mala label, and in addition to becoming a smash in Louisiana, it broke into the nationwide Top 200, peaking at number 49. While Broussard was offered the opportunity to sign with a big label and take a serious shot at stardom, he admitted he preferred playing dances to concerts and was wary of the commitments that would come with touring and recording for a large corporation. From the 1970s onward, Broussard primarily recorded either for his own label, Bayou Boogie Records, or for the Texas-based CSP Records, and singles like "I'll Pay the Cost," "I Need Somebody Bad," and "If You Don't Love Me (Why Don't You Just Leave Me Alone)" were often heard on radio and jukeboxes in the South. Broussard and his group, the Bayou Boogie Band, were a popular live attraction in Louisiana and the surrounding states well into the 2010s. After years of living with cardiac disease, Van Broussard died on November 17, 2020 at his home in Prairieville. He was 83 years old. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi