csmonitor.com - The Christian Science Monitor Online
 
Sidney Williams at his Zydeco club, El Sido's, in Lafayette, La.
Melanie Stetson Freeman - staff
Zydeco: The newest Grammy

At Grammys, zydeco music gets a spark of renewal

Terrance Simien, a leading light among the younger generation of zydeco musicians, is raising the genre's profile at this year's Grammy awards.

Page 1 of 3

This feature requires a newer version of Macromedia Flash Player and javascript-enabled browser.

Get Flash Player

Staff writer Matt Shaer talks about experiencing Zydeco music in person and Grammy recognition for Zydeco musicians.

When Terrance Simien turned 19, the zydeco musician packed his instruments into a dilapidated van and, along with a bandmate, drove until he arrived at the Lone Star Cafe, on Fifth Avenue, in New York City. The joint was a "dive," he remembers. "Terrible. But it was a popular place to hear music, and we were there to get exposure."

They got it. In the midst of a raucous set of zydeco tunes, Mr. Simien looked out across the audience, and noticed some familiar faces: Paul Simon. Mick Jagger. Bob Dylan. Soon Keith Richards and Ron Wood jumped up on stage, for a jam. "It was surreal, man," Simien grins. "It was a surreal experience. In some ways, it still is."

Despite the occasional foray outside Louisiana, zydeco's roots are deepest in Lafayette, a Southern town perched on the Vermilion River, 130 miles west of New Orleans. Driven by a bustle of accordion and washboard – and soaring French vocals – the folk genre was born here, and perfected by generations of Creole and Cajun musicians.

Some 20 years after his New York debut, Terrance Simien has become Zydeco's modern standard-bearer – and champion for its official recognition at the Grammy awards, which airs Sunday, 8 p.m. on CBS.

In 2001, Simien and his wife, Cynthia, began lobbying the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which hosts the award ceremony, for a unique category for Cajun and zydeco artists. Back then, musicians in both genres had to compete with mainstream folk recordings – an extremely difficult proposition when the competition is, say, Mr. Dylan.

"It was sort of a revelation one day," says Cynthia, who also acts as Terrance's manager. "So many musicians had passed away without recognition. And there was no way they were going to get recognition under the current system."

Last spring, after years of organizational efforts, Cynthia and Terrance discovered the work had paid off: the academy agreed to create a special category for best zydeco or Cajun album. Additionally, Terrance and his band, the Zydeco Experience, had been nominated for an album called "Live World Wide." On Sunday, Feb. 10, Simien and six other local acts will travel to Los Angeles to participate in the Grammy ceremony. Of the seven nominees, only one is based outside of the greater Lafayette area.

"Zydeco is going through a lot of changes," says Alex Rawls, associate editor at offBeat, a music magazine based in New Orleans. "Terrance is one of the ones who is helping that along – incorporating a lot of other forms, pulling genres together. And what has happened is a real growth of zydeco that has incorporated '80s and '90s R & B, along with blues and rhythms from the Cajun country."

That washboard sound

Contemporary Zydeco was brought to mainstream audiences a half century ago by Clifton Chenier, born in Opelousas, La. Mr. Chenier eventually won a Grammy for his efforts and, before he died in 1987, Zydeco was being popularized by musicians such as Buckwheat Zydeco.

Page 1 | 2 | 3 | Next Page

Zydeco music hails in part from the Atchafalaya Basin swamp area.
Zydeco music hails in part from the Atchafalaya Basin swamp area.
Melanie Stetson Freeman - staff
Get Monitor stories by e-mail:
(Your e-mail address will be protected by csmonitor.com's tough privacy policy.)
Photos of the Day
The best photos from May 12, 2008.

CAMPAIGN '08 Patchwork Nation
The American voter beyond red and blue

BOOKS When innocence and guilt intertwine
Past and present overlap in Louise Erdrich's lyrical new novel.

Daily podcast

Monitor Reports

Pat Murphy hosts today's podcast with Monitor reporters from around the world.


Today

Pat Murphy

Today's podcast features a report on Burmese cyclone survivors, Iranian influence in Iraq, President Bush's trip to Israel and a new law affecting taco trucks in Los Angeles.






Today's print issue
Today's Issue of The Christian Science Monitor