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June 5, 2014
It wasn’t quite a swan song – Jimmy Clanton has no plans to retire.
But the man some call the Elvis Presley of Swamp Pop gave a special farewell performance to the region where he grew up, an “up close and personal” appearance Friday that packed the Cajun Country event center in Raceland.
The country crooner said the venue made all the difference in the world.
“I used to play all along the bayou country,” the 73-year-old Golden Meadow native said. “I wanted to do my show in a central location. It worked perfectly at the Cajun Event Center; the one word I would use to describe it was electric. The energy kept me so pumped up I will have to say with no reservations it was the greatest performance that I have ever performed, ever, and I have played Madison Square Garden, Lincoln Center, some of the biggest and best arenas in the world.”
Appearing at casinos and arenas nationwide, Clanton’s dance card is full through 2015 at least.
The center’s manager, Shannon Ledet, is credited by Clanton with making the appearance work well on short notice. The center, which hosts weddings and other events as well as occasional concerts, was praised for its acoustics and atmosphere.
“It was amazing, it gave me goose bumps, there were tears in my eyes,” Ledet said of the concert. She is hoping its success will pave the way for other high-profile acts. “This was a big deal to me because this gentleman was so popular 10 years before I was born. I felt very honored that he chose our venue for his show.”
Known for “Venus and Bluejeans” and “Just A Dream,” Clanton’s still-velvet voice treated spectators to a newer tune, “Lovin’ Louisiana” to close the show.
His music can be sampled on the website jimmyclanton.com.
And how did it feel to trot out “Venus” in an age when bobby sox are an ancient memory?
Wonderful, Clanton said.
“Venus draws my fans, whether you are 90 or 19, back through that time machine into the beautiful days and times we all loved, the time of the ‘57 Chevys,” Clanton said. “It gives us an opportunity to get away from the nasty now-and-now.”
Jimmy Clanton performs in his native Lafourche Parish in his last local show, for now at least. Clanton is best known for his hits “Venus and Bluejeans” and “Just a Dream.”
