A Song of Mardi Gras: Jambalaya Cajun Band and "Le Chanson de Mardi Gras"

Today's tune is by the Jambalaya Cajun Band, and is called Le Chanson de Mardi Gras. A band that has been around since 1977, the Jambalaya Cajun Band specializes in Cajun music and is made up of people who have roots in Louisiana music and who are also advocates for the preservation of Cajun French language and culture. You can find Le Chanson de Mardi Gras on their 1992 album Instrumental Collection, as well as the 1992 various artists compilation Cajun and Zydeco Mardi Gras.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://www.flattownmusic.com/artist/jambalaya-cajun-band/

When the Stars Fall from the Sky: Zydeco Force and "Saints Go Marchin' In"

Today's song will make you want to dance! The song is Saints Go Marchin' In by Zydeco Force. Formed in 1998 in Opelousas, Zydeco Force became a regional favorite in Louisiana and East Texas. They were featured in the award winning film Schutze Gets the Blues, filmed in the former East Germany, Texas and Louisiana. The band is currently inactive. Saints Go Marchin' In can be found on the 1992 compilation album Louisiana's Best Cajun and Zydeco Music. Of course, When the Saints Go Marching In is a staple of Louisiana and American music, beginning as an African-American Christian spiritual dating from the early 1900s and becoming mainstream after Louis Armstrong's 1938 recording. It has been recorded many times in many different ways, with this one giving it a Cajun twist.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zydeco_Force

Put a Spring in Your Steppin: Rockin' Sidney and "Zydeco Mardi Gras"

A little reminder of what happened a month ago is today' random tune, called Zydeco Mardi Gras, or Mardi Gras Zydeco. The tune is performed by the late Rockin' Sydney, the performing name of Sidney Simien of Lebeau, Louisiana. Rockin' Sidney started out as a guitar R&B musician with some minor hits in Louisiana in the 1950s and 1960s. One of his songs from that period, You Ain't Nothin' but Fine, gained some national attention and was later recorded by The Fabulous Thunderbirds on their debut album. In the 1970s, Rockin' Sidney began playing zydeco music. Recognizing the growing popularity of zydeco, he picked up an accordion and formed a band. His stage shows featured parodies of Clifton Chenier and Buckwheat Zydeco, complete with costuming. He became internationally known with his hit My Toot Toot, which has been covered by many well-known musicians. Rockin' Sidney died in 1998. Zydeco Mardi Gras can be found on his 1992 album Mais Yeah Chere! and on the 1992 various artists compilation Cajun and Zydeco Mardi Gras.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockin%27_Sidney

From Thibodaux to Fontaineaux: Warren Storm and "Jambalaya"

Louisiana's Warren Storm brings us today's random tune, one you'll recognize as a cover of an old Hank Williams tune with a zydeco flavor. A swamp pop drummer and vocalist, Warren Storm is from Abbeville, Louisiana who learned drums from his father, also a Cajun musician, and he began to perform in a band in the 1950s. Storm's musical tastes and sound was influenced greatly by trips to New Orleans to hear black rhythm and blues artists, and in the mid-50s he formed his own rhythm and blues and pop/rock band. He continued to release swamp pop music throughout the 60s and 70s for several labels, and was a house musician at several Louisiana dance clubs throughout the 80s and 90s. In 2000 he joined an all-star Louisiana band called Lil' Band O' Gold, and in 2010 he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. This song, Jambalaya, can be found on the 1992 various artists compilation Cajun & Zydeco Mardi Gras.

Listen to songs like this and more on the KUNM Global Music Show every Monday night from 10 pm - 1 am Mountain Standard Time. Live streaming, program information and the two-week digital archive can be found at http://www.kunm.org.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Storm

Big Fun: Warren Storm and "Jambalaya"

Happy Monday! Today's post is a nice little number - a Cajun/zydeco version of Jambalaya by Warren Storm. Storm is a drummer and vocalist who is a pioneer of the style known as "swamp pop." Storm was born Warren Schexnider in Abbeville, Louisiana and learned to play drums and guitar from his father. In the 1950s, he performed with Larry Brasso and the Rhythmaires. He also befriended Bobby Charles, and often went to New Orleans to hear R&B which greatly influenced his drumming style. He founded his own R&B and early rock group in the mid 1950s and had a couple of songs break into the Billboard Hot 100. He continued to perform swamp pop and rock, and was a founding member of The Shondells (not the Tommy James group). During the 80s and 90s, he performed regularly at various Louisiana dance clubs, and underwent a resurgence in popularity in the early 2000s when he joined the Lil' Band O' Gold, a sort of Louisiana all-star group. He was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2010. Jambalaya can be found on the 1992 compilation Cajun and Zydeco Mardi Gras.