I got started around 1985 in Houston, Texas. Clifton Chenier used to play in French Town back then, French Town was a pocket of French Creoles established in Houston. I learned to play the music very quickly, absorbing all I could by watching and really digging the music. I became to play all over Texas and louisiana. In 2000 I decided to move to Austin, Texas with my family, I had a full time job and quit playing for a while. I decided it was time to start playing again because I was missing it. It didn't take to long to establish myself again. At the time zydeco music was not well known around Austin so I didn't play many places. That would change in time.
What is Zydeco music:
Early zydeco was a blend of Louisiana French accordion music and Afro-Caribbean beats. It sat at the crossroads of Creole, Cajun, gospel and the blues, yet has since evolved to include influences from several other genres. Instrumentation almost always includes an accordion and a frottoir, a washboard. Guitar and drums typically add even more rhythm and syncopation to create a highly danceable mix. The word Zydeco gets its name from a colloquial Creole French expression “Les haricots ne sont pas salés” meaning “the snap beans aren’t salty” or idiomatically for “the times are hard.” Like the blues, early zydeco offered a way for the rural poor both to express and to escape the hardships of life through music and dance.
What is Zydeco music:
Early zydeco was a blend of Louisiana French accordion music and Afro-Caribbean beats. It sat at the crossroads of Creole, Cajun, gospel and the blues, yet has since evolved to include influences from several other genres. Instrumentation almost always includes an accordion and a frottoir, a washboard. Guitar and drums typically add even more rhythm and syncopation to create a highly danceable mix. The word Zydeco gets its name from a colloquial Creole French expression “Les haricots ne sont pas salés” meaning “the snap beans aren’t salty” or idiomatically for “the times are hard.” Like the blues, early zydeco offered a way for the rural poor both to express and to escape the hardships of life through music and dance.