Keeping Culture: Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys with "Tiens Bon"

Our random tune for today, Tiens Bon (Hold On), is performed by Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, a Cajun band from Southern Louisiana. Founded in 1988, the band takes its inspiration from Cajun traditional legends Dewey Balfa, Belton Richard and Walter Mouton. However, the music of Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys has grown into a style that is distinctly Cajun but also very personal to them. They sing almost exclusively in Cajun French. They have been nominated twice for Grammys in the Best Traditional Folk Album category and have released 11 albums to date as well as one compilation album. Tiens Bon can be found on their Best of Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys CD (2008), and is an invocation of cultural heritage.