Naquin to be honored at Mamou festival

The Mamou Cajun Music Festival announces its honoree for the 53rd annual festival is Kevin Naquin.
Naquin is a highly celebrated, award-winning Cajun accordion player, singer, and public servant from south Louisiana. Deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of Acadiana, he has had a prominent musical career as the frontman of Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys. He is recognized as a "Living Legend" by the Acadian Museum for his dedication to preserving traditional Cajun music.
Naquin grew up in Ossun, surrounded by deep musical roots. Two of his great-grandfathers—fiddler Edius Naquin and accordionist Hadley Fontenot—were legendary Cajun musicians who helped preserve the genre prior to the Cajun renaissance of the 1960s and 70s.
His exposure to the accordion began exceptionally early; around the age of three, his babysitters were the legendary accordion player Don Montoucet and his wife, Adolice. Naquin frequently sat on Montoucet's lap to listen to him play. At age 13, Naquin began playing the accordion himself using a Hohner accordion passed down from his great-grandfather. Just a year later, in 1994, he took second place in a junior accordion contest at the famed Mulate's Restaurant in Breaux Bridge. He attended Acadiana High School and later studied at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
As the lead singer and accordionist for Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys, Naquin became a staple of the south Louisiana dancehall scene. He developed a high-energy style that honors traditional Cajun arrangements while introducing original compositions.
Combining his love for Cajun culture, community, and food, Naquin opened a casual dining restaurant called Naq's -n- Duson in Duson, Louisiana. The restaurant features traditional plate lunches, poboys, boiled seafood, and supports local musicians by having live musical performances by local artists.