Louisiana Music: A Journey From R&b To Zydeco, Jazz To Country, Blues To Gospel, Cajun Music To Swamp Pop To Carnival Music And Beyond [Paperback]

Rick Koster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 19, 2002

What is it about Louisiana that breeds and attracts musicians? There are literally hundreds of them—Dr. John, Harry Connick, Jr., Randy Newman, Trent Reznor, the Neville family, the Marsalis family—all part of a tradition going back to Louis Armstrong, Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, Jelly Roll Morton, Buddy Bolden, and Mahalia Jackson. Tackling the monumental task of surveying the lush musical landscape of the state, Rick Koster examines all of the ingredients that went into creating this hotbed of talent—the social influences, the musical traditions, the food, the drink, the heat—and introduces us to the stars, both local and national, who have emerged. Discover the past and present of jazz, rock, zydeco, R&B, gospel, blues, country, and straight-up rock 'n' roll; learn too about the styles unique to Louisiana, like voodoo music, swamp pop, second-line brass bands, and Mardi Gras Indian tribes. With the laid-back charm and easy appeal that defines the state, Koster has created a survey as uniquely and teemingly rich with sound and story as the place itself.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Koster, journalist and author of Texas Music, has assembled a dizzying amount of information on the music and musicians of Louisiana, past and present. Because he covers blues, traditional jazz, rap, rock, pop, Cajun, Creole, zydeco, country, traditional folk, carnival, and voodoo music not to mention modern jazz, classical, gospel, and brass band music in fewer than 400 pages, the book suffers at times from overgeneralization. Some influential musicians (e.g., Louis Armstrong and Jelly Roll Morton) also receive short shrift. But everyone from Buddy Bolden to Britney Spears is here; and as long as the reader doesn't mind Koster's too frequent corny one-liners and use of very wide and somewhat biased brushstrokes in painting his picture of one of the most important musical regions in America, this is a serviceable overview. The bibliography includes information on contemporary artists' web sites, which hints at Koster's emphasis on modern music in the text. As a general-interest book, this is recommended for public libraries, especially those with patrons interested in travel and/or popular and folk-based musical styles. It may also be of some interest to academic libraries, but they certainly would do better with other more in-depth studies of individual musicians and genres associated with Louisiana. James E. Perone, Mount Union Coll., Alliance, OH
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Louisiana's diverse musical heritage requires Koster to cast a wide net. It includes brass bands, early and modern Cajun, zydeco (the "Music of Voodoo," a chapter title avers), gospel, country, classic and modern jazz, piano-based rock 'n' roll, and hip-hop. Koster spews fascinating nuggets, such as the connection between the Neville Brothers and the 1976 album by the Wild Tchoupitoulas, which made them, if they weren't already, "the most famous Mardi Gras Indian tribe of all time." Y' see, Tchoupitoulas leader George "Big Chief Jolly" Landry was the Nevilles' uncle, and the tribe's LP was the brothers' first record together (most but not all the young Nevilles were in the Meters at the time). Elsewhere, Koster limns the erstwhile Ernest Kador Jr., who as Ernie K-Doe proclaimed himself "Emperor of the World" and recorded the N.O. classic, "Mother-in-Law." Little Richard, Louis Armstrong, Leadbelly, and Trent Reznor are some of the other legends Koster treats, and an extensive bibliography rounds out this asset for popular music collections. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (February 19, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306810034
• ISBN-13: 978-0306810039
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,833 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must' for avid fans of Louisiana music, May 6, 2002

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Louisiana Music: A Journey From R&b To Zydeco, Jazz To Country, Blues To Gospel, Cajun Music To Swamp Pop To Carnival Music And Beyond (Paperback)

Rick Koster's Louisiana Music is the first and only guide to the variety of musicians in this southern American state: others have focused on specific styles (Creole, Cajun, Zydeco) but Louisiana Music considers the past and present of jazz, rock, gospel and other styles of both urban and lesser-known areas, including the Mardi Gras Indian tribes. Louisiana Music is a `must' for avid fans of Louisiana music.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Louisiana Music" = A Rich "Gumbo" of Diverse Genres !!!!!! = A Great Book by Rick Koster !!!!!, March 15, 2009

By 

Gary Covington "Southern Rocker" (Louisiana, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Louisiana Music: A Journey From R&b To Zydeco, Jazz To Country, Blues To Gospel, Cajun Music To Swamp Pop To Carnival Music And Beyond (Paperback)

This is an excellent book that covers the many diverse genres of Louisiana Music. The Forward is written by Fred LeBlanc of the New Orleans Rock Band "Cowboy Mouth" - (Please see the DVD "The Name of the Band is Cowboy Mouth"). The author along with a Louisiana friend Brent Blackwell, a.k.a. "Louisiana Black" take an "Odessy" into Louisiana Music, beginning in the New Orlean's French Quarter. However, their "journey" takes them to all parts of the State and to all the major genres of Louisiana Music.

