Cajun and Zydeco music
The Cajuns are the descendants of the Acadians of Atlantic Canada, who themselves descended from the French of Normandy and Brittany. The Acadians were hardy people who kept themselves busy by either working or playing music. The old French ballads and fiddle songs were kept alive through the generations, and made their way to the twentieth century in the form of Cajun music. By the 1920's and 30's, the first Cajun music recordings came out of the bayous and onto the record players of music lovers everywhere. The old French songs were different now, played mostly on fiddle, guitar and a new instrument-the accordian, a musical gift from the German immigrants.
This newer music was first recorded by the people now known as the legendary pioneers of Cajun music. Before this era, Cajun music was played in the homes of normal folks and the dance halls of teenagers. Never before had there been recognizable stars performing the music. Dennis McGee, his partner Amede Ardoin, Joe and Cleoma Breaux Falcon, the Breaux brothers, and several others were the first Cajun musicians to record their music. "Jolie Blon" was one of the first hits of the genre and is still being played and recorded in various versions.
After this formative era, Cajun music picked up influences from Country and Western music as well as some elements of jazz. The result was string bands, most notably the Hackberry Ramblers. The new country-based sounds were integrated into the music, just another ingredient in a flavorful musical gumbo.
The accordian climbed in status in the forties and fifties, led by accordian legends such as Nathan Abshire and Lawrence Walker. Around this era, Cajun music was starting to fade, right along with the overall Cajun culture. Today's Cajun and Zydeco geniuses were just babies, too young to do anything about the destruction of their heritage. As Cajun music started to fade, Zydeco was being created (I'll get into that later). However, there were still some groups performing, most notably the Balfa brothers.
In the mid-seventies, a revolution was sweeping Acadiana. Cajun music was starting to make a comeback, and several young Cajuns were leading the comeback. Michael Doucet and Beausoleil were the probably the most important musicians leading this resurgence, with Zachary Richard, Steve Riley and others following. In the 1980's Cajun cooking and culture in general started to catch the eye of the rest of America, and Cajun music followed. The music probably got a boost from the growing popularity of Zydeco, with the unfortunate side effect of confusion among many people as to what is Cajun and what is Zydeco. They are NOT the same kind of music. They share some similarities, but they are different styles.
Although Beausoleil and others have made Cajun music more popular than ever, I still hope that the music becomes more popular in the years ahead. Some people just don't know what they're missing . . .
Links to Cajun artists and other Cajun music-related sites:
Origins of Cajun and Zydeco Music
Information on historical recordings of Cajun Music
Encyclopedia of Cajun Culture
BeauSoleil (my page)
Balfa Tojours (Dewey Balfa's daughter's group)
Bruce Daigrepont
Doug Kershaw, the "Ragin' Cajun"
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
Wayne Toups and ZydeCajun
Zachary Richard
Many more at Yahoo.com
Zydeco music is a close cousin to Cajun music. Not quite, but almost. The two styles share some elements, but on the whole they are more different than many people realize.
Zydeco started as the older, accordion-and-scrubboard music of the black Creole peoples of Southwest Louisiana. Amede Ardoin is generally thought of as the grandfather of Zydeco music. He was one of the first Cajun/Zydeco musicians to record in the 1920's. He recorded on his own, as well as with famous Cajun fiddler Dennis McGee. Many of his songs, or songs he performed, are standards now in both Cajun and Zydeco.
Zydeco as we know it today basically started in the 1950's, when popular music such as rock&roll, soul, and jazz were incorporated with the simpler, existing traditions. The music got "funkier" and more urban. Before the 50's, the music was known as creole or la-la music. The word "Zydeco" was taken from the Creole French phrase "Les haricots sont pas sale" which means "the snap beans ain't salty". If you say this phrase very fast, the words blend together and it sounds as if you're saying "zydeco", hence the name. According to the experts, the first modern Zydeco songs was "Paper in my shoe" by Boozoo Chavis, who's still playing today after a long break from recording and performing.
