A Pilgrimage to the Musical Heart of Louisiana
Written: Jan 01 '02 (Updated Jan 02 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Wonderful music, a genuine cultural experience, and great eats
Cons: None a all
The Bottom Line: Make this trip, it’s a once in a lifetime cultural, culinary, and musical experience you’ll never forget.
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| Howard_Creech's Full Review: Lafayette |
Travelers visit Louisiana for many reasons, its historic Colonial French legacy, its fascinating cultural diversity, and its unique culinary and gastronomical richness. One of the best reasons to visit the Pelican State is to experience its vibrant and enduring musical heritage. Much of the American popular music tradition has its roots in the rich alluvial soil of Louisiana.
Jazz developed in New Orleans Storeyville red light district, just a stones throw from Congo Square where African slaves met to sing, dance and share tribal music. The blues developed from field hollers, spirituals, gospel music, and work songs sung by cotton pickers, chain gang inmates, and share croppers working in the delta country of northeastern Louisiana, and southwestern Mississippi. Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley (all born and raised in the delta country) pioneered Rock’a’Billy, a mixture of Jazz, blues, Gospel, and country music that evolved into Rock’n’Roll. New Orleans musical artists Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Ernie K-Doe, and Irma Thomas combined Jazz, Blues, Gospel, and Marching Band music with Caribbean and Latin influences to give the world “Second Line” Rock.
Regional music has always been the wellspring of inspiration that allowed American popular music to continuously re-invent itself as a major force for cultural change. Jazz at the turn of the twentieth century, country music in the twenties, blues in the thirties, Rock’a’Billy in the fifties, the folk music revolution in the early sixties, Motown in the mid sixties, Tex-Mex in the early seventies, glitter and punk in the late seventies, grunge in the eighties and early nineties, and indie rock in the last few years have all entered the American popular music canon as regional musical forms.
Cajun and Zydeco music are among only a few regional music forms that are still prevalent and popular primarily in the areas in which they originated. Cajun music grew from the French folk music tradition brought from Canada in the eighteenth century by “Cajun” immigrants. During most of the nineteenth century the Cajun’s were one of the most isolated and insular populations in the United States. Hog butcherings, weddings, deaths, births, and auctions provided an opportunity for socialization and community interaction. Music and dancing were always a big part of the festivities and these gatherings eventually grew into the traditional Saturday night crossroads dances that are a major part of Cajun culture.
When oil was discovered in Cajun country early in the twentieth century, Cajun music incorporated influences from American folk and country music, African American blues and gospel, and other forms of popular music learned from the roughnecks and roustabouts employed on the oil rigs. Traditional Cajun music has always been driven by the fiddle with rhythm provided by the “tit fer” or triangle. German immigrants introduced the accordion in the late nineteenth century and Cajun musicians quickly incorporated the “squeezebox” as one of the big guns in their instrumental arsenal. The first recorded Cajun tune was "Allons à Lafayette" (Let's Go to Lafayette) recorded by Joseph Falcon in 1928.
In the years before the Civil War the Louisiana prairies around Opelousas were a very popular destination for freedmen (freed slaves) who moved west to escape the plantation/slave culture of the River Road and New Orleans. After the Civil War former slaves flocked to the Opelousas area to join the growing freedmen community. These people of color called themselves Creoles. They quickly adapted to life on the prairie, learned French, and lived by farming and trapping, much like their Cajun neighbors.
Zydeco music was born when Creole musicians combined Cajun Dance Music with the driving beat of lala (a Creole musical form unique to southwest Louisiana that mixed blues, gospel, and jazz) to create a distinctly new and different sound. The legendary King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier, said Zydeco music is, "simply the traditional French two-step with new hinges so she can swing”. The upbeat mood of a Zydeco dance club or a Cajun fais-dodo clearly shows the shared origins of these two musical genres
By the late forties the Cajuns and Creoles were moving along divergent musical paths. Cajun musicians were listening to country & western music on the Louisiana Hayride and Grand Old Opry radio programs. Rhythm & Blues, Blues, Gospel, and later Rock and Roll influenced Creole musicians. Today the most obvious differences between the two musical forms are in the instrumentation: The fiddle shares the lead with the accordion in Cajun music, but it is rarely heard in Zydeco.
Zydeco is a funkier styled music that backs the accordion with the driving rhythm of the rub-board (or vest frottoir). Precursors to the rubboard evolved in Africa and the Caribbean where animal jawbones and notched sticks were scraped to provide a background beat. The rubboard is worn on the chest like a bib and played with thimbles, spoons or bottle openers. The first recorded Zydeco song "Paper in My Shoe" was a regional hit for Boozoo Chavis in 1954. Chavis quit playing music soon after this record was released (in a monetary dispute) and didn’t return to recording for more than twenty years.
