Jimmy Higginbothem was born in 1959 in Lake Charles, Louisiana into the environment of Cajun Music and is apart of Cajun Music royalty. His father, the late Darrell Higginbothem was a talented musician and a member of the CFMA Lake Charles Chapter’s Cajun Music Hall of Fame, CFMA National Cajun Music Hall of Fame in Eunice, Louisiana and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. Jimmy has been blessed with plenty of family support in his lifetime from his mother, Eloise (Hobbie) Higginbothem and his wife of the past 18 years, Janice LaHood Higginbothem. In his career, Jimmy has played in every major Cajun function in the state of Louisiana and most all the festivals in East Texas. Jimmy has been a member of many bands starting with a group that was started with high school buddies from LaGrange Senior out of Lake Charles called Tim Savoy & the Calcasieu Playboys; then after several years went on to play with CFMA Hall of Fame’r Phil Menard & the Louisiana Travelers; another CFMA Hall of Fame’r Lesa Cormier & the Sundown Playboys; Ron Miller & the Midnight Ramblers; and hugely talented accordion player Kenneth Thibodeaux & the Cajun Dance. Jimmy played on many recordings including several with Tim Savoy, Phil Menard, Kenneth Thibodeaux, Fred Charlie, Ron Miller, Travis Benoit, Jason Frey, among others. In 1984, Jimmy became a charter member of the original CFMA. In 1987, he was a charter member of the CFMA Lake Charles Chapter’s board of directors. Jimmy went on to perform lead vocals on several recordings while receiving 5 nominations for Male Vocalist of the Year, and in 2000 was awarded Best 1st Recording of the year for the album “Pour Les Danseur” as a member of Kenneth Thibodeaux & the Cajun Dance Band. Jimmy took an extended break from music after the tragic death of his good friend and leader of the band, Kenneth Thibodeaux on December 1st, 2003. Kenneth's death had a profound effect on Jimmy for many years which led to a break from music. Eventually, Jimmy began playing socially at events and continues to still perform. As a songwriter he has written: “ I’ll Find Another to Love Me”,(co-written with Tim Savoy) “Tears in my eyes”, “Bon Dieu, Mon Dieu”(Good God, My God) which was a heartfelt tribute to Kenneth Thibodeaux), “ I thought She’d take me back” (co-written with his father Darrell) and “Pop We Still Cry for You” which Jimmy dedicated to his father and hero, Darrell. In 2017, Jimmy released a CD called Pour Ma Famille Et Mes Amis (For My Family and Friends). It consists of several different band members on different tracks including accordion players Jason Frey, Tommy Guidry and Ricky Menard; fiddle players Clint Ward, Travis Benoit and Ron Granger; steel guitar Danny Cormier; rhythm guitar James Dupre and himself; Lead guitar James Dupre; Bass Guitar himself; drums Robert Thibodeaux, Ray Thibodeaux and Keith Sonnier, main vocals himself and backup vocals Mitch Simon and his wife Janice LaHood Higginbothem. For Jimmy, Cajun music created a strong bond between his father and himself. He considers himself very blessed to have grown up in deep rooted Cajun Culture. Even today you can still hear Jimmy’s voice over radio stations such as KBON in Eunice, KEUN In Eunice, KVPI in Ville Platte and KBYS McNeese State University radio station in Lake Charles, Louisiana. With a playing career spanning over 50 years, we consider Cajun Music and it’s culture very blessed to have Jimmy in its fold. In 2012, Jimmy was inducted into the CFMA Lake Charles Chapter’s Cajun Music Hall of Fame. In 2023, Jimmy retired from the Insurance business and currently is enjoying playing live music more often now. Special Thanks to those who contributed in helping with Jimmy's story including Jimmy himself, Tim Savoy, Jody Fontenot, Ron Yule, CFMA Lake Charles Chapter, Eunice News archives, Evangeline News archives, Opelousas Daily World, and Lake Charles American Press archives. **Dedicated to Jimmy and his family ** Composed by Neal P Granger
