Acadiana Zydeco band Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas make an appearance on Rounder Record’s 40th anniversary concert special. The event, which will be broadcast throughout the month of March on PBS, was filmed in October of 2009 at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. The anniversary concert will be available for purchase through Rounder Records on May 4.

The event was filmed by High Five Entertainment and all the artists involved will be donating royalties and Rounder will be donating a percentage of the profits to NARAS’ Grammy in the Schools Programs to cultivate the understanding, appreciation and advancement of the contribution of recorded music to American culture.



Dissecting the Press Release: Rounder 40th Anniversary
The event is a superb (nice adjective, classy) exhibition of Rounder’s diverse roster (translation: “We’ve got movies stars, rock stars, zydeco guys, a famous comedian who plays banjo, and Mary Chapin Carpenter), and features Grammy® (why the registered trademark? Who cares? Is it really necessary to inform the public that “Grammy” is a registered trademark? Like we’re all going to go out, print, and sell T-Shirts next week with “Grammy” on it because they didn’t specify they were trademarked???) winning Rounder artists Alison Krauss & Union Station (applause, Union Station?)  featuring Jerry Douglas (a god), Mary Chapin Carpenter (good, but has been off the radar for a while since she did that video with BeauSoleil), Bela Fleck (really good, but people are still trying to wrap their heads around the words “jazz” and “banjo” in the same sentence), and Irma Thomas (yeah Louisiana!) along with musical host Minnie Driver (she plays music now?), and special guests Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas and Jazz/R&B pianist, Henry Butler (cool. Louisiana getting a little airtime but they’ve billed most of the Louisiana contingent simply as “special guests.” Come on, Rounder! Tighten it up ). The DVD will include performances by these artists as well as select performances from Steve Martin’s show (he’s actually really good) at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, from Alison Krauss and Robert Plant’s 2008 CMT “Crossroads” special, and from Madeleine Peyroux’s (she’s got a Cajun-sounding last name, but she’s a jazz singer/guitarist lady from Georgia) 2009 concert in Los Angeles.



Rounder Anniversary DVD Performances:

1. Cold Dark River – Minnie Driver
2. Beloved – Minnie Driver *
3. Outside People – Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas *
4. Think About the Good Times – Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas
5. Rich Woman – Robert Plant | Alison Krauss
6. River Is Waiting – Irma Thomas *
7. Don’t Mess With My Man – Irma Thomas
8. Dance Me to the End of Love – Madeleine Peyroux *
9. Don’t Wait Too Long – Madeleine Peyroux
10. Restless – Alison Krauss and Union Station feat. Jerry Douglas
11. Gravity – Alison Krauss and Union Station feat. Jerry Douglas
12. Pitkin County Turn Around – Steve Martin
13. Daddy Played the Banjo – Steve Martin **
14. Saga of the Old West – Steve Martin  
15. Keys to the Kingdom – Béla Fleck *
16. Another Morning – Bela Fleck
17. Why Shouldn’t We – Mary Chapin Carpenter
18. Mrs. Hemingway – Mary Chapin Carpenter **
19. He Thinks He’ll Keep Her – Mary Chapin Carpenter
20. Medley: Angeles Watching Over Me/ I’ll Fly Away/ Down by the Riverside – Grand Finale