I was looking for an old piece as past of a project I’m mulling for the near future and I came across this little piece from about 10 years back. It’s one that I remember very well. The movement of the fiddler reminds me of seeing Doug Kershaw as a child on many TV variety shows during a period where he was very visible to the greater public. The Ragin’ Cajun, as he was known, was unlike most other performers that you saw at the time. He was this gaunt, bony creature with dark eyes and big sideburns that had an energy that seemed to always be seething below the surface. He played his fiddle with abandon, cradling it low against his skinny bicep and sometimes flailing at it with his tattered bow.
He seemed pretty cool compared to the Steve Lawrences and that sort that often populated the variety shows of that time. I see the Cajun in this little piece and am thankful for YouTube because I can reference someone like Doug Kersahw and know I can find something to illustrate my point. Here’s a little bit of him from the period, doing Johnny Horton’s Battle of New Orleans.
Have a great Friday.
Redtree Times 
What a great video. It sent me youtubing for a while, and here he is in 1974, four years earlier, playing Willie Nelson’s July 4 bash in Bryan/College Station. Different venue for sure, but just a wonderful rendition of Diggy Diggy Lo.
I swear Cajun music is the happiest in the world.
Great video of one of his trademark songs! Here’s one from 1970 that I almost used, if only for the interest of having Rick Nelson, Johnny Cash and Doug Kershaw perform together.