Lil' Band O' Gold resurrected swamp pop tradition while putting its own stamp on the rock music coming out of Southwest Louisiana. The nine-piece supergroup, consisting of singer/guitarist C.C. Adcock, singer/accordionist Steve Riley, singer/pianist David Egan, saxists Dickie Landry, David Greely, and Pat Breaux, bassist Dave Ronson, pedal-steel guitarist Richard Comeaux, and legendary drummer Warren Storm, rarely performed outside its home base in Lafayette, LA, because of its members' commitments to other bands. However, appearances at Midsummer Nights Swing at Lincoln Center Plaza in New York City in 2000 and concerts at the Crawfish Festival in Stanhope, NJ, and at Swamp Stomp at Wolf Trap in Virginia in 2001 exposed the group to an audience outside its home state of Louisiana. Adcock co-founded the band with Riley in 1998 during Monday night jams at the Swampwater Saloon in Lafayette, LA. The two friends dreamed up the idea for the group during a late-night meal of pork chop sandwiches at the famous Maison Creole restaurant in Lafayette. Both wanted to revisit the honky tonk sounds of their swamp pop heroes from the '50s, '60s, and '70s. Legendary drummer Warren Storm, who had performed with Slim Harpo, Lazy Lester, and Lightnin' Slim in the '50s, became the centerpiece and drawing card for the rest of the group. Storm was known in the region for his string of solo hits and for his session work with Dale & Grace, Freddy Fender, and John Fogerty. With Storm on board, there was no problem for Adcock and Riley to attract other notable musicians to the group. Before joining Lil' Band O' Gold, Adcock performed as a solo musician and released a self-titled CD on Island Records in addition to producing and performing with Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, which included David Greely. Warren Storm continued to play at the Four Seasons Lodge in rural Louisiana. Dickie Landry, who had performed with Talking Heads, Laurie Anderson, and Philip Glass, returned to his parish roots in the group. David Egan, who doubled as one of the group's songwriters, continued to perform in File. Percy Sledge, Joe Cocker, and Irma Thomas have covered his songs. Dave Ranson continued to play with slide guitarists Sonny Landreth and John Hiatt. Pat Breaux, who had recorded with Storm and who continued to perform in Beausoleil, saw the group as a throwback to his years as an R&B player. Pedal-steel guitarist Richard Comeaux, who was also a member of River Road, an Acadian-based country act, brought another spirit to the group. Lil' Band O' Gold recasted traditional Cajun rockers into roadhouse boogie with the help of a dynamite rhythm section and the St. Martin's Horns on its 2000 self-titled debut CD on Shanachie Records. The band revved up "Parlez Nous a Boire (Let's Talk About Drinkin')," written by Cajun pioneer Dewey Balfa, after revisiting "Shirley," originally done by John Fred & the Playboys. Its version of "7 Letters," which was a hit for Warren Storm in the '50s, showed a slow balladic side of the group. Rockabilly from the '40s and '50s got the call on the band's remake of Moon Mulligan's "7 Nights to Rock." "Allons Rock 'N Roll," a Cajun rocker made famous by Lawrence Walker, who pioneered the cross-pollination of rhythm & blues and swing with Cajun music, epitomized the band's efforts to embrace all kinds of music from its heritage. ~ Robert Hicks