Search - Another Saturday Night :: Another Saturday Night - Classic Recordings From The Louisiana Bayous

This is NOT all Cajun music .Ever heard the term "Swamp Pop

David Booker | Denver Co | 03/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Without me trying to explain to the uninitiated, these tracks are mainly by 'Swamp Pop' artists....who are stylistically neither Cajun , OR Zydeco ..To understand the music by these classic Swamp Pop artists I recommend you read a book called 'Swamp Pop' , By Shane Bernard .. He should know what it's all about; his Father Rod Bernard cut the Classic 'Swamp Pop' tune of all time , 'This Should Go On Forever' way back when .I recognise several of the classic 'Swamp Poppers' on this great collection , Tommy McLain , Clint West ,Huey 'Cookie' Thierry and the Cupcakes ,etc .. a great collection put together by a man who knows his stuff .. the great Charlie Gillett , author and writer of many articles and books on American roots music. You will also notice on the sleeve design/title of this CD there is no mention of this being a "Cajun" unquote , release ."

Rufus Jagneaux

Riffe Raffe | Kentucky, USA | 06/12/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Rufus Jagneaux is the main reason I own this... In my high school days, my Mom remarried to a Cajun man and we moved to Lake Arthur, Louisiana. I loved the history and legends of the Cajun people. I was yet a kid when Rufus Jagneaux released "Opelousas Sostan" and I well remember the hysteria of it all. LOL - One would have thought the world was ending. Below is a brief history regarding "Rufus Jagneaux," as I remember it.



In 1960`s, just as in the mainstream of other "rebellious American youths," the Cajun American youths had been dissenters. Many were in the "Hippie" movement at full swing. This, of course, as with the majority of America's recent generation and older generations, was a sense and source of great discontent. Acadians had been striving hard to be accepted as mainstream Americans. Though extremely proud of their heritage, the majority of the younger generation did not learn to speak the language their parents and grandparents spoke. The youths were being taught standard subjects, in Standard English, in standard schools.



In 1970, a "Cajun Hippies," Benny Graeff formed a "new traditional" Cajun music group, which he named Rufus Jagneaux. Benny chose the name Jagneaux owing to its being a traditional Cajun surname that would allude to his ancestry's roots (also, Jagneaux had Jag in it which is a tribute to his admiration of The Rolling Stone's Mick Jagger). Rufus Jagneaux eclectic music combination was a mixture of rhythm & blues, country & western, Black Creole, Cajun, American Folk, and a splash of good ol' Rock & Roll. In 1971, Rufus Jagneaux had a major regional hit with the song "Opelousas Sostan," which used lively harmonically play to render the kinship of typical accordion music played in old-time-archetypal Cajun music.



In the face of accomplishment and enormous talent, Rufus Jagneaux, as the case with similar "new sound" music bands, were never well accepted amongst the Cajun's established musical entertainers or communities. The band was blacklisted in the Cajun musical fairs and jamborees due to their association with the perceived views of "mixed music," "free-loving-lifestyle," and "culture in opposition of acceptable values." The "hippy-image" of music, clothing, and social attitude were unacceptable, even in the heart of Louisiana's "Land of Cajun," were the peoples had and were experiencing their own forms of discrimination from most "White America."





"