64 Parishes

Cajun Music

Louisiana’s Cajun music has been influenced by a rich blend of musical traditions.

by Joshua C. Caffery

This entry is 1st Grade level   View Full Entry

Cajun Music

Cajun and Zydeco Photos, David Simpson

Cajun musician D.L. Menard, c. 2010.

Cajun music comes from southwest Louisiana and has roots in Acadian traditions, from the ancestors of the Cajuns. Cajun music also borrows from Irish, African, German, and Appalachian music traditions. Cajun music has been influenced by Western swing, rock ‘n’ roll, and country music. A typical modern Cajun band includes accordion, fiddle, guitar, bass, and drums. Other instruments, including the pedal steel guitar and the triangle (or ’tit fer), are also common.

 

 

 

Author

Joshua C. Caffery

Additional Data

Entry Published June 27, 2023
Entry Last Updated June 28, 2023
Coverage 1920–present
Category
Topics
Regions Southwest Louisiana (Acadiana)
Time Periods Antebellum Period, Bourbon Era, Civil War Period, Contemporary Period, French Colonial Period, Late-20th Century, Long Era, Pre-Columbian Era, Reconstruction Period, Spanish Colonial Period, U.S. Territorial Period
Index letter C
Louisiana K­–12
Student Standard(s) for Social Studies 		1.8 b.

1.8 Identify examples of Louisiana culture, including:

b. Music: Cajun, jazz, zydeco
Adapted From The text of "Cajun Music" is adapted from the following 64 Parishes encyclopedia entry or entries:
"Cajun Music" by Joshua C. Caffery
Credit This material was created through a partnership between the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities and the Louisiana Department of Education with funding provided by the Louisiana Department of Education and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike license (CC BY-NC-SA).