For example, Bobby Page and the Riff Raffs recorded " Hippy-Ti-Yo", a bilingual rock and roll version of the traditional Cajun French song " Hip et Taiaut" and Rod Bernard did the same with " Allons danser Colinda", another important folk composition. ĭespite its obvious rock and roll and rhythm & blues influences, swamp pop was not devoid of folk characteristics. But economics motivated most swamp pop musicians: They wanted to sell records not only in southern Louisiana and southeast Texas, but beyond, where the pronunciation of ethnic surnames like Guillot, Barrios, and DeRouen eluded record promoters, disc jockeys, and consumers. Some of these musicians changed their names because they were ashamed of their rural French heritage-a feeling shared at the time by a segment of the Cajun population. John Allen Guillot, for example, became Johnnie Allan, Robert Charles Guidry became Bobby Charles, Joe Barrios became Joe Barry, Elwood Dugas became Bobby Page, and Terry Gene DeRouen became Gene Terry. Swamp pop musicians often adopted Anglo-American stage names that masked their Cajun surnames.
Miller of Crowley, Louisiana (who also recorded swamp pop tunes for larger national labels, such as Ernie Young's Excello Records label of Nashville). In addition, they released recordings on local record labels, such as Floyd Soileau's Jin label of Ville Platte, Eddie Shuler's Goldband of Lake Charles, Carol Rachou's La Louisianne of Lafayette, Huey Meaux's Crazy Cajun label of Houston, and a number of labels owned by J. They performed to receptive crowds in local dancehalls like the Southern Club in Opelousas, Landry's Palladium in Lafayette, the OST Club in Rayne, and the Green Lantern in Lawtell. īy the late 1950s, swamp pop musicians had developed their own distinct sound and repertoires. At the same time, they switched from folk instruments like the accordion, fiddle, and iron triangle to modern ones such as the electric guitar and bass, upright piano, saxophone, and drumming trap set. As a result, these teenaged Cajuns and Creoles shifted away from Louisiana French folk compositions like " Jolie Blonde", " Allons a Lafayette", and " Les flammes d'enfer" in favor of singing rock and roll and rhythm and blues compositions in English. However, like other American youth in the mid-1950s, they discovered the alluring new sounds of rock and roll and rhythm and blues artists like Elvis Presley and Fats Domino. The musicians who went on to birth swamp pop listened to (and often performed) traditional Cajun music and Creole music (which later developed into zydeco) as children, as well as popular country and western ( hillbilly) songs by musicians like Bob Wills, Moon Mullican, and Hank Williams. Hulin's "I'm Not a Fool Anymore" (1963), and Clint West's "Big Blue Diamond" (1965), among numerous others. These include Johnnie Allan's "Lonely Days, Lonely Nights" (1958), Buck Rogers' "Crazy Baby" (1959), Randy and the Rockets' "Let's Do the Cajun Twist" (1962), T. In swamp pop's south Louisiana–southeast Texas birthplace, fans regarded many songs that never became national hits as classics. These included Jimmy Clanton's "Just A Dream" (1958), Warren Storm's " Prisoner's Song" (1958), Phil Phillips' " Sea Of Love" (1959), Rod Bernard's " This Should Go On Forever" (1959), Joe Barry's "I'm a Fool to Care" (1960), and Dale and Grace's "I'm Leaving It Up to You" (1963). ĭuring the genre's heyday (1958–1964), several swamp pop songs appeared on national U.S. But the genre has also produced many upbeat compositions, such as Bobby Charles' " Later Alligator" (1955), popularly covered by Bill Haley & His Comets.
It is exemplified by slow ballads like Cookie and the Cupcakes' "Mathilda" (recorded 1958), considered by many fans as the unofficial swamp pop "anthem". The swamp pop sound is typified by highly emotional, lovelorn lyrics, tripleting honky-tonk pianos, undulating bass lines, bellowing horn sections, and a strong rhythm and blues backbeat.
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