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Allons danser!
Cajun & Zydeco Music
A fiddle crying a waltz, an accordion pushing a two-step, a rubboard keeping time. Here’s the sound of south Louisiana, where it came from, and where to go hear it.
THE STORY
Music that kept the French alive
Cajun music began with the old French ballads the Acadians carried to Louisiana, sung around kitchen tables and played on the fiddle. In the late 1800s, affordable accordions arrived and both Cajun and Creole musicians took to them. Fiddle and accordion together became the heart of the sound, playing the waltzes and two-steps that filled every Saturday-night dance.
In 1928, Joe Falcon and Cléoma Breaux recorded “Allons à Lafayette,” the first commercial Cajun record. Decades later, when French was being pushed out of schools, the music kept it alive. In 1964, fiddler Dewey Balfa and his bandmates played the Newport Folk Festival, and the crowd’s response helped spark a revival of pride in Cajun music and culture that’s still going strong.
THE SOUNDS
Know what you’re hearing
Cajun
Fiddle, accordion, guitar, and the little steel triangle called the ‘tit fer. Mostly sung in French. Waltzes for slow dancing, two-steps to get everybody moving. Think heartbreak, home, and dancing anyway.
Zydeco
The Creole cousin of Cajun music, blending French Creole roots with blues and R&B. Listen for the accordion and the frottoir, a washboard worn like a vest and played with spoons. Clifton Chenier, the “King of Zydeco,” made it famous.
Swamp pop
Born in the 1950s when young Cajun and Creole musicians fell for rock ‘n’ roll and R&B. Slow-dance ballads with saxophones, piano, and a whole lot of feeling, still a staple at south Louisiana dances.
WHERE TO HEAR IT
Go hear it live
Schedules change, so call ahead or check the venue’s page before you drive.
Savoy Music Center jam
Eunice · Saturday mornings, 9 to noon
Musicians gather in an accordion shop on Highway 190 for a weekly jam led by the older generation of Cajun players. Visitors are welcome to listen. Call 337-457-9563 to confirm.
Fred’s Lounge
Mamou · Saturday mornings
A tiny bar famous for its Saturday-morning Cajun music and dancing, broadcast on the radio in French since the 1960s. A true one-of-a-kind. Check that it’s open before you go.
Lafayette dancehalls
Lafayette & Breaux Bridge · nights
Venues like the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette and the old-time La Poussière dancehall in Breaux Bridge host Cajun and zydeco bands. Check their calendars for who’s playing.
And don’t miss the festivals. Festivals Acadiens et Créoles, Festival International, and the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival put some of the best Cajun and zydeco bands on one stage.
Lagniappe: dancehall tips
- Don’t sit it out. Somebody will ask you to dance, and nobody cares if you’re good at it.
- Waltz or two-step? If it sounds slow and swaying, it’s a waltz. If it bounces, it’s a two-step.
- Dance the circle. Couples move counterclockwise around the floor, so go with the flow.
- Learn a word or two. Brush up with our Speak Cajun guide before you go.
GIVE IT A LISTEN
Hear it for yourself
Two ways in: a legend of the Cajun revival, filmed by the Smithsonian, and one of today’s great Cajun bands playing live at Festivals Acadiens et Créoles. Turn it up.
Dewey Balfa & the Balfa Brothers
A Cajun waltz, live in Washington, D.C., 1976. From Smithsonian Folkways.
Lost Bayou Ramblers
Live at Festivals Acadiens et Créoles. Stream it here, and buy it on Bandcamp to support the band.
Hear it live
Where the music plays next
The riverbank stage at the Natchitoches Christmas Festival has live bands every festival Saturday from Nov. 21. For the rest of the year, see the Louisiana Festival Calendar, find dancehall towns like Eunice and Mamou on our Map of Cajun Country, and follow the holiday music on the Louisiana Holiday Season hub.
