Louisiana Music

The following description of the various types of music being played and listened to in Louisiana was
prepared by a select committee of persons with expert knowledge about the history and current status
of music in the state.

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The Louisiana music trail follows a path that meanders through countless cultures and generations of history. It cuts its way through
major urban centers and then spreads out to the rural countryside, echoing the constant refrain of diversity as it twists and winds its
way through Louisiana. All along the way, it carries the melodic dreams, hopes, laments and boundless spirit of Louisiana.

From the grand concert halls to the obscure roadside honky-tonks, from historic Congo Square in Armstrong Park to places where
Mardi Gras Indians roam, travelers who trace this trail are treated to the rich and abundant musical legacy that is distinctly and
unmistakably Louisiana. If this sojourn had an official anthem, it would probably be titled after a saying that best sums up the people
and the music of Louisiana - joie de vivre, the joy of living.

Don't look for any signs or markers along the Louisiana music trail. You won't need them. You'll know you're there when your heart
stirs at the brassy sounds of a jazz trumpet on a glorious New Orleans night. You'll want to clap and sway to the gospel strains that stir
you in a North Louisiana chapel, or two-step to this area's country and bluegrass music. You'll understand when your pulse quickens
and your toes begin to tap out the tempo of a hot Cajun or zydeco band warming up the crowd on a Saturday night in a southwest
Louisiana dance hall.

If it's true that art and literature are the conscience of society, then music must be its collective soul. So come to Louisiana and take
a soulful journey along the Louisiana Music Trail. It will leave you smiling, humming and filled with Louisiana joie de vivre.

Louisiana throws the world's biggest and best party every year in Mardi Gras. Doesn't it make sense that we'd also have the best music?
Come to Louisiana and you'll hear what we're talking about.

Jazz

Jazz was born in New Orleans. There is probably no city in America that is as strong a magnet for jazz talent - those one-of-a-kind
composers, musicians and singers who have blended and shaped this music form - as New Orleans. New Orleans gave us Louis
"Satchmo" Armstrong and an endless string of talented artists who continue to forge new horizons on the contemporary world jazz
scene. Just mention the Marsalis family name and that should conjure up images of a jazz family dynasty. A couple of New Orleans
landmarks include Patout's Cajun Corner where Al Hirt plays upstairs in the Al Hirt Room, and Pete Fountain's in the Hilton Hotel.
The wonderful thing about jazz, particularly New Orleans jazz, is its marvelous variations. Come to the Big Easy and enjoy a hot
platter of traditional New Orleans style jazz (which emphasizes collective improvisation) at Preservation Hall, the Palm Court Jazz
Café, or the Can-Can Café at the Royal Senesta Hotel. Sit in on a true jam session at Fritzel's. Taste some modern jazz (which relies
more on solo improvisation) at the modern jazz headquarters, Snug Harbor, in the Faubourg Marigny. Kick back and get into the
street music of the famous New Orleans brass bands which play everything from Mardi Gras to jazz funerals. Swing to Latin jazz to
be found only in New Orleans. Or relive the floating jazz excursions on the Steamboat Natchez with the Dukes of Dixieland or Eddie
Bayard and his Steamboat Stompers. For a look at the less traditional interpretations, try Donna's Bar Grill on North Rampart, or the
Columns Hotel in uptown New Orleans. Whatever your choice, your biggest problem will be to see and hear the most you can in
what little time you have to spend with us.

Blues/Rhythm Blues

It was the field hands in the cane and cotton fields of the Mississippi Delta who first sang the blues. Their soulful "field holler" could
make you dance with joy one moment and sink to the depths of sorrow the next. The power of that early sound left its impact on
American music, and gave birth to today's rhythm and blues.

