Captain Gumbo

Captain Gumbo is a Dutch band formed in 1987, which plays mostly zydeco and Cajun music; that is, music in the French traditions of the U.S. state of Louisiana, based around the diatonic accordion. In 1990, their version of "Allons à Lafayette" (a song first recorded in 1928 by Joe Falcon and Cléoma Breaux) reached No. 30 in the Dutch singles chart. The band was still active .
History.
Captain Gumbo was formed by (diatonic accordion and vocals), Hans Soeteman (bassist in the band RoToR), Joost Witte (drummer) and Gerard de Braconier (guitarist) (two members of the band ). Soeteman was soon replaced by (who later became known as a filmmaker); who was later replaced by Nico Heilijgers; who was himself later replaced by Jan van den Berg. Keyboard player Roel Spanjers (of the band Normaal) has often played with the band, as has saxophonist Jan de Ligt.
Gumbo is a type of stew from Louisiana. It is the official cuisine of that state, which is also the heartland of zydeco and Cajun music. In 1980, Queen Ida released the album "Queen Ida and the Bon Temps Zydeco Band in New Orleans". It includes a song called "Capitaine Gumbo", co-written by her and her brother Al Lewis (AKA Al Rapone). Captain Gumbo covered the song: it is the second track on their first album, "1 More 2 Step". That suggests a possible origin for the band's name.
In 1990, Captain Gumbo released their first CD, "1 More 2 Step". The opening track is their version of the song "Allons à Lafayette", first recorded in 1928 by Joe Falcon and Cléoma Breaux. It was released as a single, and in 1991 it peaked at No. 30 in the official Dutch music singles chart. On the back of that success, the band toured Louisiana, performing at Breaux Bridge, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, meeting their musical heroes such as D. L. Menard, Eddie LeJeune, Rockin' Dopsie, Marc Savoy, Boozoo Chavis, Chubby Carrier, Walter Mouton and Harry LaFleur, and supporting Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys.
Neither "1 More 2 Step" nor the band's next album "Back à la maison" (1992) (whose liner notes included an approving endorsement by record producer Floyd Soileau, who is Cajun) was a commercial success. Their third album, "Chank-a-Chank" (1994), peaked in the official Dutch album chart at #79. Their more recent releases have been commercially unsuccessful.
The band toured widely in the Netherlands, playing both large and small venues, and supported Fats Domino at a concert in Rotterdam Ahoy. They also performed in Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. Since 2001, their live appearances have been less frequent.
Personnel.
Band members have included:
Cover versions by Captain Gumbo.
Many of the numbers performed by Captain Gumbo are their own interpretations (i.e. cover versions) of earlier recordings. One writer claims to have identified more than 70 of them. Such interpretations include: