Zydeco is a form of folk music, originated in the beginning of the 20th century among the Francophone Creole peoples of south-west Louisiana and influenced by the music of the French-speaking Cajuns. It is heavily syncopated (back-beat), usually fast-tempo, and dominated by the button or piano accordion and a form of a washboard known as a rub-board or frottoir. Originating in Africa, the vest frottoir was introduced to Louisiana in the 1930s. Other instruments include the guitar, bass guitar and drums.

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 Cajun music with African-American traditions that also underpinned R&B and blues. It was known as "la-la"; "zodico" and various other names. Amédé Ardoin made the first recordings of what later became known as zydeco in 1928.

The music was brought to the fringes of the American mainstream in the mid-1950s, with the popularity of Beau Jocque, Clifton Chenier and Boozoo Chavis. In 1954, Boozoo Chavis recorded "Paper in My Shoe". This is considered to be the first modern zydeco recording, though the term "zydeco" was not in use yet (see 1954 in music). After Chavis left the music business, Clifton Chenier became the first major zydeco star and also led to the invention of the word zydeco in 1965. One of his hits was "Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés" (The Snap Beans Aren't Salty - a reference to the singer being too poor to afford salt pork to season the beans) and he said that "Zydeco" was a corruption of les haricots (French for the beans). This may have been his little joke as the term (along with variants such as "zodico") was used earlier to refer to African dance-forms.

More on [ Zydeco ]

NYT > Music

A Man of Many Talents, Eager to Use Them All
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:29:47 -0000
Caleb Burhans is part of a new generation that doesn’t feel compelled to specialize and works easily in classical, rock and much in between.
Music Review | Madonna: Aerobic, Not Erotic: The Concert as Workout
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:42:35 -0000
Time obsesses Madonna on her Sticky and Sweet Tour, which made its first American stop at the Izod Center.
Music: A Cappella Dreaming: 10 Voices, One Shot
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:30:24 -0000
A 10-man group moves from campus to YouTube to a dream of bringing a cappella to the mainstream charts.

NPR Topics: Music

Basia Bulat: Making The Autoharp Cool
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 05:17:00 -0400
For many, the autoharp is remembered as the slightly geeky, easy-to-play instrument from grade-school music class, or as simple accompaniment for folk and country singers. But Basia Bulat, who sings and plays the autoharp on Oh, My Darling, hopes the time has come for people to discover the beauty and potential in the instrument.
Renee Fleming: 'Four Last Songs' Of Strauss
Sat, 04 Oct 2008 05:00:00 -0400
Four Last Songs, by German composer Richard Strauss, is a song cycle marked by the awareness and acceptance of death. A new recording captures world-famous soprano Renee Fleming as she sings his last pieces for a second time — this time with a new direction.
Songs Along The Campaign Trail
Sun, 05 Oct 2008 09:46:00 -0400
Classical music historian Robert Greenberg speaks with host Liane Hansen about historic campaign songs. Music and politics have been intertwined in the United States since the 1800s when President Thomas Jefferson and President John Quincy Adams were in office.

www.tennessean.com - Rss-News-Music Industry news

Ringtone royalty rate gets big boost
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:47:00 -0500
Songwriters and music publishers say they're pleased with a U.S. Copyright Royalty Board ruling issued Thursday that sets a higher rate for ringtones but keeps a 9.1-cents mechanical royalty on all other music, including compact discs and digital download services.
SESAC cooks up fun for The Grascals
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:51:00 -0500
The first clue that something was up at the oft-quiet performing rights organization SESAC this week was the large powder blue-and-turquoise tour bus emblazoned with an assortment of Mayberry's Finest baking mixes parked across the street from its Music Row offices.
SESAC cooks up fun for The Grascals
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 05:51:00 -0500
The first clue that something was up at the oft-quiet performing rights organization SESAC this week was the large powder blue-and-turquoise tour bus emblazoned with an assortment of Mayberry's Finest baking mixes parked across the street from its Music Row offices.

Rolling Stone: Features

Make-Believe Maverick
Tue, 30 Sep 2008 07:23:06 -0700
A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty • VIDEO: Five Myths About John McCain • The Double-Talk Express • Mad Dog Palin: The Full Story At Fort McNair, an army base located along the Potomac River in the nation's capital, a chance reunion takes place one day between two former POWs. It's the spring of 1974, and Navy commander John Sidney McCain III has returned home from the experience in Hanoi that, according to legend, transformed him from a callow and reckless youth into a serious man of patriotism and...
The Easygoing Patriot
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:51:54 -0700
Jackson Browne on Obama's chances, what he learned from Dylan and living off the grid Making music is one of the greatest pleasures I've ever experienced — and I'm one who sought pleasure," Jackson Browne says with a quiet laugh on an early-autumn afternoon in a New York hotel room. But, he adds, "the heart of my activism is the belief that these pleasures are for everybody. If we continue what we're doing as a country . . . " He pauses. "We're all in the same boat. That's always been the subject of my songs. We only have a little time. It's a mess, so you do everything you...
Q&A: Chrissie Hynde
Thu, 02 Oct 2008 12:17:19 -0700
The Pretenders singer on moving back to Ohio, opening a vegan restaurant and her rootsy new record • Video: Behind the Scenes of the "Boots of Chinese Plastic" music video After her 2007 tour with the Pretenders, frontwoman Chrissie Hynde vowed not to return to the stage until she wrote some new material. "Frankly, it was just embarrassing that I hadn't had a record out in so long," she says. Now, after recently resettling in her childhood home of Akron, Ohio — she has lived primarily in London for the past 35 years — Hynde can hit the road and draw from a brand-new batch...

Ultimate-Guitar.Com [News]

Brian Head Welch On Possibility Of Korn Return
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:07:30 -0000
Former Korn guitarist Brian Head Welch has released his new solo album, and it's his first release outside the band he grew up in.
Mudvayne: New Game Rock Sound Not Hellyeah Pollinization
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:02:07 -0000
Mudvayne is set to release their new album, A New Game, next month, and the title says it all from Chad Gray and company.
Eagles Of Death Metal Premiere Video For 'Wanna Be In LA'
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:51:19 -0000
Currently breaking hearts and bottles in the southwest, Eagles of Death Metal are getting ready to seduce the rest of the country.

Y! Music Unlimited Top Songs

#1: I Kissed A Girl - Katy Perry
Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:07:37 -0000
(C) 2008 Capitol.
#2: Violet Hill - Coldplay
Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:07:37 -0000
(C) 2008 EMI UK.
#3: No Air - Jordin Sparks
Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:07:37 -0000
(C) 2007 19/Jive/Zomba.
#4: Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis
Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:07:37 -0000
(C) 2007 Syco Music.
#5: Shake It - Metro Station
Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:07:37 -0000
(C) 2007 Red Ink.
#6: Take A Bow - Rihanna
Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:07:37 -0000
(C) 2008 Def Jam.

Subscribe to Music RSS feed