The Musical Heart of Louisiana
Lafayette is the Capital of "Cajun" country and it's a good base of operations for a musical tour of the prairie country. Lafayette has lots of hotels and motels, dozens of restaurants, and several interesting and educational local attractions including the Acadian Village, (a collection of genuine "Cajun" structures from all over south and southwestern Louisiana re-assembled as a small turn of the century "Cajun" crossroads village) and Vermillionville, a working reconstruction of how "Cajuns" lived more than 100 years ago with daily demonstrations of pioneer crafts, cooking, music and dancing.
The area west of Lafayette is the very heart of French music country. A visit to the area is like a pilgrimage to Nashville for country music lovers, a trip to San Francisco for Grateful Dead fans, or a sentimental visit to Memphis, Graceland, and Sun Records for lovers of Rock-a-Billy. In order to truly appreciate Cajun and Zydeco music it must be heard live. The infectious sound and enthusiastic dancing are best experienced at the dozens of music festivals and hundreds of dance clubs, bars, and restaurants that celebrate this upbeat music. Just follow Interstate 10 or U. S. Highway 190 west from Lafayette across the table flat prairies. Almost every town, no matter how small, has a Saturday night dance with live music.
Genuine Louisiana Eats in Lafayette
While in Lafayette, don't miss Borden's Ice Cream Parlor, 1103 Jefferson St. The art deco building, classic neon lights, scrumptious ice cream and frozen treats, and friendly staff make this the place to be on a hot summer day (or any other time)
Live Cajun Music Venues in Central Louisiana
The Balfa Brothers, Dewey Balfa, D. L, Menard, Marc Savoy, and great classic Cajun music artists lived and performed in or near the small prairie village of Eunice. Eunice, about 30 minutes from Lafayette, is the capital of the Prairie Cajun culture. The sound of old fashioned handmade Cajun accordions, swamp fiddles, guitars, and “tit-fers” from the traditional crossroads dances can still be heard, every Saturday night at 6:00 pm at the historic Liberty Theatre in downtown Eunice. The "Rendevous des Cajuns" (meeting of the Cajuns) is a “must see” event for Cajun music fans.
Dr. Barry Ancelet (who teaches at the local college) sprinkles cornmeal on the old wooden floor of the theatre and tells jokes in French. He usually gets the best laugh of the evening when he explains that the cornmeal (which helps the dancers glide smoothly around the dancefloor) is swept up in typical frugal Cajun fashion after the dance, to be used in the cornbread making class at the Prairie Acadian Cultural Center (located just up the street) and then fed to the tourists who signed up for the class. The "Rendevous des Cajuns" is not a tourist event; it is one of the last reminders of traditional Cajun culture. Tourists are welcome, but they are usually in the minority.
The "Rendezvous des Cajuns" is to Cajun music about the same as the Grand Ole Opry is to country music. You can watch great local dancers (and some brave tourists) dancing while you listen to some of the best Cajun music on the planet. The Liberty Theater is located two blocks south of Highway 190 and one block west of Highway 13 at 2nd St. and Park Ave. Phone (337) 457-7389
While in Eunice, don't miss the Saturday morning "jam session" of Cajun musicians at Savoy's Music Center (337) 457-9563. Mark Savoy is one of the best known Accordion makers in Louisiana, a consummate musician, a fantastic storyteller, and a perfect Cajun gentleman. He has acted as a technical advisor to movie and TV productions about the Cajun culture and Cajun music. In 1996 I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Savoy for an article on the Eunice area. He and I talked in his cluttered workshop for almost an hour one Saturday afternoon following the Jam Session. We discussed Cajun Music, how he got into making accordions, and what it was like playing with Cajun music legends D. L. Menard and Dewey Balfa.
The Jam Session is held every Saturday Morning from 8:00 a.m. until about noon. Savoy’s Music Center is located on U. S. Hwy 190 just east of Eunice. You won't have any trouble finding the place, just watch for all the cars and pick up trucks parked on the side of the road. It’s a good idea to arrive early because the store is small and it fills up pretty fast.
The Cajun Music Hall of Fame and Museum is located at 230 S. CC Duson Drive, just a block from the Liberty Theatre. The museum features Cajun musical instruments, historic recordings, and a wall of photographs of great Cajun performers. Right next door is the Eunice City Museum, which features (among many other exhibits)a small patch
of "restored" Cajun prairie. The city museum and the Cajun Music Hall of Fame are both free.
