| Zydeco Music By Alana A. Carmon Originating in rural southwest Louisiana, Zydeco is a rich and distinctive music form composed of a hybrid of Cajun music, rhythm & blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. First appearing in the late 1940s, Zydeco serves as the most contemporary form of Creole music from the Acadiana area. The infectious foot-stompin’, hand-clappin’ music is based primarily on the accordion, even though other instrumentation such as the guitar, drums, and keyboard are used. Washboards (or Rubboards) and triangles provide the trademark rollicking and syncopated rhythm associated with Zydeco. The term zydeco (also rendered zarico, zodico, zordico, and zologo) was derived from the French term for "snap beans", les haricots (pronounced "lay zarico"). Folklorist Barry Ancelet contends that this name resulted from the popular Creole expression, Les haricots sont pas sales (the beans aren’t salty), which is actually a metaphor for hard times. Since many Creoles enjoyed seasoned food whenever possible, "The Beans aren’t salty" signified that at the moment they could not afford the necessary salted meat to flavor the beans. The "King of Zydeco", the late Clifton Chenier, also captures the phrase in the title of a popular recording. Before his untimely death in 1987, Chenier was acknowledged for his unique style and exemplary thirty-year career when he received the music industry’s highest honor, a Grammy, in 1984. Other Zydeco Grammy winners in the 1980s included California resident Queen Ida Guillory (originally from Lake Charles), and Rockin’ Sidney Semien for his renowned single, "Don’t Mess With My Toot Toot," which sold more than a million copies. Chenier’s former keyboard player, Buckwheat Zydeco, also achieved celebrity status after performing during the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, an event witnessed by an estimated 3 billion people. It was Chenier, along with Bozoo Chavis, however, who brought Zydeco to international popularity. Chavis recorded the first modern Zydeco song, "Paper in My Shoe," in 1954, but left the music arena until the mid-1980s. He returned with a string of hits and ushered in the "Bozoo Evolution" of the 1980s. During this era, the traditional Zydeco dancing by couples in a subtle, smooth, upright position was replaced by a bouncier, bent-knee, and a more lax position. Bozoo revived rural Zydeco and as a result trail rides were incorporated into the Zydeco scene, a trend that continues today. The "Beau Jocque Revolution" of the 1990s witnessed a change in dancing style once again– from a couples dance to an individual free-style. The decade also experienced a virtual disappearance of the original Creole French lyrics– many performances in recent years have been in English and regarded as "party music." In the new millennium, ethnomusicologists have observed that as the "New Zydeco" incorporates new pop music sources, such as rap, soul, and reggae, younger audiences are becoming attracted to the increasingly popular genre, a trend that is likely to continue for some time. Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival Louisiana Radio Listing and Websites
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