Huey Meaux
Huey “Crazy Cajun” Meaux belongs to the Texas edge of Cajun radio history, where Louisiana music spilled across the border and found new microphones. Born in Wright, Louisiana, in 1929, he moved with his family to Winnie, Texas, as a child. His radio career began in the 1950s at KPAC Port Arthur, where he played drums in a band with a weekly show; his father, an accordion player, was also in the group. By 1959, Meaux had his own KPAC program and had taken the nickname “Crazy Cajun,” a showman’s title in the same spirit as the “Big Bopper.”
Radio was only the doorway. Meaux became far better known as a producer, promoter, label owner, and studio figure, helping shape swamp pop and Gulf Coast rock and roll. He later used Crazy Cajun as a record-label name and was tied to hits by the Sir Douglas Quintet, Barbara Lynn, and Freddy Fender.
His legacy, however, cannot be told cleanly. The same career that produced “She’s About a Mover” and revived Fender’s fortunes ended under the shadow of serious criminal convictions, including sexual assault and drug charges.