Musical Influences

In the 1950s and 1960s, South Louisiana like the rest of the nation and much of the world was affected by the emergence of rock and roll. The sons and daughters of Cajun musicians followed the musical lead of fellow Louisiana musicians Jerry Lee Lewis and Anton “Fats” Domino to produce what was called swamp pop. Country music and swamp pop were tempting alternatives and Cajun music was again strained “to water the roots so that the tree would not die.” The needed impulse came from the national level.

Alan Lomax, a member of the Newport Folk Foundation, had become interested in Cajun and Créole music in the 1930s while collecting traditional music across the country for the Library of Congress. Harry Oster, a professor of English at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, recorded music, which stressed the evolution of Cajun music ranging from unaccompanied ballads to contemporary dance tunes.

The work of Oster and Lomax caught the imagination of the Newport group and resulted in invitations to Cajun musicians Gladius Thibodeaux, Louis “Vinesse” LeJeune and Dewey Balfa to represent Louisiana at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. They played alongside nationally known folk revivalist like Joan Baez, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Bob Dylan. Despite poor reviews by the press, Newport organizers were intent on showing the beauty and impact of root music.

Their instinct proved well-founded as huge crowds gave the old-time music standing ovations. Balfa was so moved by the experience that he vowed to “bring home the echo of the standing ovation” they had received in Newport. With the help of the Newport Folk Festival Foundation, special concerts were presented so that people would have an opportunity to listen to their music without the distraction of smoke-filled dance halls.