Beau Jocque

Duralde, LA

Last updated 8/27/2026

Beau Jocque, born Andrus Espre, revitalized zydeco's commercial popularity in the 1990s by incorporating heavier funk, blues-rock, and even rap-influenced rhythmic elements into the genre, building a sound that appealed to younger audiences beyond zydeco's traditional listener base. His 1992 breakthrough hit "Give Him Cornbread" became one of the most popular zydeco recordings of the decade, and his band's driving, bass-heavy sound helped establish a harder-edged subgenre sometimes referred to as "nouveau zydeco" that several subsequent artists continued building on. Jocque's relatively brief career, cut short by his death in 1999 at just 45 years old, nonetheless left a significant mark on zydeco's 1990s commercial resurgence, and his heavier, more contemporary sound directly influenced the genre's subsequent stylistic direction. His combination of "Give Him Cornbread's" major commercial breakthrough and his role modernizing zydeco's sound for a new generation has made Beau Jocque one of the most influential figures in the genre's 1990s revival.

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Top 6 Zydeco Artists of All Time
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