Warren Storm

Swamp pop pioneer Warren Storm was born in Abbeville, Louisiana on February 18, 1937. After beginning his professional career at age 12 filling in for his father, a drummer in the Cajun band Rayne-Bo Ramblers, he signed on with the country group Larry Brasso’s Rhythm-Aires, followed by a stint with the Herb Landry Band. In addition to later fronting his own combo, the We-Wows, Storm became one of the top session drummers in southern Louisiana before making his solo debut in 1958 with the single “The Prisoner’s Song”; the record went on to sell a quarter-of-a-million copies, its fusion of R&B, country, Cajun, and Creole sounds pointing the way for the emergence of the south Louisiana swamp pop aesthetic. In 1962 Storm teamed with fellow regional legends Rod Bernard and Skip Stewart to form the Shondells, and in the decades to follow he released a series of solo singles and LPs including 1977′s Boppin’ Tonight, 1992′s Night After Night, and 1999′s Live and in the Studio. In 1980, Storm teamed up with saxophonist Willie Tee, and formed the group Cypress. While that band dissolved four years later, the duo continued collaborating until 1994. Following a stint with the Louisiana supergroup Lil Band O' Gold in 1998, Storm and Willie Tee re-formed Cypress in 2004 and released an album in 2008. Warren Storm died of heart failure on September 7, 2021; he was 84 years old. ~ Jason Ankeny