Also of interest is the NPS Prairie Acadian Cultural Center, 250 W. Park Ave (337) 457-8490, which tells the story of the Acadians who settled on the prairies of central and southwestern Louisiana. The center offers more than a dozen films, a gift shop, music, dancing and cooking demonstrations, and historical exhibits with artifacts and information on everything from accordions to raising crawfish. If you would like to read more about Eunice, or the Rendezvous des Cajuns check out Frederick Turner’s wonderful gulf coast travel odyssey "A Border of Blue"
Eunice is famous for its country style Mardi Gras celebration. Costumed riders on horseback (accompanied by dozens of horse drawn wagons filled with revelers) go from farmstead to farmstead begging for chickens and the other ingredients to make a traditional gumbo. After the “run” the combined ingredients are simmered in old-fashioned iron pots over wood fires for several hours, during which time the crowd listens to Cajun and Zydeco music and dances to stay warm. When the gumbo is finished (usually around sundown on Mardi Gras Day) everyone present gets to sample the treat.
Genuine Louisiana Eats in Eunice
While in Eunice try Boudin, a Cajun sausage made with pork, rice, and spicy seasonings. Boudin (pronounced BOO-dan) is made fresh in grocery stores and meat markets all over Acadiana, but the best in the state is made at Johnson's Grocery, 700 E. Maple St. (337-457-9314) in Eunice. Folks drive from New Orleans and Lake Charles to buy the Boudin at Johnson's Grocery. A popular local joke is that an eight course Cajun dinner consists of a six pack of Abita Turbo Dog or Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager and a couple links of Boudin from Johnson's Grocery. In Acadiana eating boudin with a coke or a beer for breakfast is a very traditional practice. If you don't like the idea of buying your meals to go (and eating them in your car) then check out Ruby's Cafe (221 W. Walnut, right behind the Liberty Theatre) famous for "down home" cooking since the fifties. "Miz Ruby" serves up luscious pork roast, baked chicken, and southern comfort food with a wide selection of side dishes and deserts
Mamou
Just 10 miles up La. Highway 13 from Eunice is the village of Mamou, the "Home of Cajun Music". Every Saturday morning from 8:00am until about 2:00pm Fred's Lounge is packed for the Cajun Hoedown, a program of live music featuring local bands that is broadcast live on KVPI radio. Fred’s Lounge celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in 1996. Fred’s Saturday morning shindig is always a rowdy party with lots of great Cajun music and enthusiastic dancing. A handwritten sign on the back wall warns, "This is not a dance hall. If you get hurt while dancing we are not responsible." Don't worry about finding Fred's, just look for the spillout from the lounge, and all the cars and pick-up trucks parked out front. A word of caution, "if you ain't inside by 8:00am, you'll have listen from the sidewalk".
Mamou’s name comes from the Mamou Prairie where the town is located. Visitors often wonder how the prairie got its name? One story has it that the town was named for the local availability of the rare Coral Bean, (called pettit mamou in Cajun French) a poisonous tropical shrub with brilliant red flowers. In olden times, a tea made from the leaves of this plant was said to be the only effective cure for pneumonia. Another story has it that the name comes from a corruption of the French word mamouth, for the Hairy Mammoths hunted in this area by ancient Native Americans. Mamou is a tiny town but it has a very big musical reputation and one of the best country style Mardi Gras celebrations in south Louisiana.
Opelousas (The Zydeco Music Capital of the World)
French traders and soldiers established a fur trading post on the southwest Louisiana prairie about 1720 and carried on a lucrative trade with the Opelousas Indians. The Poste de Opelousas was France’s key southwestern post during the French colonial era, an important military garrison that protected the western and southern borders of Louisiana from Spanish Texas. Opelousas most famous son, Jim Bowie, died at the Alamo with Davy Crockett in 1836 during the fight for Texas independence. Clifton Chenier, the king of zydeco music, was born nearby and other Zydeco greats Rockin' Sidney Simien ("Don't Mess with My Toot Toot") and Terrance Simien also have their roots in the Opelousas area. Nearby Plaisance is home to the annual Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Festival every Labor Day Weekend.
Live Zydeco Music Venues in Central Louisiana
Slim’s K-yi-yi (which opened in 1949) is Louisiana's best known and oldest Zydeco dance club, it's located on Hwy 182 just north of Opelousas. Slim's is probably the most traditional and authentic dance club in Louisiana, all the greats and near greats of Zydeco have performed in this funky old dancehall. The weekend crowds are young and enthusiastic and Slim’s always draws the top local bands. Visitors are welcome and tourists often stop in for the great music.
