Cajun Fiddler Michael Doucet Breaks Hip on Tour in Alaska

April 6, 2022 E Jazz Reporter

The accident happened on April 1, but it was no joke.

Michael Doucet avec Lâcher Prise
Courtesy of Compass Records

Cajun fiddler Michael Doucet fell and broke his hip in Alaska, and his Grammy-winning band had to perform there without him. His brother, guitarist David Doucet, wrote about the accident on his Facebook page and reposted the message on the page for the band, Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet.

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He wrote on Saturday that he’d received a call from his 71-year-old brother on Friday — April Fool’s Day — saying he’d slipped on ice by their hotel in Fairbanks and was scheduled for surgery.

“What a day yesterday was. We’re up in Fairbanks, AK, for a show. Yes, it’s cold but Springtime is just around the corner, and I’m thinking I’m in the middle of a Johnny Horton set,” David Doucet wrote. “It’s also April Fool’s Day and I get a phone call from my brother Michael Doucet that he’s slipped on the ice by our hotel and has broken his hip and is scheduled for surgery this morning. No Fooling.”

He said it was a lot to take in, especially as they were more than 2,500 miles from home and had to perform two big shows without their band leader. “But the show must go on. Thanks Fairbanks for hosting us and giving BeauSoleil sans Michael Doucet an opportunity to entertain you! Quite memorable!” he added.

The, responding to replies, he wrote on Sunday, “I understand the surgery went well.”

Michael Doucet led shows in Fairbanks on Friday night and in Anchorage on Saturday night, The Advocate reported.

“Thanks Fairbanks for hosting us and giving BeauSoleil sans Michael Doucet an opportunity to entertain you! Quite memorable!” he wrote. David Doucet wrote on Sunday that he didn’t know whether the band would be able to perform this week as scheduled in Ohio and Michigan.

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