Iconic BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet celebrates half-century milestone at UPH

Grammy-winning artists bring bayou sound to Saratoga Springs

SARATOGA SPRINGS–Born out of the rich Acadian ancestry of its members and created and driven by bandleader Michael Doucet’s spellbinding fiddle playing and soulful vocals, BeauSoleil is known to bring audiences to their feet.

Inspiring two-stepping, waltzing, and standing ovations wherever they go, Universal Preservation Hall is excited to host a leg of the multiple Grammy Award-winning group’s 50^th anniversary tour 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall Thursday, April 18 as part of the Passport Series-Music Haven at Proctors Collaborative.

BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet can be credited with taking Cajun music from its regional roots in Louisiana to popularity worldwide. Their most recent album, and the 25th in their 45-year career, was titled “From Bamako to Carencro,” alluding to the cultural and migratory connection between Bamako, in Mali, West Africa, and Louisiana (symbolized in name by the Lafayette, LA suburb of Carencro), a connection that draws a sonic bloodline back to BeauSoleil’s roots.

Since becoming the first Cajun band to win a Grammy with “L’amour Ou La Folie” (their Traditional Folk Album–1998) and then a second Grammy in 2010, “Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival,” BeauSoleil has garnered many accolades, including 12 Grammy nominations.

Local Saratoga-based southern restaurant Hatties will serve free jambalaya samples alongside the bar in UPH’s lobby directly before the show for ticket holders. Tickets are available through the Box Office at Proctors in-person, via phone at (518) 346-6204 Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. or online visit atuph.org.