zydeco

[zahy-di-koh]

noun

1. a blues-influenced type of Cajun dance music popular in Louisiana and Texas, and usually played on accordion, guitar, and violin.

zydeco

/ ˈzaɪdəˌkəʊ /

noun

1. a type of Black Cajun music

Word History and Origins

Origin of zydeco¹

1955–60, said to represent Louisiana French les haricots in the dance-tune title Les haricots sont pas salés

Example Sentences

“This zydeco band ... can play!” says the gator, adding an excitedly drawn-out “hallelujah” for emphasis.

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In New Orleans, he spends time with Jeffery Broussard of the Creole Cowboys, a zydeco player who embraces the genre’s localized working-class origins.

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Perhaps his most notable discovery in Louisiana was Clifton Chenier, who became known as the leading exponent of the mix of rhythm and blues, soul and Cajun music known as zydeco.

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In it she blends marital strife, Louisiana’s zydeco, a phantom named Becky and more in a sonic and visual gumbo fans didn’t realize they were starving for.

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Another annual event is the market’s own Mardi Gras celebration in mid-February, with live blues and zydeco as well as Louisiana-style food.

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