Marc Broussard to Perform at SOPAC on Sunday

One thing becomes clear right away when talking to Marc Broussard, the smoky-voiced Bayou blues singer who will be performing at SOPAC this Sunday evening: He is very much a family guy. Most observers shake their head over his precocious artistic success. At 28, he already has four albums under his belt, the last with mega label Atlantic Records, and a stunning tour schedule that would test anyone's stamina. But he also has a wife, Sonya, and three young children—Gavin, Gibb and Evangeline—and still lives in his home town of Carencro, La. His father lives three doors down from his house.

That father happens to be Ted Broussard, the Louisiana Hall of Fame guitarist and former member of the New Orleans group The Boogie Kings. Though surrounded by music and musicians from a tender age, Marc never felt the weight of expectation from his dad in his own career choice. "I have two older brothers and neither of them are musicians. There was really no pressure at all—he gave us that freedom." That said, they absorbed a lot from their father, whom Marc describes as "cerebral, disciplined… and a much better guitar player than me."

Although Marc showed early enthusiasm for performing—at age 5 he got up and sang "Johnny B. Goode" with his father's band—he was "not into classical training." At least at first. In sixth grade he joined the children's choir at school. He fell in love with the sounds of the great soul artists of the '60s and '70s—Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye. It wasn't until high school that he started taking music seriously and focused intently on the guitar. He's been writing songs ever since.  

Broussard will be appearing on Sunday night with long time accompanists Joe Stark on guitar and Al Gamble on piano. Along with tunes from his previous four records—"Momentary Setback" (2002), "Carencro" (2004), "S.O.S: Save Our Soul"(2007) and "Keep Coming Back" (2008)—they'll be performing material from a forthcoming album, which Broussard feels is their strongest yet. "It's getting back in line with "Carencro," back to the basics of what I love. The lyrics are more autobiographical, the music is truly soulful, which is saying that it comes from the heart."

Broussard says he admires his father for always putting his family in front of his own career aspirations, something that is harder to do today if one wants to be successful in the music industry. "He was a weekend warrior about his music, which just isn't an option for me. There's a lot of pressure to be on tour constantly. I love it, but it's hard, you know?"

Broussard is also kept busy by various philanthropic endeavors, especially in relation to his home state, Louisiana. He founded the "Momentary Setback Fund" to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita and is also involved with Big Brother, Big Sister, United Way and Habitat for Humanity.     

When he does have time to kick back at home, there's nothing Broussard wants more than to hang out with his kids in the small pool in their backyard. His father Ted comes by a lot, too, to do woodworking projects with them (he's a Master Carpenter).  

At 3, 4 and 7, there's no telling yet whether any of his children will carry on the family's musical line, though Gavin, the 7-year-old, is taking piano. "You know, he's got an ear," the singer says, with just a touch of hope.  

An Evening with Marc Broussard at SOPAC, One SOPAC Way, South Orange, NJ, Sunday, June 27, at 7 pm. For information or to order tickets, call 973-313-2787 or go to www.sopacnow.org.