A Tribute to the King of Zydeco with Grammy award winner John Leopold

Who ever said awards shows are no place for politics?

Former Santa Cruz County Supervisor John Leopold made local history this past weekend when he took home a Grammy for Best Regional Roots Music Album. The longtime local politician, who served on the board for 12 years, became the first Santa Cruz County supervisor to take home one of the coveted national music awards.

Leopold executive produced an album titled “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco,” which honored Louisiana musician Clifton Chenier on what would have been his 100th birthday last year. Chenier died in 1987 at age 62.

Roughly 72 hours after his appearance on the national stage, Leopold stopped by the KSQD studio in Santa Cruz to talk about his whirlwind of a weekend, his enduring fascination and passion for music and, of course, his striking sartorial choices.

You can stream A Tribute to the King of Zydeco on all major platforms, but John encourages the purchase of the album to directly support the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship fund at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.