Zydeco accordionist Chris Ardoin hospitalized after being shot while on stage

Zydeco accordionist and singer Chris Ardoin is hospitalized after being shot while performing on stage Friday night in Colfax, Louisiana.

According to reports, the 40-year-old musician was shot in the back while another victim, an audience member, was shot in the leg during the performance at Zydeco Bike Fest.

Ardoin’s wife, Kerri, confirmed the news in a post via Ardoin’s official Facebook page.

According to the post, Ardoin was shot in the back on the right side of his body. Doctors say it was fortunate that he is a “built guy” and the bullet wasn’t able to penetrate his lung and was able to stop near his ribs.

Older brother Sean Ardoin said on Facebook that Chris Ardoin was sent home Saturday. “God is faithful and praise Him that the bullet is ‘safely’ lodged in soft tissue in his back and is not a threat,” he said.

Ardoin had finished a set but was still on stage when the attack took place.

A statement from the Grant Parrish Sheriff’s Office indicated Ardoin was one of two people, including a 14-year-old, struck when multiple people shot into a crowd at Louisiana Mudfest, an off-road venue in Colfax that also hosts music events.

Both victims sustained “moderate injuries,” the office said.

The sheriff’s office said there were thousands of people leaving the event at the time of the shooting. Two people with guns jumped on the running boards of a vehicle that was exiting, the agency said, but they were arrested by deputies.

Ardoin is one of the young artists that helped form nouveau zydeco, a new style of music that fused traditional zydeco with various styles including hip-hop, reggae, and R&B. He was a child prodigy belonging to a musical dynasty. 

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