There's perhaps no other place in the Country with a richer musical heritage than Louisiana. Visit our Music Page for our selections of Louisiana Music, including some great Cajun, Zydeco, Mardi Gras & Traditional Dixieland Jazz

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Cajun & Zydeco
Two similar forms of music that have recently grabbed international 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 Louisiana French-Acadian experience and African folk music. Outside of 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 to provide 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. 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, rap, jazz and soul into an already energized music. To appreciate Cajun and zydeco 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 form the syncopation of Caribbean-influenced zydeco to the French ballads so often sung in the 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.

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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 the Preservation Hall, the Pal Court Jazz Cafe, or the Can-Can Cafe at the Royal Sonesta 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 or the street sounds of "bounce," a fusion of rap and brass band jazz to be found on 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.

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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 of 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: first the guitar, then drums, then 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 musical structure. The rhythm and blues that evolved had more breadth, more variety, 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, whose final resting place is near Mooringsport, just west of Shreveport. 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 one of the "fathers" of the blues.

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Rock'n'Roll
While music historians might argue over the exact place and precise 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 work "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 that important contributions were 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 and endless string of chart toppers that greatly 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'n'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 best blues-rock music scene continues to cook and simmer in Louisiana. We even mix up some rock'n'roll, give it 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'n'roll band when they were just playing for beer money. Come to Louisiana. We'll rock you.

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Gospel
Pass by a Louisiana church on a bright Sunday morn or even a Sunday afternoon or evening, and you'll hear the divine ring of gospel music. Strong Protestant beliefs foster a wealth of sacred music in the state, ranging from a capella quartets singing "shape-note" hymns with four-part harmonies, to urban choirs accompanied by a classically-trained organist and contemporary Christian bands with guitars and drums. Gospel music refers to strong sacred music traditions in both Anglo-American and African-America culture. Especially strong in Louisiana, black gospel began with early hymns and songs of African-American slaves, some of which were adapted from Angle/Protestant tradition. These early expressions were called "spirituals." In an effort to capture their religious beliefs in a way meaningful to their own suffering and hopes for a better life in the Great Hereafter. These spirituals were traditionally performed 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. Because modern gospel music incorporates elements of sacred music with secular styles like blues, jazz, soul and even rap in black gospel, or country and bluegrass in white gospel, you can also find gospel performances in Louisiana outside the usual venue of the 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. Whether you find yourself in South, Central or Northern Louisiana, come visit us and bathe yourself in the life-giving waters of gospel music. It'll do your heart and soul some good.

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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 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 the Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, 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 left 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 easy of the Mississippi and north of Lake Ponchartrain, 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 their "History Of North Louisiana Country Music" to tours, groups and clubs. You can hear bluegrass at outdoor festivals statewide throughout the year. Nightclubs across the entire state feature contemporary country music stars on tour, or good local country bands. Come listen to the fiddles, the mandolins, and the guitars, and discover Louisiana's country music heritage.

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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 in the United States was performed in New Orleans in 1796. Louis Moreau Gottschaulk, 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 rhythms 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 which 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 Dinos Constantinides, a prominent classical composer. The Louisiana Sinfionetta plays mostly contemporary classical music of the twentieth century. Many fine 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 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.

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..And more!
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 of Louisiana music traditions is the deima, a ten-stanza musical form performed by Islenos, 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 musical culture. 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 a variety of world class music as well as historical music exhibits including the Louisiana State Museum's Cabildo, the jazz exhibit at the State Museum's Old U.S. Mint building, the Musee Conti, the Country Music Museum at Rebel State Park, the Strand Theatre and Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, and the Cajun and zydeco exhibits at Jean Lafitte National Park. Just consider it lagniappe, my friends--a little something extra for being our guest in Louisiana. Louisiana throws the world's biggest party every year: Mardi Gras. Doesn't it make sense that we'd also have the best music and hospitality? Come to Louisiana and you'll hear what we're talking about.