"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" is a song credited to Hank Williams, released in 1952, which reached great popularity in two genres: country and popular music. Hiram Hank King Williams (September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter who has also become an icon of country music and Rock n Roll, and one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. ... See also: 1951 in music, other events of 1952, 1953 in music, 1950s in music and the list of years in music // Events Pierre Schaeffer publishes his A la recherche dune musique concrète (The Search for a Concrete Music), an explanation of his experimental approach to composing. ... This article includes a list of works cited but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Popular music is music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more of the mass media. ...

Authorship

With a melody based on the Cajun song "Grand Texas", some sources, including All Music Guide [1], claim that the song was co-written by Williams and Moon Mullican, with Mullican un-credited but receiving ongoing royalties. Other sources ^{[attribution needed]} claim that this was one of several songs which Williams purchased from other writers; a practice that was relatively common in "show business" at the time. This article is about an ethnic culture. ... Moon Mullican was an American country and western singer and pianist in the late 1940s and 1950s from Louisiana. ... A royalty is a sum paid to the creator of performance art for the use of that art. ...

Released in 1952, crediting Williams as the sole author, it was performed by Williams as a country song. It reached #1 on the U.S. country charts, and remains one of his most popular songs today.

Theme

Williams song resembles "Grand Texas" a Cajun French song, in melody only. "Grand Texas" is a song about a lost love, a woman who left the singer to go with another man to "Big Texas". Jambalaya, alternately, is about life, parties and stereotypical food of Cajun cuisine. The song has a Cajun theme, possibly inspired by Williams' time with the Louisiana Hayride, though Louisiana Hayride was recorded in Shreveport, a city with very little Cajun cultural influence. Referenced within the song are such Cajun dishes as jambalaya, crawfish pie, and filé gumbo. Williams sings of "Yvonne" in the song, referring to her as his ma cher amio, which is considered poor Cajun French for "my dear" (redundantly Williams uses the word "my" before the French "ma"), and has caused some confusion among listeners, particularly given his pronunciation. The refrain "son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou" has become a well-recognized and often repeated phrase. Cajun French spread in Louisiana. ... Cajun cuisine originates from the French-speaking Acadian or Cajun immigrants in Louisiana, USA. It is what could be called a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation is simple. ... This article is about an ethnic culture. ... The Louisiana Hayride was a radio broadcast from the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States that during its heyday from 1948 to 1960 helped launch the careers of the some of the greatest names in American music. ... Shreveport, Louisiana is the third largest metropolitan city in the state of Louisiana, USA. It is located in Caddo Parish, and as of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 200,145. ... Improvised looking bowl of jambalaya This article is about the food. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Filé powder, also called gumbo filé, is used in the making of gumbo, a thick Cajun soup. ... A bowl of shrimp gumbo Gumbo is a spicy, hearty stew or soup, found typically in the states on the Gulf of Mexico in the United States, and very common in the southern part of Louisiana and the Lowcountry around Charleston, South Carolina. ... Big Cypress Bayou in Jefferson, Texas off of U.S. Route 59. ...

Williams composed a sequel to the song from the female perspective, "I'm Yvonne (Of the Bayou)", with Jimmy Rule. It was not as popular. As with "Jambalaya" there is speculation that Williams may have purchased this song from Rule.

Discography

 * 1973 Album: Now And Then * 1975 live album: Live In Japan * 1976 live album: Live At The Palladium * 1978 compilation: The Singles: 1974-1978 * 1980 compilation: Beautiful Moments * 1989 compilation: Anthology * 1997 compilation: Carpenters: Their Greatest Hits And Finest Performances * 2002 Compilation The Essential Collection 1965-1997 

Cover versions

Another, even more popular at the time, version of the song was the 1952 cover version recorded by Jo Stafford, reaching #3 on the Billboard pop charts (and making the song well known to people other than country music fans). It was further popularized in a Rock'n'Roll version by Fats Domino. In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... See also: 1951 in music, other events of 1952, 1953 in music, 1950s in music and the list of years in music // Events Pierre Schaeffer publishes his A la recherche dune musique concrète (The Search for a Concrete Music), an explanation of his experimental approach to composing. ... In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Jo Stafford Jo Elizabeth Stafford (born November 12, 1917) is a singer whose career spanned the late 1920s through the early 1960s. ... On January 4, 1936, Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade and on July 20, 1940 the first Music Popularity Chart was calculated. ... Rock and roll (also spelled rock n roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Antoine Dominique Fats Domino (born February 26, 1928 in New Orleans, Louisiana), is a classic R&B and rock and roll singer, songwriter and pianist. ...

Other artists who have performed the song include Jerry Lee Lewis, Emmylou Harris, who included it in her 1976 album Elite Hotel, Moon Mullican, The Carpenters, John Fogerty, Brenda Lee, Harry Connick, Jr., Lucinda Williams, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Residents, Dolly Parton, and Tommy Funderburk (appearing in the film Steel Magnolias), among many others. International, translated or derived versions do exist at least in Dutch, Italian, Polish, German and Estonian. In 2005 two versions from Jambalaya surged in Mexican Folk Music one by Banda Limon and the other from Duranguense style group K-Paz de la Sierra.But in Mexican Banda the most famous cover version is by Los Felinos (Which was also the first Mexican interpretation). Both songs containg the same lyrics but make no reference to food, instead they refer to the classic themes in mexican folk music: Lost love, friends and the love for the land. Jerry Lee Lewis (born September 29, 1935), also known by the nickname The Killer, is an American rock and roll and country music singer, songwriter, and pianist. ... Emmylou Harris, ca. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... Elite Hotel was Emmylou Harriss second album to be released in 1975, following the widely acclaimed success of Pieces of the Sky, and even bettered its predecessor on the Billboard Music Charts, becoming her first #1 country album. ... Moon Mullican was an American country and western singer and pianist in the late 1940s and 1950s from Louisiana. ... For other uses, see Carpenter (disambiguation). ... John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock or roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival. ... Brenda Lee (born Brenda Mae Tarpley on December 11, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia) is a Pop singer, who was immensely popular during the 50s and 60s and is probably best known for the hit song Rockin Around the Christmas Tree. She was also one of the first teen idols in... Harry Connick, Jr. ... Lucinda Williams (born January 26, 1953) is an American rock, folk, and country music singer and songwriter. ... The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since the original founding in California in 1965. ... The Residents are an avant garde music and visual arts group. ... Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American Grammy-winning and Academy Award-nominated country singer, songwriter, composer, author, actress, and philanthropist. ... Tommy Funderburk is one of the most hired background singers in the history of rock. ... Steel Magnolias, by Robert Harling, is a 1987 off-Broadway play, made into a successful movie in 1989. ... Duranguense (also known as el pasito duranguense) is a genre of Mexican music. ...