“Boozoo [Chavis] was my great-uncle and all his brothers played. My grandfather also played but people didn’t know him because my grandmother didn’t want him to play in the clubs. It was a big deal in the family but Boozoo was the one who recorded and dedicated his life to building a career in zydeco.

When [my] dad [Joe “Chopper” Chavis] started playing [rubboard] with Keith Frank and T-Broussard, that’s when I really g...