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Nathan & Zydeco Cha Chas
Biography
Nathan Williams is the leader of the Zydeco Cha Chas. His stylings on the piano accordion have made him one of the most-admired players in the zydeco scene, following in Clifton Chenier's and Buckwheat Zydeco's huge footsteps. Nathan Williams was the youngest of seven children and grew up in St. Martinville, LA. Times were hard for the Williams family and Nathan Williams lost his father when he was only seven years old. Williams grew up admiring his uncle, Harry Hypolite, who is best-known for his guitar work with Clifton Chenier. Later in life, Williams moved to Lafayette to live with his older brother, Sid Williams, and his wife. He worked in Sid's grocery store and began practicing on the accordion and practiced in the bathroom because he didn't want anyone to hear him play. With the aid of one of his friends, Buckwheat Zydeco, and steady hard work, it was not long before he was playing for people. Just five years after graduating from high school, he was recording 45s on his brother's El Sid indie record label. He got his lucky break when Buckwheat Zydeco left Rounder Records for Island Records, leaving Rounder in need of an accordion player to fill a slot on a project they had lined up.