David Doucet was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, the younger brother of Cajun fiddle legend Michael Doucet. He picked up the guitar while recuperating from a broken arm sustained in high school football practice, teaching himself from Bob Dylan and Paul Simon songbooks. A chance listen to Doc Watson turned him toward flatpicking, and hearing Clarence White on The Kentucky Colonels 1965–1967 in 1980 — White's unusual chords and imaginative melodies — set him on the path to his own unmistakable style.
Biography
The Man Who Gave Cajun Music a Lead Guitar
In 1975 David, Michael, and banjo player Raoul Breaux played Cajun music in Louisiana clubs; when that project fizzled, Michael went on to form BeauSoleil and David joined his brother's band before the recording of its 1976 debut, The Spirit of Cajun Music. He moved to New Orleans in 1980, where he still lives, and has been BeauSoleil's guitarist ever since — through the band's two Grammy wins: L'Amour Ou La Folie (Best Traditional Folk Album, 1998) and Live at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (2010).
David was probably the first guy to play lead Cajun guitar... He was definitely an innovator on the acoustic guitar.
— Steve RileyHis 1991 solo debut, Quand J'ai Parti, stepped him into the spotlight on his own terms, and he has since been featured on albums by Chuck Guillory, Octa Clark & Hector Duhon, and his brother Michael — and passed the tradition on as a guitar instructor at Louisiana Folk Roots' Dewey Balfa Cajun and Creole Heritage Week.
