Zachary Breaux
Zachary Charles Breaux (June 26, 1960 – February 20, 1997) was an American jazz guitarist who was influenced by George Benson and Wes Montgomery He played with Roy Ayers,  Dee Dee Bridgewater, Donald Byrd, Stanley Turrentine, Jack McDuff, and Lonnie Liston Smith. Biography
Zachary Breaux was born on June 26, 1960, in Port Arthur, Texas. He began playing at the age of 9 and after graduating from Lincoln High School, he studied music composition at University of North Texas College of Music where he had been a member of the One O'Clock Lab Band. In 1984, he moved to New York, where he spent six years in the band of Roy Ayers. He was signed to Zebra Records in 1996 but died on February 20, 1997, at the age of 36 while on holiday in Miami Beach. He was trying to save the life of another swimmer, Eugenie Poleyeff, who was caught by a riptide. Breaux, who saved a man from drowning while on tour in Italy in 1988, was vacationing in Miami Beach with his family when he tried to help the swimmer. Breaux was caught by the current and suffered a heart attack. He was pronounced dead at the Miami Heart Institute. Poleyeff also died. Discography
 Groovin'  (NYC, 1992)
 Laid Back (NYC, 1994)
 Uptown Groove (Zebra, 1997)

References

 Biography Index, A Cumulative Index to Biographical Material in Books and Magazines, Volume 22: September 1996 – August 1997, H.W. Wilson Co., New York (1997)
 The New York Times Biographical Service, a compilation of biographical information of general interest, Volume 28, Numbers 1- 12. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI Co. (1997)

1997 deaths
1960 births
American jazz guitarists
People from Port Arthur, Texas
University of North Texas College of Music alumni
Smooth jazz guitarists
20th-century American guitarists
Jazz musicians from Texas