Cajun fiddle player and Creole la-la music pioneer Joseph "Bébé" Carrière was born in Lawtell, Louisiana on August 7, 1908. His father Ernest Carrière, his older brother Eraste "Dolan" Carrière, and his son Andrew Carrière all played the accordion. Joseph and Eraste, known as the Carrière Brothers (Les Freres Carrière), formed the Lawtell Playboys in 1946. Joseph "Bébé" Carrière passed away in Port Arthur, Texas on April 22, 2001 at age 92. Listen to the album "La La Louisiana Black French Music" featuring Les Freres Carrières, and the Lawtell Playboys (then led by Eraste's son Calvin Carrière and accordionist Delton Broussard). See Joseph Bébé Carrière recording credits. Listen to The Carrière Brothers music on YouTube.
1933
Trombone player and bandleader George Prejean was born in New Orleans on August 7, 1933. Prejean was a longtime member of Al Hirt's band. He passed away on December 4, 2007 at age 74. See George Prejean discography.
1948
Zydeco and swamp pop accordionist, keyboard player, singer and bandleader Lynn August was born (Joseph Leonard August Jr.) in Lafayette, LA on August 7, 1948. August, who was blind from birth, was also an entrepreneur and innovator. He founded Touch Tech, a company dedicated to designing and selling computers for visually impaired individuals. August died on February 12, 2025, at the age of 76. See Lynn August discography. Watch Lynn August videos on YouTube.
1948
Country music legend Hank Williams Sr. made his first appearance on the Louisiana Hayride radio show on station KWKH in Shreveport on August 7, 1948. Hank performed "Move It On Over" and "I Want to Live and Love". Sadly, no recordings of this historic performance exist. Listen to Hank performing "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" on the Hayride in 1952.
1982
"Honky Tonkin'" by Shreveport native Hank Williams Jr. hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on August 7, 1982. The tune was written by Hank Williams, Sr., and was a hit for him in 1948.
1986
Trumpeter Travis Hill (aka "Trumpet Black") was born in New Orleans on August 7, 1986. A rising star in the music world, Hill played with Trombone Shorty Brass Band, New Birth Brass Band, Corey Henry's Treme Funktet, Trumpet Black & The Heart Attacks, and others. Hill came from a famed New Orleans musical family that includes James Andrews, Trombone Shorty, Glen David Andrews, and their grandfather Jesse "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" Hill. Travis Hill passed away unexpectedly on May 4, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. Read more here and here. A solo album, "The New Beginning", was released posthumously. Watch Trumpet Black videos on YouTube.
2004
Rapper Juvenile reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on August 7, 2004 with the single "Slow Motion." The track, which featured late New Orleans rapper Soulja Slim (1977–2003), topped the chart for 2 weeks. It was also a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart (on July 3, 2004).
2017
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue were the musical guests on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on August 7, 2017. They performed Allen Toussaint's "Here Come the Girls" accompanied by Jon Batiste. The song was first recorded by Ernie K-Doe in 1971. Watch the video here.
