mr. R. Zachary richard
1999 Recipient
International Achievement Award
Singer, songwriter and poet, Zachary Richard was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1950. At an early age he became fascinated by his grandparents’ French language and culture, and unlike many of his contemporaries, he began to converse with them in their native Louisiana French.
Zachary graduated summa cum laude from Tulane University in 1972 with a degree in history, and moved to New York to pursue a singing career. After his first few recording sessions, he bought himself a Cajun accordion; soon he was converted by Cajun music. In the early ’70s, he was the first to integrate traditional Cajun music into a contemporary format, mixing his grandparents’ music with that of his own generation.
From 1976 until 1981, Zachary resided in Montréal, where he recorded seven French-language albums. After critical and commercial success and two gold albums, Zachary returned to Louisiana in the early ’80s to establish his home and to begin another phase of his career, recording in English. This culminated in the nationally recognized album, Snake Bite Love. Nonstop touring and the strength of his recordings guaranteed him an international following. By 1995, he had swung full circle, returning to recording in French and reestablishing his presence in both Canada and France.
In 1980, Zachary published his first collection of French poetry, Voyage de Nuit. His second collection, Faire Récolte, was awarded the Prix Littéraire Champlain.
The first Congrès Mondial in New Brunswick in 1994 galvanized Zachary’s commitment to the Cadien culture. For the first time in a dozen years, he wrote entirely in French and released Cap Enragé, which earned him two Félix awards--the Québec equivalent of Grammy awards--and platinum disc status. He has been decorated as an Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French government and has received the Prix Mirior from the Festival d’Eté of Québec.
Zachary returned to Louisiana from the Congrès and established Action Cadienne, a grassroots movement to preserve, promote and protect the Cadien French language. From its inception in 1995, this organization has contributed time and funding to programs which support French language and culture in Louisiana.
Also in 1995, Zachary realized that in order to more effectively relate the history of the Cadien people and to protect the French language, Action Cadienne required a film to tell the story. To this end, he has begun work on “Contre vents et marées” or “Against the Wind, Against the Tide,” scheduled for release this fall.