ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 8
BY REPRESENTATIVE COX
A RESOLUTION
To commend Jamie Berzas upon his 2019 induction into the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall
of Master Folk Artists.
WHEREAS, established in 1976, the Louisiana Folklife Center is a research facility
that serves as an archival repository of eight hundred artist and subject files, one thousand
five hundred audio recordings, one hundred videotapes, a growing print library of books and
periodicals, and five thousand photographs; these resources have been used by CBS Evening
News, Turner Broadcasting Company, and Louisiana Public Broadcasting and other
individuals, groups, and agencies; its faculty also coordinates the Natchitoches-Northwestern
State University Folklife Festival; and
WHEREAS, an agency of Northwestern State University, the Center's mission is to
identify, document, and present Louisiana's rich history of folklore and folklife; and
WHEREAS, Mamou-born Jamie Berzas began his musical journey at the age of ten,
when his father taught him how to play the accordion; Jamie also learned how to play the
guitar and the drums; and
WHEREAS, in 1979 in his hometown, he founded Jamie Berzas and the Cajun
Tradition Band, of which he is the lead vocalist; the Cajun Tradition Band played at the 1984
World's Fair in Louisiana and the 1987 Annual Cajun Music Festival at Loretta Lynn's Dude
Ranch; and
WHEREAS, Jamie's band was awarded the title of Musicien Du Bal after winning
first place in a 1987 Bal De Maison contest at Acadian Village in Lafayette; Jamie Berzas
and the Cajun Tradition Band also received a Grammy nomination in 1989 for its album, A'
La Veille Facon, in the category of Most Traditional Folk Music Recording; and
WHEREAS, at the 2000 Mamou Cajun Music Festival, Jamie was honored for his
contributions to the genre; in 2005, he was inducted onto Fred's Lounge Wall of Fame in
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Mamou where he shares the wall with Cajun greats Belton Richard, Aldus Roger, Jo-El
Sonnier, and Grand Ole Opry star Jimmy C. Newman; Fred's Lounge is world-renowned for
its Saturday morning dances with live Cajun bands; and
WHEREAS, the melodies and harmonies of the life of Jamie Berzas have contributed
to the folklife and folklore of Louisiana's rich and diverse musical culture; Jamie Berzas
merits a special measure of commendation upon his 2019 induction into the Louisiana
Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend Jamie Berzas upon his 2019 induction into
the Louisiana Folklife Center Hall of Master Folk Artists; does hereby congratulate him on
his lifetime of musicianship and musical achievements; and does hereby extend to him every
good wish for continued success, prosperity, and happiness in the future.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted
to Jamie Berzas.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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