Sean Ardoin was born in Eunice, Louisiana, and is a descendant of Amédé Ardoin, referred to as the Father of Zydeco by music scholars for laying the groundwork for Creole music in the early 20th century.[1][2]
Ardoin is also the descendant of noted creole musician Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin and creole musician, Lawrence "Black" Ardoin (father). He is the older brother of hip-hop zydeco accordionist Chris Ardoin.[1][2]
Career
Prior to the release of Kreole Rock and Soul, Sean Ardoin was best known for the release of 2001 "Pullin'", as well as 2009 album "How Great Is Your Love" which marked the first notable zydeco Gospel album.[3] He released the album Kreole Rock and Soul in November 2018.[4]
The album Kreole Rock and Soul was nominated in the 2019 Grammy Awards category "Best Regional Roots Music Album", and Ardoin was also nominated in the category "Best American Roots Performance" for the song Kick Rocks.[5]
Ardoin has performed on MTV's Road Rules, Real World, Fraternity Life, Sorority Life, BET's Comic View, and was featured on CBS Primetime's NCIS New Orleans, Bravo TV's Southern Charm New Orleans, and Queen Sugar on Oprah Winfrey's OWN Network.[6]
In 2019, Ardoin was featured on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.[7]
In 2020, Ardoin released a single, "What Do You See" and video featuring Kirk Whalum, which became a viral anthem of the George Floyd Protests era, commemorated in a feature on the Grammy.com website.[8]