Voices of Ferriday
by Ben Sandmel Ferriday, Louisiana, looms large and legendary on America’s musical landscape. For at least a century, this Concordia Parish town of some 3,500 souls has fervently nurtured the...
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The Far-Reaching Legacy of Lead Belly
Music review by Ben Sandmel Although the eclectic North Louisiana musician known as Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter, 1888–1949) is long gone, he still casts a long shadow of influence on popular music....
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Clifton Chenier’s Zydeco Road
Editor’s Note: In this excerpt from his new book, Way Down in Louisiana: Clifton Chenier, Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp Pop Music, author Todd Mouton retraces Chenier’s path in the zydeco musician’s own...
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10 Fascinating Facts About the Civil War in Louisiana
Debate over the fate of Confederate monuments in New Orleans, Shreveport, Lake Charles and other cities has become the talk of the state. In New Orleans, the city council is soon expected to vote...
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A Conversation with Christian Scott
New Orleans native Christian Scott continues to push the boundaries. On his latest release, the trumpet player and bandleader elaborates on his concept of “Stretch” music, a proposed evolution in jazz...
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Visiting Slim
A pilgrimage to the final resting place of a bluesman by David Kunian Slim Harpo was a Delta musician, but his Delta was modern. He came up in Port Allen, a single story town surrounded not by cotton...
View ArticleElvis has not left the building
by Ben Sandmel Although Shreveport’s Louisiana Hayride has not graced the nation’s airwaves since 1960, this historic country music radio program is still a revered and influential cultural icon....
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Mardi Gras 1979
by David Johnson Mardi Gras has been an intrinsic element of the rhythm of life in New Orleans since the city’s founding. In 1699, when French Canadian explorer Jean Baptiste Le Moyne de Sieur...
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The King of Royal Street
W.G. Tebault and the Poetry of Furniture by Cybèle T. Gontar While distinctive local furnishings made of Louisiana cypress and West Indian mahogany were once crafted in the French Quarter, by the...
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Rhythm Revealers
Bloggers dig deep to preserve the unsung heroes of Louisiana music by Alex Rawls Rolling Stone got it wrong. Founded in 1967, the rock magazine has subscribed to the Great Band Theory, whereby rock...
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Soul of the South
by Richard Anthony Lewis In 1998, Dr. Kurt Gitter and Alice Rae Yelen made a generous gift of more than 100 paintings, sculptures and mixed media works of art to the Louisiana State Museum (LSM). At...
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Wilkommen to Acadiana: Celebrating German culture in Roberts Cove
The story of Acadiana has long been known as one of refugee resettlement. The saga of the Cajuns—French Canadians forcibly expelled from the maritime provinces in the 1750s by the British crown—has...
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Jordan Noble: Drummer, Soldier, Statesman
by Jerry Brock Jordan Bankston Noble was arguably the most celebrated black musician in 19th century New Orleans. He began his career as a drummer boy in the United States 7th Infantry Regiment in...
View ArticleLong Live the King
King cakes usher in Carnival season by Jessica B. Harris Every year as the Christmas holidays are winding down, my friend Lenora Costa heads to one of her multiple storage spaces, takes out the box...
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Alexandria Museum of Art celebrates the Harlem Renaissance
The Alexandria Museum of Art, in partnership with the neighboring Arna Bontemps African American Museum, have collaborated to mount an exhibition that highlights the contributions of a native son of...
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Contextual Portraits Mardi Gras Indians From An Insider’s View
by Nash Porter I was born in New Orleans and grew up in an Uptown community surrounded by African American cultural sights and sounds. As a little boy, I used to follow the Mardi Gras Indians all...
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Dance for a Chicken
Grown men chase chickens, cross dress and receive whippings at Prairie Cajun Mardi Gras gumbo runs. It’s all a part of springtime rituals traced back to medieval Europe. Story by Pat Mire Hide the...
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Investments in Royal Vestments
Though “queen for a day,” the regalia of New Orleans’ Mardi Gras debutantes is inspired by the monarchs of Europe by A. Wayne Phillips Mardi Gras queens, though they may be only make-believe royalty,...
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From Tramps to Kings: Celebrating One Hundred Years of Zulu 1909-2009
by Charles Chamberlain In 2009, the Louisiana State Museum and the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club are partnering to commemorate Zulu’s centennial. For this special event, the museum will host a...
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On the Backstreets of Mardi Gras
Photo Essay by Sylvester Francis Located in New Orleans’ Treme neighborhood, the oldest African-American enclave in the city, is the Backstreet Cultural Museum where visitors can find an amazing...
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