Introduction
Within the past decade, the international popularity of Louisiana Cajun and Creole culture has reached a new peak. Its cuisine and language are the objects of intense public curiosity. Restaurants in Tasmania serve Cajun-style seafood. Radio stations in Spain play Zydeco tunes. The Canadian French are curious about the French dialect of their long lost cousins in Louisiana. In the U.S., network commercials set to Zydeco music sell cars and fast food tacos, while Cajun music floats out from the backdrop
of TV sitcoms. Cajun and Zydeco music and dance are now in vogue in the western U.S., particularly in California, where festivals, church halls and night clubs feature dancing and even complimentary dance lessons.
Louisiana Cajun and ex-urban Creole culture was born in the French-speaking countryside of Southwest Louisiana. In a nutshell, Creoles are descended from 17th through 19th century settlers who came to Louisiana directly from France, Spain, Haiti, or Northwest Africa, while Cajuns are descended from the 17th century French settlers of East Coast Canada. Many Native Americans and Anglo or German Europeans contributed to the cultural mix from which Louisiana and Creole culture emerged. Although many Creoles and Cajuns today speak only English and participate to a large extent in mainstream American culture, Cajun and Creole culture remains strong and relatively intact after two and a half centuries (or more) of growth and change on American soil. So how did this culture and its music become so popular on the West Coast, especially in the major cities of California?
The history of Cajun and Zydeco music in California reveals the origin of Louisiana French music and culture and tells the stories of Louisiana French musicians who pioneered the Cajun and Zydeco music scene in California. Louisiana French dances have been held in other western locales like Denver and Oregon since the early 1970's, if not earlier. But it seems that the largest concentration of French Louisianans living in the western U.S. along with their remarkably well-preserved music and culture, is found in California. Tens of thousands of Louisiana French people are living in the Los Angeles area alone. What follows is the story of the cultural history, events and people who brought this music west to California.
...To order this fabulous documentation of Cajun and Zydeco music on the West Coast which includes maps and photographs call 916-451-9618 or $13.00 to:
West Coast Cajun & Zydeco Music & Dance Association c/o Louisiana Sue 9175 Kiefer Blvd. #133 Sacramento, CA 95826-5105 or phone:916-962-6415