Danny Poullard and Eric & Suzy Thompson played my wedding reception in 1994. Near the end of the evening I played fiddle and sang 2 or 3 tunes with them, and Danny invited me out to his place in Fairfield for his get-togethers. Unfortunately I never made it, newly married, busy, etc.
I think Danny was a huge influence on the whole Bay Area Cajun scene, and especially the East Bay. Danny was a primary influence on accordion for Suzy Thompson, Maureen Karpan, and lots of others.
Fast forward 12 years to 2006 when I finally got a box. I called Suzy Thompson and she showed me some stuff. It pretty much all came from Danny. So the tradition is being passed on.
I did a three day workshop with Danny, in the Netherlands. Besides teaching me a number of tunes, he also learned me that when others (Irish, French, Italian, etc.) go to bed, the Cajuns start jamming. Danny and Kevin Whimmer played many hours, and also give beginners a chance to play along, and the lead. Dear memories.
Would that have been February of '99? I was supposed to do that with Kevin Wimmer, and at the last minute, I had to cancel. Danny was a champ and took my place.
Danny and I roomed together for ONE night at Augusta. We both requested private rooms because the other was snooring. We laughed about that for the whole week.