Zydeco

Zydeco (/ˈzaɪdɪˌkoʊ/ ZY-dih-koh or /ˈzaɪdiˌkoʊ/ ZY-dee-koh, French: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers[1] which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Though distinct in origin from the Cajun music of Louisiana, the two forms influenced each other, forming a complex of genres native to Louisiana.

Zydeco
Stylistic origins
Cultural originsEarly 20th century, Louisiana, United States
Fusion genres
Swamp pop

Origin of term

The origin of the word "zydeco" is uncertain. One theory is that it derives from the French phrase Les haricots ne sont pas salés, which, when spoken in the Louisiana Creole French, sounds as [lez‿a.ɾi.ko nə sɔ̃ pa saˈle]. This literally translates as "the snap beans aren't salty" but idiomatically as "times are hard"[2] signifying the speaker's fatigue or lack of energy.[3] The earliest recorded use of the term may have been the country and western musical group called Zydeco Skillet Lickers who recorded the song "It Ain't Gonna Rain No Mo" in 1929.[4]

Initially, several different spellings of the word existed, including "zarico" and "zodico" (in some dialects of French, r has the same pronunciation used by certain dialects of American English for specific instances of d). In 1960, musicologist Robert "Mack" McCormick wrote liner notes for a compilation album, A Treasury of Field Recordings, and used the spelling "zydeco". The word was used in reviews, and McCormick began publicizing it around Houston as a standard spelling. Its use was also accepted by musician Clifton Chenier – who had previously recorded "Zodico Stomp" in 1955 – in his recording "Zydeco Sont Pas Salés", after which Chenier himself claimed credit for devising the word.[5]

In an alternative theory the term derives from the Atakapa people, whose enslaved women were well known for forming marital unions with male African slaves in the early 1700s. The Atakapa word for "dance" is "shi" (rhymes with "sky") and their word for "the youths" is "ishol". In 1528 Spanish people, the first Europeans to contact the Atakapa, translated "shi ishol" as "zy ikol". Four hundred years later, the mixed-blood descendants of Atakapas and Africans would still sway in synchrony to their raucous music, but with a slightly evolved name: zydeco.

Another possible root word for zydeco is as a West African term for "musicking". Recent studies based on early Louisiana recordings made by Alan and John Lomax suggests that the term, as well as the tradition, may have African origins. The languages of West African tribes affected by the slave trade provide some clues as to the origins of zydeco. In at least a dozen languages from this culture-area of Africa, the phonemes "za," "re," and "go" are frequently associated with dancing and/or playing music".[6][7]

Musical style

Usually fast tempo and dominated by the button or piano accordion and a form of a washboard known as a "rub-board," "scrub-board," "wash-board," or frottoir, zydeco music was originally created at house dances, where families and friends gathered for socializing.

As a result, the music integrated waltz, shuffles, two-steps, blues,[8] rock and roll, and other dance music forms of the era. Today, zydeco integrates genres such as R&B, soul, brass band, reggae, hip hop, ska, rock, Afro-Caribbean and other styles, in addition to the traditional forms.

Early history
Early Creole musicians playing an accordion and a washboard in front of a store, near Opelousas, Louisiana (1938). Zydeco music originated from Creole music — today's rubboard or frottoir ("rubbing the washboard") is a stylized version of the early washboard.

The original French settlers came to Louisiana in the late 1600s, sent by the Regent of France, Philippe d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, to help settle the Louisiana Territory. Arriving in New Orleans on seven ships, the settlers quickly moved into the bayous and swamps. There the French culture permeated those of the Irish, Spanish, Native Indian and German peoples already populating the area.[9]

For 150 years, Louisiana Creoles enjoyed an insular lifestyle, prospering, educating themselves without the government and building their invisible communities under the Code Noir. The French created the Code Noir in 1724 to establish rules for treatment of slaves, as well as restrictions and rights for gens de couleur libres, a growing class of free people of color. They had the right to own land, something few blacks in the American South had at that time.

The disruption of the Louisiana Creole community began when the United States made the Louisiana Purchase and Americans started settling in the state. The new settlers typically recognized only the system of race that prevailed where they came from. When the Civil War ended and the black slaves were freed, Louisiana Creoles often assumed positions of leadership. However, segregationist Democrats in Louisiana classified Creoles with freedmen and by the end of the 19th century had disfranchised most blacks and many poor whites under rules designed to suppress black voting (though federal law said all black men had the vote from 1870). Creoles continued to press for education and advancement while negotiating the new society.

