This Central Louisiana Regional Playlist is a collaborative effort of Acadia, Evangeline, and St. Landry Parishes. Contributors include Chris Soileau and Floyd Soileau with Flat Town Music Co., Mark Layne with KVPI, Sharon Fontenot with the Swamp Pop Museum, Elizabeth West with Evangeline Parish Tourism, Herman Fuselier with St. Landry Parish Tourism, and Amy Mathiew with Acadia Parish Tourism.

Every Wednesday, a new song is chosen with care to represent an aspect of local culture. Their genres will range from swamp pop to zydeco to Cajun. By the end, you’ll have the perfect playlist for your road trip along the Zydeco Cajun Prairie Scenic Byway.

Evangeline Parish starts off the playlist with Jimmy C. Newman’s “Lâche pas la patate”.

Jimmy C. Newman is an Evangeline Parish native who was born near Mamou. He first became an established performer as a country singer. In 1956, he was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He eventually began to incorporate Cajun influence into his music and formed his Cajun Country band. In 1976, his recording of the Cajun French song – “Lâche pas la patate” (“The Potato Song”) – earned him gold record status in Canada.

Newman had an array of songs published by Flat Town Music Co (BMI) in Ville Platte.
Newman went on to be inducted into the North American Country Music Association’s International Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He has also been honored in the Cajun Music Hall of Fame in Eunice, LA.

The next song on our playlist is “Opelousas Sostan”. According to St. Landry Parish Tourism executive director Herman Fuselier, the song’s title doesn’t have a clear meaning. The lyrics are short, repetitive, and bilingual. The recording artist is Rufus Jagneaux, which is not a person, but a band name.

All that mystery didn’t stop “Opelousas Sostan” from exploding on jukeboxes and south Louisiana radio in the early 1970s. It remains a sing-along favorite that fans instantly recognize from its opening guitar licks to its closing line, “Got to get it, poppa.”

Fans who lost their old 45 rpm vinyl, which had “Port Barre” on the flip side, can sing again. Both songs, and 24 others, are on Rufus Jagneaux’s 2019 compilation, “The Opelousas Sostan Collection,’ a 2019 release on Flat Town Records of Ville Platte.

Next up is “Bayou Pon Pon” by country and Cajun music artist Clint West (Guillory). Born in Ville Platte, West first began playing drums and singing Cajun and country songs with a band from his home community – The Vidrine Playboys. He began performing swamp pop in the late 1950s as a member of Red Smiley’s Vel-Tones and recorded his first record, “Lover Blues/Take a Ride.” He spent time in Monroe playing with the Rollercoasters, before moving back home to join the Boogie Kings, a blue-eyed soul group originally from Eunice.

Around 1965, West, and other former Boogie Kings members, formed the Fabulous Kings. He eventually started performing as a solo artist. He recorded for the Jin label in Ville Platte and issued classics of the swamp pop genre. Some of his hits include “Big Blue Diamonds,” “Please Mr. Jeweler,” and “Try to Find Another Man” with Tommy McLain.

West’s accolades include being inducted twice into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, once as a vocalist and once as a member of the Boogie Kings.
A set of West’s drums and other special memorabilia can be viewed at the Swamp Pop Museum in Ville Platte.

“Share My Life,” by Leon Chavis and the Zydeco Flames also makes the list.

Zydeco goes back several generations in Creole families of St. Landry Parish. For one snapshot of this generation’s zydeco, turn to Leon Chavis of Lawtell. Chavis’ “Share My Life” opens with a short, piano solo that leads into his silky, R&B-flavored vocals delivering romantic lyrics. A live version is in the lineup of “Zydeco Famous Flames” and “Encore,” two Chavis albums that landed in the top 10 of the iTunes World Music Charts in spring 2020. Chavis’ fans can be heard singing every word.

As we continue our journey spotlighting musicians along the Zydeco Cajun Prairie Byway for Mecredi de la Musique, today’s focus is on none other than Geno Delafose & French Rockin’ Boogie’s upbeat song -“Everybody’s Dancin’.” The song was written by Delafose and released on his 2003 album, Everybody’s Dancin’.

Born in 1972 in Eunice, Delafose is an American zydeco accordionist and singer. He followed in the footsteps of his father, the late John Delafose, who was also a zydeco accordion player. He hails from the younger generation of the genre and has produced music that blends traditional sounds of zydeco with the excitement of modern dance music.

At a very young age, Delafose joined his father’s band, the Eunice Playboys, where he played frottoir (rubboard). Before his father’s passing in 1994, Delafose was able to appear on seven albums with the Eunice Playboys, including a collaborative effort with his father – Pere et Garcon Zydeco.

Delafose’s accolades include being nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album category for his 2007 album Le Cowboy Creole.
Delafose, who today resides in Duralde, continues to perform all over Louisiana.

Legendary record producer Floyd Soileau once proclaimed “Everybody needs a song like ‘Toot Toot’.” Soileau enjoyed his ride with the novelty song, which was buried on the B side of Lebeau native Rockin’ Sidney’s album, “My Zydeco Shoes Got the Zydeco Blues.” DJs turned “Toot Toot” into a Top 20 country hit, a Grammy winner, and an international million-seller.

Denise Lasalle, Fats Domino, and other singers had hit versions. A Columbian group cover, called “Mi Cu Cu,” caught fire throughout Mexico, Central and South America.

Europe got a taste when a German beer company licensed “Toot Toot” for its radio and TV ads. Sidney, who died in 1998, bought a Lake Charles radio station with his royalties. The hit is probably still making money.

As we continue our journey spotlighting musicians along the Zydeco Cajun Prairie Byway, today’s focus is on the blues, the “Pine Grove Blues” that is. The song was written by Basile’s very own Nathan Abshire and published by Flat Town Music Co (BMI). Recording master: Swallow Records (Ville Platte, LA).

Abshire was raised just outside of Gueydan, and like his father, mother, and uncle, he played the Cajun accordion. He learned to play the instrument at the tender age of six with his first public performance being at the age of eight. He spent his teen years playing at dance halls and parties. After serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Abshire settled in Basile, where he played regularly at the Avalon Club. He recorded his best-known record, “Pine Grove Blues,” in 1949.
Abshire is considered one of the musicians that helped revive more traditionally crafted Cajun music. This music-fueled bals des maisons (house parties) and fais do-dos (weekend dances).

His love for Cajun music was ever prevalent through his devotion to promoting the genre during the 1960s and 70s with his appearances at festivals, colleges, and schools throughout the country. He even performed at Newport Folk Festival in 1967 with the Balfa Brothers.

Zydeco’s only two-time Grammy winner, Terrance Simien, hails from the St. Landry Parish hamlet of Mallet. With more than 35 years on stage, Simien is a world music phenom with performances in 45 countries, songs in music and TV shows, and 34 consecutive years of shows at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festivals.

Simien continues his trademark fusion of styles with a zydeco-meets-New-Orleans-brass-band effort, “Ancestral Grooves.” The 2020 album includes 23 artists, including New Orleans trumpeter James Andrews (big brother of Trombone Shorty) and the ever-popular “Zydeco Boss,” Keith Frank.

The angelic voice of Simien, sometimes called the Arron Neville of Zydeco and the Creole Sam Cooke, shines throughout. But the resurrection of Clarence Garlow’s Top 20 R&B hit of 1950, “Bon Ton Roula,” featuring Terrance’s daughter Marcella, steals the show. A song that introduced the nation to zydeco, “la la” dances, and other Creole cultural icons 70 years ago rocks again with a female voice, horns, and accordion.

(Herman Fuselier, a longtime music journalist, is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission.)