The Kingdom of Zydeco

by Tisserand, Michael

• ISBN13: 9781559704182
• ISBN10: 1559704187
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1998-09-06
• Publisher: Arcade Pub

Summary

There's a musical kingdom in the American South that's not marked on any map. Stretching from the prairies of Louisiana to the oil towns of East Texas, it is ruled over by accordion-squeezing, washboard-wielding musicians such as Boozoo Chavis, Bean Jocque, Buckwheat Zydeco, Nathan Williams, Keith Frank, Terrance Simien, Geno Delafose, Rosie Ledet, C. J. Chenier, and Chris Ardoin. Theirs is the kingdom of zydeco. Michael Tisserand reveals why zydeco's identifiable and unforgettable blend of blues and Cajun influences has made the dance music of the Louisiana black Creoles so popular and widespread. One reason is that it makes your feet move. But zydeco's appeal runs deeper than the feel-good, get-up-and-dance reaction it invariably elicits, and is intertwined in the music's roots and rhythms. Tisserand went on the zydeco trail to meet the major artists, and paints vivid portraits of zydeco people at home and on the road. He reconstructs the legends behind the music's beginnings, offering completebiographies of pioneers such as Amede Ardoin and Clifton Chenier.

Table of Contents

MAP	vi	(3)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	ix	(2)
FOREWORD	xi	(4)
AUTHOR'S NOTE	xv
INTRODUCTION: Creoles and Cajuns	1	(8)
1 WHAT'S IN A NAME	9	(14)
2 SATURDAY NIGHTS DON'T COUNT	23	(16)
3 THE CREOLE CROSSROADS	39	(12)
4 LE GRAND CHEMIN D'AMEDE ARDOIN	51	(16)
5 A WALTZ CAN TURN TO THE BLUES	67	(24)
6 THE KING OF ZYDECO	91	(58)
7 CARRYING ON	149	(8)
8 A ZYDECO SUCCESS STORY	157	(18)
9 THE ONE-STOP	175	(12)
10 THE HOUSE THAT "TOOT-TOOT" BUILT	187	(16)
11 GULF COAST WEST	203	(18)
12 CORONATION BLUES	221	(14)
13 DOG HILL DAYS	235	(20)
14 TRAIL NOUVEAU	255	(12)
15 RIDING LOW AND ROLLING HIGH	267	(12)
16 IT TAKES A WHOLE LOT OF CLIMBING	279	(14)
17 RUNNING AGAINST THE FIELD	293	(14)
18 THIS IS THE SOUND	307	(18)
19 CONQUERED AND CONVERTED	325	(16)
20 A NEW STAGE	341	(11)
KEYS TO THE KINGDOM: Further Listening, Reading, Viewing, Dancing	352	(22)
PHOTO AND LYRIC CREDITS	374	(1)
INDEX OF NAMES	375