Zydeco's rural beginnings and the prevailing economic conditions at its inception are reflected in the song titles, lyrics, and bluesy vocals. The music arose as a synthesis of traditional Creole music, some Cajun music influences, and African-American traditions, including R&B, blues, jazz, and gospel. It was also often just called French music or le musique Creole known as "la-la." Amédé Ardoin, the second musician to record the Creole music of southwest Louisiana and its most influential, made his first recordings in 1929.[10] This Creole music served as a foundation for what later became known as zydeco. Sometimes the music was performed in the Catholic Church community centers, as Creoles were mostly Catholic. Later it moved to rural dance halls and nightclubs.

During World War II with the Great Migration, many French-speaking and Louisiana Creole speaking Créoles from the area around Marksville and Opelousas, Louisiana left a poor and prejudiced state for better economic opportunities in Texas. Even more southern blacks migrated to California, where buildup of defense industries provided good jobs without the restrictions of the segregated South. In California blacks from Louisiana could vote and began to participate in political life. Today, there are many Cajun and zydeco festivals throughout the US.

Post-war history
Chenier Brothers performing at Jay's Lounge and Cockpit, Cankton, Louisiana, Mardi Gras, 1975

Zydeco music pioneer Clifton Chenier, "The King of Zydeco," made zydeco popular on regional radio stations with his bluesy style and keyboard accordion. In the mid-1950s, Chenier's popularity brought zydeco to the fringes of the American mainstream. He signed with Specialty Records, the same label that first recorded Little Richard and Sam Cooke for wide audiences. Chenier, considered the architect of contemporary zydeco, became the music's first major star, with early hits like "Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés" ("The Snap Beans Ain't Salty" — a reference to the singer being too poor to afford salt pork to season the beans).

In the mid-1980s, Rockin' Sidney brought international attention to zydeco music with his hit tune "My Toot Toot". Clifton Chenier, Rockin' Sidney and Queen Ida all garnered Grammy awards during this pivotal period, opening the door to emerging artists who would continue the traditions. Ida is the only living Grammy award winner in the genre. Rockin' Dopsie recorded with Paul Simon and also signed a major label deal during this time.

John Delafose was extremely popular regionally. The music made major advances when emerging bands burst exuberantly onto the national scene, fusing new sounds and styles with the music. Boozoo Chavis, Roy Carrier, Zydeco Force, Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, the Sam Brothers, Terrance Simien, Chubby Carrier, and many others were breathing new life into the music. Zydeco superstar Buckwheat Zydeco was already well into his career, and also signed his deal with Island Records in the mid-1980s. Combined with the national popularity of Creole and Cajun food, and the feature film The Big Easy, set in New Orleans, zydeco music had a revival. New artists were cultivated and the music took a more innovative direction and enjoyed increased mainstream popularity.

C. J. Chenier performing in the Ross Bandstand

Young zydeco musicians such as C. J. Chenier (son of Clifton Chenier), Chubby Carrier, Geno Delafose, Terrance Simien, Nathan Williams and others began touring internationally during the 1980s. Beau Jocque was a monumental songwriter and innovator who infused zydeco with powerful beats and bass lines in the 90s, adding striking production and elements of funk, hip-hop and rap. Young performers like Chris Ardoin, Keith Frank, and Zydeco Force added further by tying the sound to the bass drum rhythm to accentuate or syncopate the backbeat even more. This style is sometimes called "double clutching."

Hundreds of zydeco bands continue the music traditions across the U.S. and in Europe, Japan, the UK and Australia. A precocious 7-year-old zydeco accordionist, Guyland Leday, was featured in an HBO documentary about music and young people.[11]

In 2007, zydeco achieved a separate category in the Grammy awards, the Grammy Award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album category.[12] But in 2011 the Grammy awards eliminated the category and folded the genre into its new Best Regional Roots Album category.[13]

More recent zydeco artists include Lil' Nate, Leon Chavis, Mo' Mojo and Kenne' Wayne. Wayne has fused zydeco with up tempo southern soul and smooth ballads to create a sound which he calls "zydesoul," while torchbearer Andre Thierry has kept the tradition alive on the West Coast.

Leading the world of traditional Zydeco today is the Dwayne Dopsie (son of Rockin' Dopsie) and his band, the Zydeco Hellraisers. They were nominated for best Regional Roots Album in the 2017 Grammy Award's. Dwayne and his band travel the globe playing 250 plus shows a year, keeping true zydeco music alive.

