Marc Broussard

Marc Broussard
Marc Broussard, live in concert in 2011
Background information
Born	(1982-01-14) January 14, 1982
Origin	Carencro, Louisiana, US
Genres	Soul, rock, pop, swamp pop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	2004—present
Labels	Island, Vanguard, Atlantic, G-Man Records
Website	www.marcbroussard.com

Marc Broussard (born January 14, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter. His style is best described as "Bayou Soul," a mix of funk, blues, R&B, rock, and pop, matched with distinct Southern roots. In his career, he has released eight studio albums, one live album, three EPs, and has charted twice on Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks.

Early life

Marc Broussard is the son of acclaimed Louisiana Hall of Fame guitarist and former member of The Boogie Kings, Ted Broussard.^[1] Marc was raised in Carencro, Louisiana and Lafayette, Louisiana.^[2]

Musical career

In 2001 Broussard was part of Y, a Christian band. The short-lived band was based out of New Iberia, Louisiana.

Broussard's solo career started with the release of several independent efforts, including 2002's Momentary Setback^[2] which spawned the hit "The Wanderer", a song about self-discovery. A re-worked version of the song appears on his first major album Carencro (Island Records), released on August 3, 2004. The album's title pays tribute to the musician's hometown of Carencro, Louisiana, where he still resides.^[1] It featured the two singles "Where You Are" (which garnered some considerable airplay on VH1) and "Home" (his biggest hit to date).

In 2007, he released S.O.S.: Save Our Soul, an album consisting almost entirely of cover songs. The album was his first to reach the top 100 of the Billboard 200 in the U.S., debuting and peaking at No. 96: this had the effect of "graduating" him from the Top Heatseekers chart, which consists of albums by artists who have never reached the top 100.

Broussard finished recording the Must Be The Water EP on the Rock Boat VII in January 2008 and released it later that year. He was no stranger to The Rock Boat, which is an annual cruise and music festival. This was Broussard’s first release with his new label, Atlantic Records, with which he signed a multi-album contract in 2007.

Broussard's music has been featured on shows such as Clash of the Choirs in which "Home" was performed by a Blake Shelton-led choir. Singer Kelly Clarkson performed "Home" as part of her live setlist in 2006-07.^[3] Most recently, "Must Be the Water" was the theme song for the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. Broussard has been a featured performer on many TV programs including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, A&E Breakfast with the Arts, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, CBS Saturday Early Show, Larry King Live "Lopez Tonight", and CBS’s Saturday Morning’s Second Cup Cafe.

In 2008, he released his next studio album, Keep Coming Back. The song "Hard Knocks" from this album was featured in the last episode of the 2009 season of Hard Knocks on HBO featuring the Cincinnati Bengals.

Broussard's fourth full-length album, Marc Broussard was released on June 14, 2011. An early release called Marc Broussard EP was released on March 22, 2011 and features the singles "Lucky" and "Only Everything." A third single "Cruel" followed later that year.

In late 2012, he signed a new deal with Vanguard Records,^[4] and released a live album Live from Full Sail University on April 9, 2013.^[5]

He released his next album A Life Worth Living on July 29, 2014. The album cover was unveiled on May 13, 2014,^[6] and the set's first single "Hurricane Heart" premiered on May 19, 2014.^[7]

On November 6, 2015, he released his first Christmas album, Magnolias and Mistletoe independently,^[8] which was preceded by the single/video "Almost Christmas."

In March 2016, he announced a new studio album which would serve as a sequel to his successful '70s-influenced S.O.S.: Save Our Soul cover album. The set's first single "Cry to Me" premiered in May.^[9] In July, the album was revealed to be titled S.O.S. 2: Save Our Soul: Soul on a Mission and to focus on music from the '50s & '60s.^[10] The album was released independently on September 30, 2016 in the midst of his nationwide tour.^[11][12]

Personal life

Broussard married his wife, Sonya, on The Rock Boat VII in January 2008.

They have four children.^[13] Their oldest son, Gavin, was the inspiration for Broussard's song "Gavin's Song" which was co-written by Dave Barnes. Another son, Gibb was named after musician Gibb Droll who often toured with Broussard. A daughter, Evangeline Rose, followed, and their youngest is a daughter, Ella Grace.

A running theme among his albums was the inclusion of a (usually hidden) bonus track at the end, which would be dedicated to each of his family members. From "Gavin's Song" off Carencro, to "Evangeline Rose" off Keep Coming Back, to "Gibby's Song" off Marc Broussard, to "Sonya's Song" off Live at Full Sail University and "A Life Worth Living" (about his Grandmother) off A Life Worth Living.

Philanthropy and public service

Broussard is involved in philanthropic work. He founded the Momentary Setback Fund to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita.^[1] He released an album Bootleg to Benefit the Victims of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, with all proceeds going to help rebuild Broussard's home state, Louisiana. He is also involved in the United Way and Habitat for Humanity.^[1] In 2007, Broussard was involved in an Entertain the Troops tour in the Middle East.

In 2016, he announced 50% of the sales of his S.O.S. 2: Save Our Soul: Soul on a Mission album would go to charity, primarily the homeless and towards hometown organizations like City of Refuge.^[10][14]

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

Extended plays

Singles

Other album appearances

• Sail Away: The Songs of Randy Newman (2006) (Song: "You Can Leave Your Hat On")
• Lemonade (G. Love) (2006) (Song: "Let the Music Play" with Ben Harper)
• Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (2007) (Song: "Rising Sun" with Sam Bush)
• Family (LeAnn Rimes) (2007) (Song: "Nothing Wrong")
• Under Summer Sun (Matt Wertz) (2008) (Song: "The Way I Feel")
• Everything She Was (Josh Hoge) (2008) (Song: "Take It Or Leave It")
• Light of Day: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen (Various Artists) (2008) (Song: "Back in Your Arms")
• Serve2 (Fighting Hunger & Poverty) (2008) (Song: "Bring It On Home To Me")
• Dark Streets - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2008) (Song: "When You Lose Somebody")
• Christmas Gumbo (Various Artists) (2008) (Song: "On Santa's Way Home")
• Backatown (Trombone Shorty) (2010) (Song: "Right to Complain")
• Home by the River (Drew Young) (2011) (Song: "Home by the River" "Changing Lanes and Holding Hands")
• LIVE (Scott Alan) (2012) (Song: "In This Moment")
• Home (Pat Green) (2015) (Song: "'Good Night in New Orleans' ")

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marc Broussard.

• Official website
• Marc Broussard at AllMusic
• Internet Archive: Audio Archive: Live Music Archive: Marc Broussard