Famous Musicians

Southwest Louisiana has an active and eclectic music scene with music ranging from Cajun & Zydeco to blues, country, alternative, swamp pop, and rock to folk. Many local musicians are also songwriters, so the area is a thriving cultural and music hub for visitors to experience.

• Joshua Ledet put Westlake, LA, on the map whenever he rose to the top 3 finalists on the hit television show, American Idol in 2012. He has a soulful voice with a sound that resonates with his gospel roots. Joshua returned to Southwest Louisiana for a homecoming celebration event, and it was the first time in history that Burton Coliseum was completely sold out. Joshua has made it into the hearts of music lovers across America, and everyone is awaiting his debut album.
• Paul Groves is an American operatic tenor born in Lake Charles, LA. In 1991, he won the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and in 1995 he won the prestigious Richard Tucker Award. He has sung leading roles with major opera houses throughout the world, including the Boston Lyric Opera, De Nederlandse Opera, La Scala, the Los Angeles Opera, the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Opera, the Salzburg Festival, the San Francisco Opera, the Santa Fe Opera, the Vienna State Opera, the Washington National Opera, and the Welsh National Opera among others.
  -www.en.wikipedia.org
• Bobby Kimball grew up in Vinton, LA, and later followed his dream of music, landing in L.A. where he joined the band, Toto. The very first LP Toto released, entitled "Toto" broke out with the massive hit single, "Hold The Line." Bobby was in the band for the recording of the first 4 records ("Toto", "Hydra", "Turn Back", and "TotoIV"). It was the "Toto IV CD" that absolutely defined the band. At the 1982 Grammy Awards, "Toto IV" CD was nominated for a "record breaking" nine Grammy Awards. Out of these nine nominations, the band won six Grammy Awards, based on the strength and popularity of the song, "Rosanna." Also, Steve Lukather, co-writer of "Turn Your Love Around," with Jay Gradon and Bill Champlin, won a 7th Grammy. Altogether, the band brought home 7 Grammy Awards that evening, which set a precedent for the number of Grammy Awards ever won by a single band in one year.
  -www.bobbykimball.com
• Marcia Ball is a five-time Grammy nominee (including 2012 for Best Blues Album), and a nine-time Blues Music Award winner with five wins in the last six years for Best Piano Player, and two recent wins for Best Contemporary Blues - Female Artist of the Year. She has also been honored with inductions into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2012 and Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame in 2010. Marcia was born in Orange, TX, but she grew up in Vinton, LA
   -www.rosebudus.com/ball

To learn more about music legends of the past and Goldband Records recording studio, click here.