Up and down the Mississippi and Red rivers in Louisiana, great blues legends were born or learned their trade. To "field hollers" were
added instruments: The guitar, then drums and horns and finally, amplification. Louisiana artists were among the earliest recorders of
blues, from Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter to Danny and Blue Lu Barker, and the records produced by Jewel and Paula Records.
It was not until the mid-1950s that the music by then called "rhythm and blues" began to spread from the South to the rest of the
United States and Europe. The original blues was a narrower music structure. The rhythm and blues that evolved had more scope,
more variety and was more self-conscious. This music form strongly influenced other styles of music and was also influenced by several
other styles. Today all forms of American music - including jazz, rock, country and gospel - are linked to blues as well as rhythm and blues.

  In and around the cities of New Orleans and Baton Rouge, great rhythm and blues traditions
   prosper today. The adventuresome traveler might even chance upon some of the traditional
   blues still alive in the smaller Delta juke joints in rural settings throughout northeast Louisiana.
   For the purist, a visit to Louisiana would not be complete without first paying respects to
   Leadbelly, either at a statue in his honor in downtown Shreveport or at his final resting place
   in nearby Mooringsport. Leadbelly, who wrote "Goodnight Irene" and "Midnight Special,"
   grew up entertaining in Shreveport's St. Paul's Bottoms, now known as Ledbetter Heights.
Most great rock guitarists of today regard him as the "father" of the blues.

Rock 'N' Roll

While music historians might argue over the exact place and precist time when rock and roll was conceived, we think we might have a
clue. In the late 1940s, New Orleans musician and singer Roy Brown recorded a song called "Good Rockin' Tonight." It was the first
song that used the word "rock" to describe the unique style that would later universally be called rock and roll by hip DJs, exasperated
parents and a confounded clergy.

One thing that can't be disputed is the important contributions made to this purely American music genre by Louisiana's home-grown
music legends. The Beatles molded their early style after listening to the piano-pounding 45s of Antoine "Fats" Domino. Blistering performances
by Little Richard, Frankie Ford, Huey "Piano" Smith, Allen Toussaint, the Neville Brothers, Professor Longhair, Lee Dorsey and Dr. John
recorded at Cosimo Matassa's legendary studio produced an endless string of chart toppers that great influenced the evolution of rock as
a mainstream music form.

Rockabilly music is also popular in Louisiana, representing a gumbo-like mix of early country and rock and roll played with a hillbilly style.
Jimmy Clanton, Joe Clay, Floyd Kramer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy C. Newman, Web Pierce, Jim Reeves, Farron Young, Slim Whitman
and Hank Williams Sr. were famous for their rockabilly music.

Today the blues-rock scene continues to cook and simmer in Louisiana. We even mix up some rock and roll with a Cajun twist, and
call it "swamp pop."

Visit any nightclub on just about any night in Louisiana and you might be able to tell your kids you heard a now-famous rock and roll band
when they were just playing for beer money. Come to Louisiana. We'll rock you.

Cajun/Zydeco

Two similar forms of music that have recently grabbed national attention are Cajun and zydeco. These unique styles, with their stirring
lyrics and music, are patented Louisiana. Back when the country was but a child, this music drifted through the swamps and bayous of
south Louisiana, deeply entwined in its Louisiana French-Acadian experience and African folk music.

  Outside Louisiana, Cajun and zydeco are often used interchangeably. But there are some subtle
   yet important differences. Cajun music is a blend of French folk music with a healthy pinch of
   Native American, German, Anglo-American and African styles and embellishments. Early Cajun
   music centered around the fiddle until German settlers introduced the small, push-button accordion
   in the late 1800s. With a tit fer, or iron triangle, struck with a spike providing rhythm, Cajun music
   grew into the hard-driving, emotional sounds that intrigue the world today. Cajun songs are always
   meant for dancing, either a waltz or a two-step. Lyrics are always in French and full of sad stories
   about broken hearts, early death and the harsh conditions that marked early Cajun life in the bayous
   and prairies of south Louisiana.

