C.J. Chenier and squeezebox arrive Sunday

In one Far Side cartoon by Gary Larson, angels greet newcomers with, "Welcome to heaven — here's your harp." Down below, the devil says, "Welcome to hell — here's your accordion."

C.J. Chenier, who plays a bling-encrusted squeezebox, is laughing all the way to the bank. The man works: He has 18 gigs this month, in an arc from Texas to Minnesota to Rhode Island, including a stop at the Towne Crier in Beacon at 6 p.m. on Sunday (Feb. 22) with his group, The Red Hot Louisiana Band.

Zydeco music from southwest Louisiana is a niche, of course, but within the realm, C.J. is royalty: His father, Clifton J. Chenier, who died in 1987 at age 62, is recognized as the king. C.J. switched from saxophone to accordion and kept the mojo going.

On his website, he's described as the Crown Prince of Zydeco. "Other people said that, and it found me," he says. "I never sought it out."

Zydeco pioneer Amede Ardoin used a button accordion, which Clifton Chenier dismissed in a documentary as "a small French" model. Still, its booming tone drowned out Dennis McGee's fiddle, which is nearly inaudible on the 22 tracks the two musicians made together from 1929 to 1934.

The biracial duo exemplified the exchanges among the French-speaking population in Louisiana, who sharecropped or migrated to Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas, where they were exposed to jazz and blues. "The difference between zydeco and cajun is the same as the blues and country," says C.J.

Before establishing his music career, Clifton lived in Texas and began playing the louder, more versatile piano accordion with white and black keys instead of buttons, which filled rooms with sound in the days before amplification.

In addition, he helped create the washboard vest, made from corrugated stainless steel. His brother, Cleveland Chenier, scraped out the rhythm with bottle caps, although C.J. says his player uses spoons. The original vest frottoir is in the collection of the National Museum of American History.

With accordion and washboard as the base, Clifton began recording in the early 1950s. When electrified instruments revolutionized roots and popular music, Clifton added guitar, bass, drums, keyboards and horns. Unlike Ardoin, an old-timer who played a bit behind the beat, the king stomped out the rhythm.

Playing the accordion is like wrestling with an alligator. "It keeps me in shape," says C.J. Pushing the keys with the right hand and keeping the bellows pumping is a challenge, but he pulls the shoulder straps tight to ensure that he can control the 25-pound instrument.

The Towne Crier often clears out rows of tables to create space because, as C.J. says, zydeco is "happy-feet music that makes you smile, turns a bad day into a good one. Just joyful sounds from the swamps."

The Towne Crier is located at 379 Main St. in Beacon. Tickets are $30 at townecrier.com or $35 at the door.