Their journey begins with "Jazz" - the birth of an "art form". Afterall, New Orleans is the "birthplace of jazz". The late/great Louis Armstrong, a.k.a. "Satchmo",is the focus in this section, along with many other contributors to this art form known as "Jazz". Next, modern jazz and brass bands are covered. Some of the Artists include: Branford Marsalis (he is in the DVD "Warren Haynes Presents the Benefit Concert Vol.8" - he is an outstanding Saxaphone player), Harry Connick, Jr., Marcia Ball, The ReBirth Brass Band, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Olympia Brass Band, and others.

Then the author procedes into "Rhythm & Blues" (including the Piano Giants) Artists include: Henry "Professor Longhair" Byrd, Dave Bartholomew, Allen Toussaint, "Fats" Domino, Dr. John and others. Then it gets into the hit makers of the Neville Brothers, the Funky Meters (See their DVD filmed at a N.O. Jazz Festival), Irma Thomas, Lloyd Price, Galactic (a N.O. Jam Band), and others.(Please see the DVD "Make it Funky" - a Story of New Orleans Music).

Next, the journey extends into "The Blues", and covers such "giants" as "LeadBelly" from the Shreveport area, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Buddy Guy, and "newer" artists of Kenny Wayne Shepard from Shreveport, Tab Benoit, Sonny Landreth, and others.

The Journey enters into Cajun & Zydeco music, where the major players are BeauSoleil & Michael Doucet (Please see their DVD filmed at the N.O. Jazz Fest), Chifton Chenier (the late/great King of Zydeco - please see his DVD), Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, Wayne Toups & ZydeCajun (He has "southern rock" influences), Buckwheat Zydeco, Queen Ida, and others.

The Gospel Music of Louisiana in explored. Major artists here include: the late/great Mahalia Jackson born in New Orleans (The Queen of Gospel), and the Cox Family (they are from Cotton Valley, Louisiana, & they were in the "movie" & "soundtrack" of "O Brother Where Art Thou" - They are Gospel Bluegrass). Then you get secular artists who have recorded Gospel Music, these include: Irma Thomas, Aaron Neville, Hank Williams Jr., and others.

Then, Rock & Roll Music is discussed. As far as Rock & Roll, you get the Louisiana Bands of Cowboy Mouth, Better Than Ezra, Louisiana's LeRoux (they had the big 1970's hit "New Orleans Ladies", The Radiators (they are a Jam Band), Jerry Lee Lewis, Lucinda Williams, Phil Anselmo (the former lead singer for the Dallas area "Metal" Group Pantera), and others.

The Country Music scene in Louisiana is then explored. The legendary, historic "Louisiana Hayride" radio show from Shreveport is explored (Please see the DVD "Louisiana Hayride"). Many "new" country & rockabilly artists moved to Shreveport (for a year or so), to be on the "Louisiana Hayride". Some include: Hank Williams, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Johnny Horton and others. Plus, a Louisiana native son James Burton (an inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame) performed as a guitarist for the "Louisiana Hayride" (James Burton was not in the book, but I thought I'd mention him). Major players in the Louisiana country music genre include Webb Pierce (from West Monroe), Floyd Cramer (he moved to Shreveport to be part of the Louisiana Hayride), Faron Young, Doug & Sammy Kershaw, Hank Williams, Jr.(he was born in Shreveport while his Dad, Hank Sr. was a member of the Louisiana Hayride). Other Louisiana Country Stars include Tim McGraw, Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn, Trace Adkins, Andy Griggs, Evangeline (a talented female group from New Orleans), and others.

Louisiana even has a "Pop Star", Brittany Spears from Kentwood.

The music of the Mardi Gras Indians is discussed, along with "Voodoo Music", "Swamp Pop" and even New Orleans "Rap & Hip-Hop".

This is a very comprehensive, and very well presented book about the diversity of Louisiana Music. I found it to be very informative, and interesting to read. Louisiana is a unique state and so is it's music. If you like music history, or want to learn more about Louisiana Music, then I highly recommend this book. Thanks!!!!

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another hit for Koster!, February 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Louisiana Music: A Journey From R&b To Zydeco, Jazz To Country, Blues To Gospel, Cajun Music To Swamp Pop To Carnival Music And Beyond (Paperback)

Just finished this book. It is another great effort on the part of this very talented writer. This will make for a wonderful addition to my music collection as a fantastic reference book. This work is HIGHLY recommended! Rick Koster -- keep writing!