McLerie, Jeanie

Kenneth Keppeler was born in Los Angeles, CA and has family ties to New Mexico and Arizona. A professional musician since 1972, he sings and plays the fiddle, guitar, accordion, banjo, harmonica and mandolin. He received his BA in American Studies from UNM in 1994. As part of his study of traditional music, he completed a survey of cowboy songs and dances for the Smithsonian Institution. He and Peter White handmake a famed five-string violin.

Keppeler went to Louisiana in 1978 to learn Cajun music and met Jeanie McLerie. McLerie is from New Jersey and began playing professionally in 1962. She sings and plays the fiddle and guitar. They teamed up to play old time music and later married. They moved to New Mexico for her health and formed the Bayou Seco band. They now live in Silver City, New Mexico.

Keppeler and McLerie have expanded their research, study and performances to include Cajun, Creole, Zydeco, West Virginia bluegrass, country, cowboy, Tex-Mex, Tohono O’Odham Papago violin, Basque and northern colonial Spanish New Mexican music and dances. This New Mexican music collection is only a small part of their work. They continue to play and teach music and dance across New Mexico, the U.S. and in many other countries. They wrote a song “Obama’s Train" for the 2008 Presidential campaign visit in Silver City, New Mexico.

From the guide to the Ken Keppeler and Jeanie McLerie collection of Northern New Mexico Hispanic music, 1980-1985, (University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research)