Grammy-nominated musician Barry Hebert talks hometown comedy debut in Lafayette

As a musician and songwriter, much of Barry Hebert’s work deals poignantly with universal themes around love, nostalgia, family and relationships. From his time as an original member of Cajun band the Basin Brothers (earning a Grammy nod in 1990); to his later career hosting songwriting retreats and playing gigs along the Gulf Coast, Hebert has made a name for himself playing the kind of country and Cajun tunes that lift heads and open hearts.

Now, he’s ready to try something a little different: standing in front of a comedy audience with his guitar, a few jokes, and a hilariously risqué set of original songs. 

“I’m a songwriter, first and foremost,” Hebert says. “I’ve always written humorous songs. I got started in my college days with song parodies, rewriting lyrics. I have my more serious songs, but once in awhile come out with something more risqué. I have a lot of fun with this little bag of songs to pull out for a select audience.”

In Baton Rouge, where the Lafayette native has lived for more than 30 years, Hebert is a regular performer at the Red Dragon Listening Room — known for hosting a wide range of local and national songwriters. There, he has been featured in a “how low can you go?” session with fellow songwriters Steve Judice and Martin Flanagan, where they showed off a selection of what Hebert terms “naughty” songs. 

“I like to play with words and phrases in a lot of my songs,” he says. “One, I call the animal rescue song, because it’s about this woman who rescues a clam on the beach. The thing that makes it funny, and kind of a little dirty, is what she names the clam.

“At face value, the songs are perfectly clean, but they’ll take the listener to a place that’s actually just a little naughty and humorous.” 

Last year, the “how low can you go” songs attracted the attention of Baton Rouge comic Gloria McConnell, who started scheduling shows with Hebert and Flanagan as musical guests at venues such as the Boomerang Comedy Theater and the Baton Rouge Improv Fest. Next month, McConnell’s Mid City Live! comedy variety show is playing a night in Lafayette, with Hebert as the guest performer.

If you’re still wondering what the woman named her clam, he says that he plans to perform the animal rescue song during the Aug. 17 show at Cité des Arts, in what will be Hebert’s first appearance in his hometown in years.

Hebert’s Lafayette roots have played a large role in his career. A shift toward Cajun music helped Hebert and the Basin Brothers get national attention in the late ’80s, a period that saw growing interest in the region’s sound. The Basin Brothers had started out mostly playing country and covers, which earned them a strong following in the Texas dance halls before the band (founded by Al Berard, whose daughters and niece later formed the Grammy-nominated group Sweet Cecilia) switched directions. 

After recording their first album, the Grammy-nominated “Let’s Get Cajun,” the Basin Brothers were picked up by national label Flying Fish Records. “Things took off from there,” says Hebert, who describes touring with some of the era’s top Louisiana acts — Eddy Raven, Queen Ida and Doug Kershaw, among others. 

Over the years, Hebert has continued to focus on his songwriting, founding the Peyton Wilson Memorial Songwriters’ Retreat with Steve Judice 15 years ago. The retreat now meets annually at Chicot State Park, attracting dozens of regional songwriters for a weekend of constructive support. He says writing is still his passion, and while he didn’t necessarily expect the humorous songs to start making their way to audiences, Hebert says he’s excited to see where this new direction takes him.

“I think a comedy audience, they show up with high expectations,” Hebert says. “It’s like, ‘OK, make me laugh, funny man.’ It’s new territory for me.” 

He says that the Lafayette show will be his first time incorporating jokes with the musical set — a challenge that anyone who’s ever faced down an open-mic is familiar with, and one that Hebert hopes will add dimension to his seasoned career as a performer.   

“I’ve always loved stand up comedians and I’m excited to have this opportunity to try it. I just love being in front of an audience. That’s where I’m most comfortable, and feel I can really be myself, standing in front of a crowd of people,” he says. 

“I’m grateful that they’ve had the confidence to let me give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not the end of the world — it’s just something new to try that can expand what I do as an entertainer,” Hebert says. “If I can entertain someone, either with my serious songs or with my comedy, that’s what it’s all about.”