The first time I met Mike Soileau 15 years ago, I thought somebody had been arrested.  Mike was filling in for his dad – Cajun Radio's legendary foudner Dave Soileau – on the Saturday afternoon Swamp pop music show on KJEF-FM in Jennings.  Of course, I didn't know Mike yet, so I didn't know he had a day job back then as a Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s deputy.  When he came to the radio station that Saturday afternoon, he was in full uniform -- bulletproof vest and all.  I couldn’t figure out why a deputy would be in a radio station, and I didn't see Mr. Dave...  So all I could think was, "WHAT DID MR. DAVE DO TO GET ARRESTED?!"

Mike and Dave Soileau
Mike and Dave Soileau
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Yeah, I wasn't very bright.  No one got arrested.  Mike Soileau was simply doing what he does best -- work one of his 15 jobs.

Mike’s one of the hardest working guys you’ll ever meet.  People don’t think DJs do a whole lot, but Mike runs his own station and website, books all of our concerts, books concerts for festivals all over Southwest Louisiana, sells advertising, and still finds time to help everyone in our building with anything they need.  They don’t make ‘em more loyal, more caring, and more useful than Mike – and I don’t know anyone who knows him that wouldn’t vouch for that.  I'm proud to call him my colleague and my friend.

But having said that, there are a few things you may have never known about Southwest Louisiana’s foremost Cajun music expert.  Good thing I’m here to tell you what they are!

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Ten Things You Didn't Know About Mike

1. Mike acutally lived in Germany for two years when his dad was in the service.  He started school in West Berlin, Germany, before moving back the States and graduating from LaGrange High in Lake Charles.

2. He was a Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Deputy for over 10 years, as a jailer and as a patrol officer.

3. He was deaf in one ear up until he was five years old, which is why his voice is so strong.  He would talk loudly so he could hear himself, and it strengthened his voice.  He went through speech therapy as a child to get around it.

4. All the music you hear on Cajun Radio belongs to Mike’s personal collection – over 1,000 CDs that he collected and/or inherited from his father, Dave.  You’re basically listening to Mike’s iPod when you tune in.

5. He’s been in radio since 1990 – every one of them here in the Lake Charles market.

6. He was once a part-owner and manager of a local mortgage company before becoming a DJ.

Mike and his mom, Kathy Soileau
Mike and his mom, Kathy Soileau
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7. While his dad was a Ville Platte Cajun, his mother was from Washington, D.C.

8. His first car was his  mother’s 1981 Ford Courier nicknamed “The Squeakmobile.”  The suspension was so bad, the car squeaked every time it hit a bump.

9. He has two children – an 18-year-old son named Brandon, and a 17-year-old daughter named Kayla.

10. A former LSU student, Mike goes to at least three Tiger football games a season.  He also has an LSU man cave complete with LSU carpet, LSU neon lights, autographed footballs and football helmets.  He went to the National Championship game in New Orleans in 2007 and has a National Championship jersey, framed with his ticket stub.


Mike At LSU Game
Mike At LSU Game
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