"He was one of the most exciting artists I had ever seen," said Rounder
Records' Scott Billington, who produced five of Jocque's albums. "The first
time I saw him reminded me of hearing James Brown or (blues legend) Howlin'
Wolf for the first time. He took zydeco and transformed it into music that
was thoroughly contemporary. He energized the whole scene in southLouisiana.

FACT: audiences would pelt Jocque with cornbread when he performed the song

Biography by Jason Ankeny All Music Guide Jason Ankeny served as a member of the All Music Guide editorial staff from the fall of 1996 to the summer of 2000, at which time he was named senior editor of the telecommunications magazine Upstart. In his off hours he continues to freelance for AMG.

Easily the biggest new zydeco star of the 1990s, Beau Jocque heralded the rise of the genre's new, urbanized style; infusing his high-octane sound with elements of rock, soul, hip-hop and even reggae, he bridged the gap between traditional Creole culture and contemporary music to create a funky, bass-heavy hybrid calculated for maximum mainstream appeal. Born Andrus Espre in Kinder, Louisiana in 1957, Jocque spent his early adult years working as an electrician, but in 1987 he suffered a serious back injury which left him paralyzed from the waist down for over a year; during his recovery period he picked up his father's Cajun accordion, but always bored by traditional zydeco, he set about updating the music more to his own contemporary tastes. Jocque and his wife Michelle then spent the next five years painstakingly researching zydeco clubs, discovering which kinds of songs earned the greatest response from patrons; at the same time he absorbed the music of Boozoo Chavis, drawn by his propulsive rhythms. Finnally, in 1991, he formed the Zydeco Hi-Rollers; the band was an immediate smash in the New Orleans circuit, drawing huge audiences -- many of them new to the Creole dancehall scene -- captivated by their hard-edged rhythms and Jocque's primal, cavernous vocals. A friendly rivalry with Chavis also increased his notoriety, and in 1993, the Hi-Rollers debuted with Beau Jocque Boogie, one of the best-selling zydeco records of all time. Pick Up on This! followed in 1994, and a year later they released the explosive live effort Git It, Beau Jocque!, which featured the hit "Give Him Cornbread." Gonna Take You Downtown appeared in 1996, followed two years later by Check It Out, Lock It In, Crank It Up! Beau Jocque

FACT:Beau was more than 6 feet 6 inches tall

Jocque's first New Orleans appearance was at the Mid-City Lanes in 1993, when he already was a star in southwest Louisiana but relatively unknown locally. Soon, he became one of the top-drawing zydeco acts in  New Orleans. Mid-City Lanes owner John Blancher eventually had to reinforce the dance floor of his second-story club to accommodate the dancers who turned out to hear Jocque's propulsive brand of zydeco. "I  put support beams underneath the dance floor for Beau Jocque," Blancher said. "People danced harder when he played. It was almost hypnotic; he just grabbed (dancers)." 
By Keith Spera Music writer
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