While zydeco is a genre that has become synonymous with the cultural and musical identity of Louisiana and an important part of the musical landscape of the United States, this southern black music tradition has also now achieved much wider appreciation. Because of the migration of the French-speaking blacks and multiracial Creoles, the mixing of Cajun and Creole musicians, and the warm embrace of people from outside these cultures, there are multiple hotbeds of zydeco: Louisiana, Texas, Oregon, California, and Europe as far north as Scandinavia. There are zydeco festivals throughout America and Europe. Zydeco music is performed at festivals, schools, performing art centers and large corporate events. It is performed for presidents and celebrities, heard on cinema soundtracks and used to advertise everything from vehicles to toothpaste to antacids, pharmaceuticals and candy bars. Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles Times, Time magazine among many others have featured it. It is played on radio stations around the world and on Internet radio.

Instruments
A zydeco musician wearing a vest frottoir.

The first zydeco vest frottoir (rubboard) was designed by Clifton Chenier, the "King of Zydeco," in 1946 while he and his brother, Cleveland, were working at an oil refinery in Port Arthur, Texas. The first zydeco rubboard made to Chenier's design was made at Chenier's request by their fellow Louisianan, Willie Landry, a master welder-fabricator, who was also working at the refinery. The zydeco rubboard, designed specifically for the genre solely as a percussion instrument, is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution.[14]

Other instruments common in zydeco include the old world accordion which is found in folk and roots music globally, guitar, bass guitar, drums, and occasionally horns, keyboards, and spoons.[15][16][17][18] Although the fiddle was commonly used in early Creole music, zydeco bands rarely featured this instrument.

References
  1. Sircely, Matt (2011). "Cajun Fiddler Cedric Watson is Helping to Preserve Tradition". Strings: 21–22.
  2. "Zydeco Music 101". Accessed 16 April 2018.
  3. Lolordo, Ann (31 January 1993). "An Evening In a Cajun Dance Hall: A Letter from Baton Rouge". The Baltimore Sun'. Accessed 16 April 2018.
  4. Jacobson, Daniel. American Music in the 20th Century: III. Other Prominent Types of American Roots Music in the Early 1900s: Cajun Music. Western Michigan University, date unknown. p. 11. "Music in the United States Before the Great Depression". Accessed 16 April 2018.
  5. Tisserand, Michael (1998). The Kingdom of Zydeco. Arcade Publishing. pp. 11–20. ISBN 9781559704182.
  6. Ancelet, Barry (1991). "Cajun and Zydeco Music Traditions". In Bulger, Peggy A. (ed.). Musical Roots of the South. Southern Arts Federation.
  7. Ancelet, Barry Jean (1988). Columbia College Chicago Center for Black Music Research (ed.). "Zydeco/Zarico: Beans, Blues and Beyond". Black Music Research Journal. University of Illinois Press. 8 (1): 33–49. doi:10.2307/779502. JSTOR 779502.
  8. zydecoFrench dance melodies with Caribbean music and blues.
  9. Hebert, Tim (1997–2009). "History of the Cajuns - Cajuns in the 18th Century". Acadian-Cajun Genealogy & History. ACADIAN-CAJUN Genealogy & History. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved June 4, 2012.
  10. Tomko, Gene (2020). Encyclopedia of Louisiana Musicians: Jazz, Blues, Cajun, Creole, Zydeco, Swamp Pop, and Gospel. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press. p. 33. ISBN 978-0807169322.
  11. "Big Sounds, All but Bursting Out of Small Packages". The New York Times. October 7, 2006. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  12. "Kanye West Leads 50th GRAMMY Nominees". News. GRAMMY.com, The Official Site of the Grammy Awards. December 6, 2007. Archived from the original on December 27, 2007.
  13. Spera, Keith (April 7, 2011). "Zydeco and Cajun category among those eliminated from Grammy Awards". Nola.com.
  14. "Frottoir History". Key of Z Rubboards. 2002–2008. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  15. Candelaria, Lorenzo F.; Kingman, Daniel (2015). American Music: a Panorama (5th concise ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. p. 56. ISBN 9781285446219. OCLC 869837576.
  16. Broussard, Sherry T. (2013). Louisiana's Zydeco. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. p. 7. ISBN 9781439643532. OCLC 884577399.
  17. Sandmel, Ben; Olivier, Rick (1999). Zydeco!. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi. pp. 22–23. ISBN 9781578061167. OCLC 493108712.
  18. Barkley, Elizabeth F. (2007). Crossroads: the Multicultural Roots of America's Popular Music (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. p. 159. ISBN 9780131930735. OCLC 62282643.

Further reading
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