After Boozoo, the next big thing in Zydeco was the KING of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier. What the Beatles are to rock, Chenier was to Zydeco. The man pretty much created the modern style all on his own. The interesting thing is that he didn't exactly follow a tradition. Instead, he blended the popular musical styles of the day with his own bluesy, down-home zydeco. In Chenier's music, one can hear influences ranging from blues to soul to pop to rock to gospel. Not only did he mix these styles, but he also created his own unique style that will never be duplicated. This is the basis for what is considered "true" Zydeco today. However, nearly all Zydeco musicians are doing what Clifton did, namely mixing existing styles with "true" zydeco to create something new. I don't really think that there's anything you can call a 100% zydeco song. The beauty of the music is that any song can be transformed into Zydeco. All one needs is an accordion, a scrubboard and a whole lotta enthusiasm.
Many Zydeco musicians followed Clifton Chenier, including John Delafose, Rockin' Dopsie, Boozoo Chavis (after a long break) and many others. However, I think there's four musicians/groups that deserve special mention as the "superstars" of Zydeco music in the past twenty years:
Buckwheat Zydeco, C.J. Chenier, Nathan Williams and the late Beau Jocque.
Buckwheat was in Clifton Chenier's band for a couple years as a keyboardist. He grew up disliking the music, but he changed his mind once he started working for Chenier. In the late 1970's, Buckwheat started his own band, and has rocked the Zydeco world ever since. He can play in many different styles - blues, soul, funk - but he specializes in his own unique brand of hard chargin', non-top, foot-tapping leg-shaking Zydeco. His music sometimes seems to go 200 miles an hour, with Buck's big 'ol Piano accordion leading the way, and his groovy band backing him up. Buckwheat is to Zydeco what BeauSoleil is to Cajun - both bands are the most widely known in their respective genre. He's performed on many soundtracks, concerts, TV appearances, Presidential inagural balls and even the Olympics. And he's still going strong with no signs of letting up any time soon.
C.J. Chenier is Clifton's son. The younger Chenier grew up away from his dad, in Texas, and played the sax more than the accordion. However, later in his life, Clifton asked his son to join his band as a saxophonist. A few years later, C.J. stood in for his dad with the accordion when the elder Chenier couldn't play due to diabetes. When Clifton died, his son inherited the band and soon started keeping the family name in the spotlight. C.J. plays his own unique style that is quite different from his dad's. He isn't afraid to do covers, or move the music forward. But, like his dad, he plays the music with a lot of energy, and succeeds in making you want to get up and dance. Some of his songs are pretty darn catchy! Also, C.J. has a big booming voice, quite unlike his father. His voice gives his songs a very bluesy element, and it fits the music quite well. Some have gone as far as to call C.J. the "crown prince of Zydeco." Whether he is or not, he sure can rock!
Nathan Williams is another popular Zydeco musician. With his band "the Zydeco Cha-Chas", Williams plays a simpler, more rural-based Zydeco. His voice is a contrast to C.J. Chenier's, it's more of a country-ish voice as opposed to C.J.'s bluesy voice. Nathan's music isn't quite as hard or fast as Chenier's or Buckwheat's. He seems to focus more on creating songs, and doesn't improvise quite as much. However, Williams is a very popular musician, and sells out concert halls wherever he goes.
Beau Jocque was an up-and-coming Zydeco star before his untimely death in 1999(?) He was one of the new generation doing things their own way. Beau and his band had their own style, that's for sure, but it was still the same hard-pumpin' Zydeco we've all come to expect. Beau was a big man with a big voice and a big, booming style of accordion playing. His songs could be slow and bluesy, or fast and funky. They'd almost always start out slow, and then gain speed before finally exploding into an all-out Zydeco party. His songs were anthems, popular and well-known all over the Zydeco world. Beau's music was always hard-core Zydeco at heart, but he didn't hesistate to add elements of funk, jazz and hip-hop into his songs. His drummer, "skeeta," would rap along with him, shouting out things such as "get it, Beau Jocque!" Some people critcized Beau for his simple, repetetive tunes and vocals, and for adding the newer, hip-hop elements. But who cares? Beau's music was infectious, energetic and fun, and that's what Zydeco should be in my opinion. Beau's passing left a void in the Zydeco world, but it's good to know that the man left about a half-dozen recordings for us to enjoy in his absence. We can only wonder what he would have done if he were still here today. Perhaps we could then mention him as one of the true greats, among the Cheniers and Buckwheat Zydecos of the world. But let's not compare him to anyone else; let's just appreciate what joy he gave us through his incredible music.