Music of Cajun Louisiana is rooted in ballads of French-speaking Canadians, Country and Texas swing Cajun (1934–1941), Southern music/American music By Bill C. Malone, David Stricklin 1979 M& S p. 62, Balfa Brothers - J'ai Passé Devant Ta Porte, List of Notable People Related to Cajun Music, "www.lsue.edu "Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, http://www.answers.com/topic/louisiana-man-the-very-best-of-doug-kershaw-live, Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American Made Music, South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous, Encyclopedia of Louisiana Musicians: Jazz, Blues, Cajun, Creole, Zydeco, Swamp Pop, and Gospel, A Brief History of Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco Music, Cajunlyrics.com - Cajun, Swamp-Pop & Zydeco Lyrics, Cajun and Creole Music Collection at Edith Garland Dupré Library, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Contemporary Louisiana Cajun, Creole and Zydeco Musicians, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cajun_music&oldid=981776990, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 4 October 2020, at 11:11. A number of the most prominent traditional Cajun musicians are featured in the 1989 documentary J'Ai Ete Au Bal. Piano and other string instruments joined fiddle to create a jazzy swing beat strongly influenced by Western Swing of neighboring Texas. Many songs that became standards in the Cajun music repertoire were first recorded in this period of the 1920s and 1930s. Usually two fiddles were common, one playing the melody while the other provided the séconde, or back-up part. The Red Stick Ramblers and The Lost Bayou Ramblers are contemporary bands playing in this style. Atchafalaya was active cajun group from 1982 to 1986.[5].

Cajun music is relatively catchy with an infectious beat and a lot of forward drive, placing the accordion at the center. Cajun music can be found predominantly at Louisiana festivals and dance halls, in addition to weddings in Acadiana. Each fiddle solo is composed of a major scale riff, repeated between verses.

Some user-contributed text on this page is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. A new version of Last.fm is available, to keep everything running smoothly, please reload the site. This form holds firm to a basic rhythm with staccato style notes, including many fiddle double stops. Cajun music (French: Musique cadienne), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. The same abrupt, staccato feel can be felt as in traditional Cajun. These French Louisiana sounds have influenced American popular music for many decades, especially country music, and have influenced pop culture through mass media, such as television commercials. A "C" accordion can also play a few Cajun songs in the key of F however the Bb note will be missing. This style involves heavy elements of Texas country music influence and a move away from the traditional accordion. This style involves Cajun music with a heavy influence of rock, R&B, blues, soul, and zydeco, producing a less traditional, more contemporary sound. Bands in the 1940s began using the steel guitar, an instrument which also found use in dancehall Cajun music. Find Traditional Cajun Albums, Artists and Songs, and Hand-Picked Top Traditional Cajun Music on AllMusic Though French-language songwriting is still common, some Cajun music today is sung in English with younger singers and audiences. Since an instrument must match the singer's range, much Cajun singing is sung in the singer's upper range. The narrative songs often had passionate themes of death, solitude or ill-fated love — a reaction to their harsh exile and rough frontier experience, as well as celebrations of love and humorous tales. Pioneers such as BeauSoleil with Michael Doucet, Zachary Richard, Jambalaya Cajun Band, Bruce Daigrepont, and others broke new ground, while other musicians such as Eddie LeJeune, Irvin LeJeune, Homer LeJeune, Robert Jardell, Les Frères Michot, the Pine Leaf Boys, and others brought energy to older, more traditional forms. The harmonies of Cajun music are simple, basically I, IV, and V, tonic, sub-dominant, and dominant with many tunes just using I and V. The melodic range is just one octave, rising a fifth above the tonic and descending a fourth below.

