Every Friday around 11 a.m. Central, it’s time for Classic Americana on Radio Heartland. We pull a special track from the archives or from deep in the shelves to spotlight a particular artist or song.

This week we mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of legendary performer Clifton Chenier, known as the King of Zydeco.

Clifton Chenier was born in Louisiana on June 25, 1925. He grew up on a farm and took an early interest in music. Clifton’s father, Joseph, played the accordion at home and at local dances, and Joseph was happy to teach his son to play accordion. By the time Clifton Chenier was 16 years old, he was playing at local dances, typically accompanied by his brother Cleveland on washboard.

As Clifton Chenier’s career grew, he began to add additional textures to the traditional Louisiana Creole and Cajun songs he was playing, incorporating elements of R&B, blues and Afro-Caribbean rhythms. The result was a brand-new genre of music that came to be known as Zydeco.

Now the story of how the genre got its name is rather interesting. There’s a well-loved Louisiana folk song with the name, “Les haricots sont pas salés,” which means “The beans aren’t salty.” As it happens, when you say “les haricots,” it kind of sounds like “Zydeco” — and thus this new genre of music got its distinctive name.

With that in mind, it seems only fitting that we play Clifton Chenier’s version of that signature song as our Classic Americana pick of the week.

For nearly 20 years starting in 1960, Clifton Chenier toured extensively with his Red Hot Louisiana Band. His 1982 album, I’m Here, won a Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording.

As the 1980s continued, however, Chenier began slowing down as his diabetes-related kidney issues worsened. Chenier died in 1987 at the age of 62. He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1989 and into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2011. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

Paul Simon’s song, “That Was Your Mother,” from the 1986 album Graceland, pays tribute to Clifton Chenier in both lyrical mention and musical style.

External Links

Clifton Chenier interviews – Arhoolie Foundation

Clifton Chenier – Smithsonian Folkways Recordings