Accordions, Fiddles, Two Step & Swing: A Cajun Music Reader

A Cajun Music Reader edited by Ryan A. Brasseaux and Kevin S. Fontenot “They love to dance most of all, more than any other people in the colony," French immigrant C.C. Robin wrote of the Cajun community in 1803. The vibrancy of folk musical traditions in south Louisiana has captured the imaginations of historians, musician aficionados, and dancers across the world. Editors Ryan A. Brasseaux and Kevin S. Fontenot provide a sweeping overview of Cajun music, from early studies of the musical genre, to organizations based on preserving culture through music, to its early heyday on the radio and festival stage, to its present state, edging onto the national radar with Grammy awards, blockbuster movie soundtracks, and revolutionary adaptations of old Cajun standards. The materials featured in this volume are organized into categories based on their thematic focus—socio-cultural context, commercialization, and artist biography.  Accordions, Fiddles, Two Step, & Swing is designed with sc