A Cajun dancer will cover the dance floor while the zydeco dancer will primarily dance in a smaller area. Cajun music is relatively catchy with an infectious beat and a lot of forward drive, placing the accordion at the center.
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This style originated in the post-war era of the late 1940s and continues up until the present in small town dancehalls. [4] The song was eventually covered by more than 800 artists. A "C" accordion can also play a tune in the key of G, but one note of the G scale will be missing which is F#. The accordionist gives the vocal melody greater energy by repeating most notes.[1]. The quick fiddle action and double stops are missing, replaced by dominant blues chords and jazz slides. The sound has been dubbed “Heavy Cajun Psych”, Doug Kershaw recorded "Louisiana Man," an autobiographical song that he had written while in the army. Early song lyrics were entirely in Cajun French. We don’t have any upcoming events for this artist right now. The music was essential for small get-togethers on the front porch, an all night house dance known as a "bal de maison", or a public dance in a dance hall called a fais do-do. Modern groups sometimes include drums, electric bass, electric guitars and amplified accordion and fiddles. This form has existed since the early 1900s and the waltz and two-step are the most common dances of this Cajun music genre. Gradually, the Cajun accordion emerged to share the limelight. The unaccompanied ballad was the earliest form of Cajun music. The fiddle players relax, involving a more legato feel to the solos. This music has more of a "swing" style popularized by Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. The steel guitar also adds remarks. Do you have any photos of this artist? B. Fuselier, Leroy "Happy Fats" Leblanc, Harry Choates and the Hackberry Ramblers are early examples of this style. But in the Depression era the tide turned, and, according to Stricklin et al., it had never been eclipsed.[6]. Connect your Spotify account to your Last.fm account and scrobble everything you listen to, from any Spotify app on any device or platform. There are several variations of Cajun dance: a Cajun one step, also called a Cajun Jig, a Cajun two step, also called a Cajun Jitterbug, and a Cajun Waltz. More recently the Lost Bayou Ramblers have been experimenting mixing traditional instruments with cutting edge technology as showcased on their last two records, Mammoth Waltz (2012) and Kalenda (2017). Also, in the late 1930s and 1940s, country music became the dominant influence on Cajun music, and steel guitar and bass were introduced. Go directly to shout page. Tag this artist.

The Cajun fiddle was a well established instrument which had been somewhat eclipsed by the German accordion fad, which had similar effect in French Canada. Amédé Ardoin, Canray Fontenot, Wade Frugé, Dewey Segura, Joe Falcon and Cléoma Falcon, and the Breaux Brothers are examples of this genre. Hmm, it looks like we don’t know much about this artist. Drawing on elements of the earlier traditional, Texas swing, and dancehall periods, the Cajun "renaissance" also incorporates more modern elements of folk, blues, jazz and swamp pop, and bluegrass styles. The characteristics of dancehall Cajun can be seen in current artists such as Jesse Légé, and The Basin Brothers Band. In the early 1930s, the accordion was pushed into the background by the popular string sounds of the time. This period is defined as such due to the fact that more bands moved from the house dances to large halls, as well as, electrical amplification of instruments to cut through the noise of the crowd. The song sold millions of copies; over the years it has come to be considered a standard of modern Cajun music. Find the latest tracks, albums, and images from Traditional Cajun Music. Do you know any background info about this artist? Dances such as "the jig" are common among this genre of Cajun music. Let us know what you think of the Last.fm website. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based zydeco music, both of Acadiana origin, and both of which have influenced the other in many ways. Electrification of the dance venues allowed the fiddle to be played in a smoother style, alternating leads with the accordion.

This is followed by the next vocal verse, and so on. Cajun music, born from ballads, has transformed to dance music—with or without words. Leo Soileau, J.

Listen to music from Traditional Cajun Music like Think Of Me (Jongle Á Moi) 1, Think Of Me (Jongle Á Moi) 2 & more. Besides the voices, only two melodic instruments are heard, the accordion and fiddle, but usually in the background can also be heard the high, clear tones of a metal triangle. This style, Dancehall Cajun is often known in South Louisiana as "Fais do-do" music because it is commonly played at fais do-dos; this in turn comes from the local practice of couples bringing their children with them to the dance hall. The acoustic guitar was added, mostly as a rhythm instrument, and the triangle provided a traditional percussion. It is similar to traditional Cajun music with added accompaniment such as the bass guitar, drum kit, steel guitar, and rhythm guitar, electric or acoustic. [2][3] Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, conducted by George Szell, Traditional Cajun Music, “Think Of Me”.01, Traditional Cajun Music, “Think Of Me”.03, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Lawrence Walker, Aldus Roger, Nathan Abshire, Iry LeJeune, and Sidney Brown are examples of this musical period.
Instead of the music being dominated by the accordion, Cajun swing relies heavily on the fiddle and piano with a swinging tempo. Besides the voices, only two melodic instruments are heard, the accordion and fiddle, but usually in the background can also be heard the high, clear tones of a metal triangle.

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Twin fiddling traditions represent the music in its purest form, as it was brought to Louisiana with the early immigrants and before popular American tunes mingled with it. Ballads were ritually sung at weddings and funerals, and sung informally for small groups of people at house parties as the food cooked and young children played. Also it can play in the key of D with a bluesy sound since the F natural note becomes a flat third or minor third in the key of D. However a skilled accordion player can play in these other keys and still make good music whereby the notes missing (because of the limitations of the diatonic tuning) are not needed by the melody. Let us know what you think of the Last.fm website.