Zydeco

Zydeco is a form of folk music, originated in the beginning of the 20th century among the French-speaking Cajuns of Louisiana. It is dominated by the accordion and also includes horns and the electric bass guitar. The music arose as a synthesis of more traditional Cajun music with R&B and blues. Amede Ardoin made the first recordings of zydeco in 1928, and the music was finally brought to the fringes of the American mainstream in the mid-1950s, with the popularity of Clifton Chenier and Boozoo Chavis. Rockin' Sidney's surprise hit "My Toot Toot" launched a revival of zydeco in the mid-1980s, carried further by the international fame of Buckwheat Zydeco.

The word "zydeco" comes from the bastardization of a song, "L'Haricots Sont Pas Sals". Haricot being a French word for Green beans. The title means "The snap beans aren't salty", a reference to the singer being too poor to afford salt pork to season the beans.

See also: Music of Louisiana