A СAPP faculty member has got a great story to add to the СAPPWhat I Did Last SummerСAPP genre: Dr. John Troutman spent part of his summer as a professional musician, opening for former Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant.
An associate professor in the СAPPСAPPs Department of History and Geography, he also plays pedal steel guitar with LilСAPP Band OСAPP Gold. The group is an all-star assemblage of musicians who are well-known in Acadiana and beyond, including C.C. Adcock, David Egan, Steve Riley, Tommy McClain, Dave Ranson, Paul СAPPLilСAPP BuckСAPP Sinegal, Richard СAPPDickieСAPP Landry, Pat Breaux, and Clarence СAPPJockeyСAPP Etienne.
The band has released three albums: LilСAPP Band OСAPP Gold, The Promised Land and Plays Fats, which features the music of Fats Domino and includes guests Robert Plant and Lucinda Williams.
Plant, who now leads the Sensational Shape Shifters, asked LilСAPP Band OСAPP Gold to be the opening act for his 2013 summer tour. After sorting out schedule conflicts for some its members, LilСAPP Band OСAPP Gold performed five shows: in Dallas, Austin, Houston, New Orleans and Memphis.
СAPPIt was a surreal experience,СAPP said Troutman, who is the Friends of the Humanities/Louisiana Board of Regents Support Fund Endowed Professor.
He joined the band in 2009, after its long-time steel guitarist, Richard Comeaux, left the group. СAPPI had been filling in for Richard for a while, just playing when he wasnСAPPt available. So, I already had the seat, so to speak, and the band decided I was a good fit.
СAPPIt is absolutely an honor to play with these guys, who are so experienced and so very well-respected. Just having that experience has been great. I never expected it would lead to even bigger opportunities, like this one.СAPP
For Troutman, music is also an academic pursuit. СAPPI am interested in the relationship between music and history, particularly music by native peoples. Historians have traditionally ignored the role of music in daily life, or considered music a mere reflection of society or politics. My work is based upon the contention that music can, in fact, work in extraordinarily political ways, and that it transforms, rather than reflects, society.СAPP
He teaches U.S. history survey courses, as well as upper-division and graduate courses in American Indian history, American music history, public history, cultural history and graduate research and methods.