Cajun music is originally rooted in the music of the French-speaking Catholics of Canada, but not all Cajun music today is sung in the Cajun French language. In earlier years the fiddle was the predominant instrument, but gradually the accordion has come to share the limelight. (The introduction of the accordion can be traced back to German settlers, who are more typically identified with eastern and central Texas. Though they were concentrated in Texas, many settled as far east as New Orleans, that path taking them directly through Acadiana.) Cajun French is a dialect of the French language spoken primarily in the U.S. state of Louisiana, particularly in Lafayette Parish and St. ... The violin is a stringed musical instrument that has four strings tuned a fifth apart. ... A button accordion An accordion is a musical instrument of the handheld bellows-driven free reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as squeezeboxes. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Official flag of Acadiana Acadiana is the official name given to the traditional 22-parish Cajun homeland of South Louisiana, United States. ...

Lyrics and dance

Some folks argue that Cajun music is always dance music -- with or without words. With Cajun music's heavy syncopation, it would be easy to make that claim. However, so much of the culture is expressed in the lyrics that one cannot separate them from the music. Whatever one might say about it, Cajun music was created for a party: either a small get-together on the front porch or a foot-stomping crowd intent on having a good time. Cajun and Zydeco have influenced American popular music for many years, especially country music. For other uses, see Dance (disambiguation). ... In music, syncopation is the stressing of a normally unstressed beat in a bar or the failure to sound a tone on an accented beat. ... High school students celebrate at a birthday party. ... A porch is an architectural feature relating to a floor-like platform structure attached to the front or back entrance of a residence. ... 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. ... You have been blocked from editing Wikipedia for repeated vandalism. ... In popular music, Country music, also called country and western music or country-western, is an amalgam of popular musical forms developed in the Southern United States, with roots in traditional folk music, Celtic Music, Blues, Gospel music, and Old-time music that began to develop rapidly [1] in the...

The Cajun dance is usually a two-step, called a Cajun Jig, or a waltz, while Zydeco, further described below, is a syncopated two-step or jitterbug. A Cajun dancer will cover the dance floor while the Zydeco dancer will do all his dancing in one spot. Cajun music artists include DL Menard, Dewey Balfa, Belton Richard, Blind Uncle Gaspard and Harry Choates. The younger generation includes Balfa Toujours, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, and the all-teen group La Bande Feufollet. Cajun Jig, also called Cajun One Step is the simplest one of all Cajun dances. ... For a musical genre, see Waltz(music). ... The Jitterbug is a swing dance, a subset of Lindy Hop, with an emphasis on 6-count moves and fast spins. ... A blind vocalist and guitarist from Louisiana, Alcide Blind Uncle Gaspard alternated between string_band music (in a band with his brothers) and traditional Cajun balladry on his recordings for Vocalion. ...

Cajun musicians

Cajun sounds embellish recordings by Jimmy C. Newman, Alan Jackson, Hank Williams, Sr. and Jr., Doug Kershaw, Sammy Kershaw (cousins from the area), Gundula Krause and countless others. Listed by decade: Alan Jackson on the cover of his #1 album Drive Alan Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter, who became one of the best-selling country musicians of the 1990s. ... Hank Williams Sr. ... Hank Williams, Jr. ... Doug Kershaw, born January 24, 1936, is an American fiddle player from Louisiana known as The Ragin Cajun1 Doug Kershaw Born Douglas James Kershaw in Tiel Ridge, Cameron Parish in an area known as the Cajun country, his ancestors are Acadians who were part of the Great Expulsion by... Sammy Kershaw (born February 24, 1958, in Abbeville, Louisiana) is an American Country and Western music singer and songwriter. ... Gundula Krause, born 7 July 1966 in Göttingen, is a German folk violinist. ...

1920s–30s: Joseph Falcon and Cleoma Breaux; Leo Soileau and Mayeuse Lafleur or Moise Robin; Wayne Perry; Amédé Ardoin; Dennis McGee and Sady Courville; Angelas LeJeune; Breaux Brothers; Hackberry Ramblers; Rayne Bo Ramblers; J.B. Fusilier; Lawrence Walker Amédé Ardoin (march 11, 1898 to 1941? or 1950?) was a black creole Louisiana musician, known for his high singing voice and virtuosity on the 10-button (diatonic or Cajun) accordion. ... The Hackberry Ramblers (also known as the Riverside Ramblers) is a Hackberry, Louisiana-based, Grammy Award-nominated Cajun music band, and since its heyday in the late 1930s has been one of the most recognized names and influential groups in Cajun music. ...

1940s–50s: Harry Choates; Happy Fats; Iry LeJeune; Nathan Abshire; Lawrence Walker; Aldus Roger and the Lafayette Playboys; Lionel Cormier and the Sundown Playboys; Lee Sonnier and the Cajun All Stars; Chuck Guillory

1950s–60s: Austin Pitre and Milton Molitor; Badeaux and the Louisiana Aces; Adam Hebert and the Country Playboys; Alphee Bergeron, Shirley Bergeron and the Country Playboys; Nathan Abshire and the Pinegrove Boys; Robert Bertrand; Sidney Brown and the Traveler Playboys; Doris Matte; Joe Bonsall and the Orange Playboys; Belton Richard and the Musical Aces

1970s: Balfa Brothers; Octa Clark and Hector Duhon; Bois Sec Ardoin and Canray Fontenot; Touchet Brothers; Camey Doucet

Radio Stations

Stations that play Cajun music

Lafayette, Louisiana

• 1240 KANE-AM
• 1290 KJEF-AM
• 1490 KEUN-AM
• 88.7 KRVS-FM [1]
• 101.1 KBON-FM [2]
• 105.5 KEUN-FM

New Orleans, Louisiana Map of Acadiana listening area KRVS is a public FM radio outlet in Lafayette, Louisiana. ...

• 90.7 WWOZ-FM
• 100.3 KLRZ-FM

Houma, Louisiana KLRZ is a station whose format is Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp music. ...

• 1430 KMRC-AM
• 1600 KLEB-AM

External links

• Cajun Music
• Cajun Music Hall of Fame and Museum
• CajunZydeco Net