Lloyd Joseph Cambre, Jr., 85 years old, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025 at Belle Maison Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Hammond, Louisiana after a brief time on hospice care. He was born November 28, 1939, in Independence, Louisiana, to Lloyd Joseph Cambre, Sr. and Rosalie Marie Granier Cambre, then of Madisonville.
He attended Covington elementary schools, St. Paul, and Covington High School, going on to graduate from Southeastern Louisiana College (now SLU) with a Bachelor's degree in Music Education, and Master's degrees in Music Education and Music Performance from Vander Cook College of Music in Chicago, Illinois, with his primary instruments being percussion and French horn. He taught K-12 music, chorus, and band and at the college level for over fifty years.
Lloyd gained a substantial amount of his music experience as a teenager when he would accompany friends to the Dew Drop Inn and sit in with greats like Fats Domino. He gained those unique New Orleans R&B skills utilized throughout his life from names now honored in the Hall of Fame.
He was especially proud to be a second generation percussionist . His father, Lloyd Cambre, Sr. was a French Quarter drummer . ‘Little Lloyd’ would often accompany his dad to gigs. At the age of three, he would pick up his sticks and sit in with Al Hirt . He traveled the world with several different bands including the Jazz Professors, the Guy Lombardo Band and His Royal Canadians led by Al Pierson, and the Ronnie Kole Trio. He also played with the Drifters, Florence Henderson, Clark Terry, swing and bebop trumpeter, Eddie Veatch and Friends, Myron Floren, the Dukes of Dixieland, symphonies throughout the country and many others.
As a vocalist, he earned the nickname ‘Silky’ and was known to be a respected ‘musician’s musician’.
He is survived by his beloved wife of thirty years, "Deputy Susie" Kathryn Cambre; his three children: Elisabethe "Lisa" Meyer (Paul), Robert Lloyd Cambre (Tara), John David Cambre (Diana), and their mother, Eileen; thirteen grandchildren; and seventeen great grandchildren.
Lloyd was predeceased by his parents and brother, Ronald Lee Cambre.
The family would like to thank friends, Jeanne Metz, Drs. Holliday, Gaudin, Mikdadi, and Rab, Chris and Cherise Sale, LeAnne Miley, Shirley Brown, Stacey Howard, Sheriff Gerald Sticker, Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office, Mr. Matt Strahan at Lallie Kemp , The Hospice and Palliative Care of Baton Rouge and the wonderful staff at Belle Maison for their caring attention to our loved one.
We are grateful and blessed for the legacy of kindness, humble, calm strength, faith, and sense of humor he leaves with each of us as Husband, Dad, Granddad, Great Granddad, Uncle, Cousin, Friend.
The rhythm of his drums will ever continue in the heartbeats of so many of those who love him .
So, the drum rolled it’s final goodbye, the cymbal crashed , then went eerily silent. And the stage now grows dark.
Lloyd Cambre will be missed .
A memorial service will be held at: Mariners Inn (117 W. Thomas St. Hammond, LA) 985-345-9854 on Saturday, September 13th at 1:00 PM. Musicians invited to come jam. Everyone is invited.
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