Chris Ardoin (born April 7, 1981) is a zydeco accordionist and singer. He is one of the young artists that helped form nouveau zydeco, a new style of music that fused traditional zydeco with various styles including hip-hop, reggae and R&B.
Biography
Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Ardoin was a child prodigy belonging to a musical dynasty (his father was Lawrence Ardoin and his grandfather was Bois Sec Ardoin). His older brother is Gospel zydeco artist Sean Ardoin. He started with the accordion at the age of two and grew up listening to zydeco only for the most part until he was in his teens. As of February 2022, no charges have been filed in the case.
On March 4, 2025, as Ardoin performed on stage during Mardi Gras festivities in Mamou, Louisiana at least one person opened fire, killing two and injuring twelve others. Ardoin, his 13-year-old son who was on stage, and his band members were uninjured. Ardoin said that when the shooting began, a band member jumped onto his son to shield him before he also jumped onto him before the entire band was shielded by law enforcement. After the attack, Ardoin said that he would no longer perform outdoors and that he would only perform at indoor venues that he felt were safe enough.
Awards and honors
OffBeats Best of The Beat Awards
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Category
!Work nominated
!Result
!Ref.
|-
|1997
|Best Emerging Zydeco Band or Performer (with Double Clutchin')
|
|
|
|-
|1998
|Best Zydeco Album
|Turn the Page (with Double Clutchin')
|
|