Cedryl Ballou couldn’t help but play zydeco. The music and his family share deep roots. In 1954, Cedryl’s grandfather, Classie Ballou, played with Boozoo Chavis on zydeco’s first commercial hit, “Paper in My Shoe. The late Rockin’ Sidney, Grammy winner and composer of zydeco’s lone million seller, “My Toot Toot,” was Cedryl’s maternal grandmother’s husband. When Cedryl plays his white, triple-row accordion, he’s carrying some of Rockin’ Sidney with him. Read more
WXPN’s year-long exploration of zydeco culture is coming to end next month, but not without some fanfare. As previously announced, World Cafe Live in Philadelphia will host a two-day finale event on October 23rd and 24th with music, food, panel discussions and the premiere of Robert Mugge’s Zydeco Crossroads: A Tale of Two Cities documentary. The full schedule has just been finalized and is published below. Read more
Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band traveled up to Rhode Island for the 2015 Rhythm and Roots Festival last weekend, playing to a packed house of zydeco dancing fans. Watch a clip of their set below and pick up tickets for their Philadelphia appearance at the Zydeco Crossroads finale weekend here. They’ll be joined by Rosie Ledet,…
Ten years ago, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, displacing hundreds of thousands of residents and causing massive damage to the southern states. With the country recoiling from the blow, filmmaker Robert Mugge, who has been documenting our Zydeco Crossroads journey this year, captured the devastating shockwaves and glimmers of hope surrounding the hurricane in his 2006 documentary New Orleans Music in Exile. Read more