   Zydeco is the younger of the two styles and grew out of the Creole tradition called "La La," home entertainment
   enjoyed by African-American sharecroppers and farmers in the southwest region of Louisiana. Powered
by the push-button or piano accordion and frottoir (rub board), La La dances turned rural farm houses into neighborhood dance halls.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, a fusion of La La and American rhythm and blues began. The late Clifton Chenier of Opelousas
molded this Creole blues mix into "zydeco." Dozens have followed in Chenier's footsteps, including an emerging generation of young
Creoles who have introduced elements of rock and roll, rap, jazz and soul into an already energized music.

To appreciate Cajun and zydeco music to the fullest, you must experience it live. Start in the heart of Cajun country. From there you
can move in any direction, and chances are you'll find the beautiful and rousing ethnic sound filling the restaurants and dance clubs that
dot the Louisiana landscape. The Liberty Theatre in Eunice is an adventure in Cajun music every Saturday night. It features a live radio
broadcast in French and every variety of the Cajun sound from the syncopation of Caribbean-influenced zydeco to the French ballads so
often sung in heartbreaking old-fashioned style. When your hips start to swing and your heart begins to sway, you're "passing a good time"
with music like no other in the world.

Gospel

Pass by a Louisiana church on a bright Sunday morning or even a Sunday afternoon or evening. You'll hear the divine ring of gospel music.
Strong Prostestant beliefs foster a wealth of sacred music in the state, ranging from a capella quartets singing "shape-note" hymns with
four-part harmonies, to the urban choirs accompanied by a classically-trained organist and contemporary Christian bands with guitars and
drums. Gospel music refers to strong sacred music tradition in both Anglo-American and African-American culture. Especially strong in
Louisiana, "black gospel" began with early hymns and songs of African-American slaves, some of which were adapted from Anglo/Protestant
tradition. These early expressions were called "spirituals." In an effort to capture their religious beliefs in a way meaningful to their own
experience, antebellum slaves began to sing about the glory of the Lord in words that reflected their own suffering and hopes for a better
life in the Great Hereafter. These spirituals were traditionally performed a capella and can still be heard and enjoyed during church services
in all types of congregations across Louisiana.

Anglo-American gospel music in Louisiana can be found in performances of gospel quartets as well as all-gospel bluegrass bands at many
festivals. Much of both styles is rooted in early "shape-note" singing traditions, which can still be found at occasional singing conventions.
Modern gospel music incorporates elements of sacred music with secular styles like blues, jazz, soul and rap in black gospel; and country
and bluegrass in white gospel. Because of this, you can also find gospel performances in Louisiana outside the usual venue of church.

The House of Blues in New Orleans regularly features local gospel choirs and musicians at its Sunday Gospel Brunch, and country music
shows usually have gospel numbers as well. All across north Louisiana, one finds all-gospel music shows such as the annual Dave L. Pearce
Memorial Gospel Sing in Oak Grove. Visit all areas of the state and bathe yourself in the life-giving waters of gospel music - it'll do your
heart and soul some good.

Country/Bluegrass

  When Anglo settlers moved into Louisiana in the early 1800s, they brought with them their fiddling,
   ballad-singing and sacred music traditions. Over the years, bluegrass and country developed out of
   Upland and South traditions, but both quickly became popular in Louisiana. There are actually three
   styles represented here: Old-time country, bluegrass (which grew out of old-time country) and modern
   country. Though country and bluegrass differ in their themes and instruments, all three styles uniquely
   represent the state's Anglo cultural heritage and can be found all over the state. Country music was
   first widely heard on live radio shows known as "barn dances" or "jamborees." One of the most
   important ever was the Louisiana Hayride, broadcast by Shreveport radio station KWKH. The
   "Hayride" was held in Shreveport's Municipal Auditorium, an art-deco must-see for visiting country
   music fans. The sounds of Hank Williams, Johnny Horton, Elvis Presley and the duet harmonies of the
Bailes Brothers rocked the Hayride's stage nearly a half-century ago and let an indelible mark on today's American popular music.