About half way between Opelousas and Eunice on U. S. Hwy 190 (in Lawtell) is another legendary Zydeco dance hall. Richard’s (pronounced REE-Shardz) is a Saturday night music and dance Mecca for Zydeco lovers. Richard's is Louisiana’s second most famous Zydeco dance club, and like the car rental advertisement says, they try harder. The huge rustic old club looks like something out of a Hollywood movie about South Louisiana. Wooden floors, ceiling fans, a huge flashing sign out front, and some of the best Zydeco music to be found anywhere makes Richard’s a local favorite. The crowd is a little older and friendlier than the patrons at Slim’s, but tourists are rare.
Genuine Louisiana Eats in Opelousas
Don’t miss the Palace Café, a classic American Diner with a southwest Louisiana flare that opened in 1927. The Café is a local institution (it’s right across the street from the Opelousas courthouse) and features classic diner food (milkshakes, burgers, and onion rings) and authentic rural southern comfort food like Fried Chicken, and Liver and Onions. The menu also offers delicious Cajun and Creole dishes, and Classic Southern Breakfasts. 135 W. Landry St. (337-942-2142)
The Holy Grail for Louisiana Music fans
Just north of Mamou is the town of Ville Platte, home to Floyd’s Record Shop. It is Louisiana’s oldest record store, in business since 1956. Floyd’s is the best source in Louisiana for authentic Cajun, and Zydeco, music. They also have the best selection of 50's music in the State and the most incredible selection of Louisiana music anywhere. Cajun, Zydecco, "Swamp Pop", Rock'n'Roll, Rock’a’Billy, Blues, Rhythm & Blues, and Country music are all to be found here. No Louisiana musical artist is so obscure that his/her stuff isn't carried at Floyd's.
Genuine Louisiana Eats in Ville Platte
After you make your purchases, if you’ve got a couple of bucks left, walk down the street to the "Pig Stand". This is a quirky little Diner, in business since the late forties, that serves barbecue, Prairie Cajun Dishes, and burgers that must be tasted to be believed. The "Pig Stand" is almost always crowded, so just have a seat, order something to eat and spread your CD’s out on the table. If you’re lucky, some of the local folks may saunter over and check out your purchases and suggest a group or artist you may have forgotten (or never heard of).
Conclusion
Cajun and Zydeco music have influenced many mainstream artists. Paul Simon's homage to Zydeco King Clifton Chenier, "That Was Your Mother", was one of the highlights of his seminal Graceland album. Cajun music greats like the Balfa Brothers influenced Hank Williams who recorded Cajun standard "Jambalaya" while he was singing for the Louisiana Hayride radio show in the late forties. Some current names to look out for when you’re CD shopping are Karlo Broussard and Standard Time and Buckwheat Zydeco.
Karlo Broussard was only 15 years old the first time I saw him play at the Liberty Theater. He’s one of the most incredible accordion players who ever picked up a “squeeze box”, an absolute natural, a virtuoso. His band combines influences from Swamp Pop, Rock & Roll, Country, Cajun, and Zydeco music to form a high-energy sound they call Zyde-Cajun, a new musical hybrid that is growing in popularity with Louisiana audiences of all ages.
Buckwheat Zydeco (Stanley Dural Jr ) is one of the most popular of the new generation of Zydeco musicians. Dural started his career playing with Clifton Chenier's Red Hot Louisiana Band in the early seventies. Dural was playing Hammond Organ for the Red Hot Louisiana Band when I saw Clifton Chenier live in 1971.
Dural shifted his interest from the organ to the piano accordion after leaving Chenier’s group and he’s become one of the most talented accordion players who ever worked the keys. Buckwheat Zydeco has opened for Eric Clapton on tour, played at the closing ceremonies for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and recorded more than a dozen Zydeco albums. Dural often adapts rock, country, and blues songs to the Zydeco musical tradition. Check out his Zydeco versions of the Rolling Stones rocker “Beast of Burden” or the Hank Williams country classic “Honky Tonkin’” for a real musical treat.
"Laissez les Bon Temps Rouler" (Let the good times roll)
If you enjoyed reading this Louisiana travel review, please read my other Louisiana travel reviews:
New Orleans
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New Orleans With an Attitude
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On the Trail of Jean Lafitte
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Louisiana Highway One
Exploring Louisiana’s Enchanted Backroads
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Traveling back in Time
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Into the Cajun Heartland
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Cajun Country
A South Louisiana Journey
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Evangeline Parish, Real Cajun Country
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A Quick Tour of Cajun Country
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Rendevous Des Cajuns
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Florida Parishes
St. Francisville the Capital of English Louisiana
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Southwest Louisiana
Creole Nature Trail
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Just “cut’n’paste” the URL into your browser’s address window
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Howard_Creech
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Member: Howard Creech
Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 333
Trusted by: 1274 members
About Me:
Photographer/Writer fascinated by Movies, Music, Books, American Diner Food, History, "Popular Culture", and Travel.
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