The Zydeco Flames, together since 1990, have gained a reputation as the West Coast’s premier Zydeco band. Due to their popularity, they are booked for numerous festivals and fairs all over the country. A highlight performance was playing for President Clinton at a re-election fund-raiser in 1996. The first time I saw them was at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee, where they have been invited to play the past 13 years in a row. The band members electrified the crowd, which was clapping and moving to the rhythm. Everyone who could find room was dancing.

The word "zydeco" comes from a French phrase, which, when pronounced with a Creole accent, sounds like "zydeco." The Creoles used this expression to describe the music that the French had brought to the area after spicing it up with other, more rhythmic melodies. Frank explained that including "Flames" in the band's name stemmed from their desire "to be so hot, to set people on fire. It is a happy music with an infectious beat."

When I interviewed the band, Frank told me that they do more weddings than any other kind of event. I also learned that Bruce Gordon, an accordion player, and Lloyd Meadows, with his rub board and great voice, were the group’s founding members. Guitarist Frank Bohan, bass player Timm Walker, and William Allums on drums collectively have 120 years of experience in music. "Our agenda is to please the client," says Frank Bohan. I was able to see the band perform at a wedding in San Jose where the bride and groom, who are longtime fans of the band, had been ecstatic to learn that they were available for their wedding. The couple even brought in a dance instructor so their guests could fully enjoy the Creole music. Needless to say, they loved this band. A jazz club owner told me how much he thought of their music and their professional attitude. A newspaper article described their music as "an amalgam of traditional Cajun, boogie, blues and soul… with punchy accordion-based melodies, powerful blues-style vocals, and funky, irresistible layered rhythms." Their music is available on six recordings. A video with concert footage ia also for sale.