Zydeco — the word itself is derived from the French Creole phrase for snap beans, 'les haricots' — is the music of the Black Creole communities of southwest Louisiana, particularly around Lafayette, Opelousas, and Lake Charles. It grew from the same cultural roots as Cajun music but with a stronger African and Caribbean influence, and it is distinguished above all by the prominence of the button or piano accordion and the rub-board (frottoir), which provide its characteristic sound.
The music developed in the dancehalls and house parties of the Creole community, where it served as functional dance music — fast, rhythmically powerful, and designed to keep people moving. It absorbed influences from blues, R&B, and rock and roll as those styles developed, creating a hybrid that was uniquely energetic and uniquely Louisiana.
Clifton Chenier, the acknowledged King of Zydeco, was the first musician to bring the style to national and international attention, recording prolifically and touring widely from the 1950s through the 1980s. Rockin' Dopsie — who performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and collaborated with Paul Simon on the Graceland sessions — took the music to even wider audiences.
Zydeco has a strong connection to New Orleans, where the southwest Louisiana Creole community has always had a presence and where the music found enthusiastic audiences in the city's clubs. The Maple Leaf Bar was for years the premier zydeco venue in the city, hosting Dopsie and others regularly and maintaining the tradition's visibility in a city more associated with jazz and R&B.