When visiting Louisiana, you won't have to look far to find country music or bluegrass. The "Florida Parishes," those nine parishes east of the Mississippi River and north of Lake Pontchartrain, are a great haven for country and bluegrass, which can be heard in Abita Springs at the Piney Woods Opry. Drive through Ferriday, the birthplace and home of Jerry Lee Lewis. Or drive farther north and visit country music shows such as Ruston's Dixie Jamboree and Shreveport's Ark-La-Tex Jamboree where you can hear contemporary country, or the Jimmie Davis Tabernacle near Jonesboro. Melody Hills Ranch in Ruston offers a "History of North Louisiana Country Music" tour to groups and clubs. You can hear bluegrass at outdoor festivals statewide throughout the year. Nightclubs across the state feature contemporary country music starts on tour, or a good local country band.Come listen to the fiddles, the mandolins and the guitars, and discover Louisiana's country music heritage.

Classical

For almost 200 years, Louisiana has supported classical music. It is a form of music that has long been revered here. The first opera performed in the
United States was performed in New Orleans in 1796. Louis Moreau Gottschalk, a New Orleanian, was the first U.S. citizen to have an international
concert music career. He was also the first to use African and Caribbean themes and rhythm in his music. The Louisiana State Museum in the French
Quarter houses some interesting historical documents outlining the evolution of concert and opera halls in Louisiana.

Almost all cities in Louisiana have classical music in some form. There are several top-rated symphony orchestras and opera companies throughout
Louisiana that perform operatic and classical programs throughout the year in Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe,
Natchitoches, New Orleans and Shreveport. Several Louisiana orchestras have achieved national prominence for their excellence. Among them
are the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra and Baton Rouge's Louisiana Sinfonietta, which is under the direction of Dino Constantinides, a prominent
classical composer. The Louisiana Sinfonietta plays mostly contemporary classical music of the Twentieth Century.

Many find musicians and singers graduate each year from Louisiana universities and colleges. Several Louisiana classical musicians have earned
national acclaim, like successful opera singer Shirley Verret and pianist Van Cliburn of Shreveport - the first American ever to win the Tchaikovsky
competition in Russia. If you're ready to enjoy a world-class evening, include a night at a Louisiana symphony or opera.

…And More!

There's an old expression in Louisiana used by merchants whenever they give their customers a little extra something to thank them for their business.
It's called lagniappe, and the Louisiana Music Trail is packed with musical lagniappe to suit any taste.

The many cultures that make up Louisiana are part of what make us and our music unique. German, Irish and Italian music can be heard in clubs
like O'Flaherty's in New Orleans or during the many ethnic and folklife festivals held throughout the year. Native American tribes such as the Houma,
Chitimacha, Coushatta and the Tunica-Biloxi make their home in Louisiana and often perform tribal dances and chants on their reservations. One of
the rarest Louisiana music traditions is the delcima, a ten-stanza music tradition performed by Isleños, the descendants of Canary Islanders who have
made St. Bernard Parish their home since the 1760s. Ethnic and folklife festivals are the perfect arena to enjoy our diverse cultural music.

In New Orleans you'll find several clubs that regularly feature Latin bands. Stroll by the Casa Samba and you'll hear the fiery rhythms of a Cuban
rhumba or punta. Stop somewhere else and you might hear the merengue, the preferred music of many Central Americans. Because New Orleans
is the American gateway to many Caribbean countries and Central and South American nations, Latin music of many varieties and styles can be
found throughout the Crescent City.

If you're in the mood for something different and interesting, the Louisiana Music Trail can meet your demands with historical music exhibits.
The offerings include the Louisiana State Museum's Cabildo, the State Museum's jazz exhibit at the Old U.S. Mint building, the Musee Conti,
the Louisiana Country Music Museum at Rebel State Historic Site, the Strand Theatre and Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, and the Cajun
and zydeco exhibits at Jean Lafitte National Park.