* Major Cajun / Zydeco festivals are held annually in Rhode Island, which does not have a sizable Cajun population but is home to many Franco-Americans of Québécois and Acadian descent.

One of the few musical instruments invented entirely in the United States is the Zydeco Frottoir ( Zydeco Rubboard ), a distillation of the washboard into essential elements ( percussive surface with shoulder straps ) designed by Clifton Chenier and built by Willie Landry in 1946.

The frottoir, also called a Zydeco rub-board, is a mid 20th century invention designed specifically for Zydeco music.

In Zydeco bands, the frottoir is usually played with bottle openers, to make a louder sound.

It is one of the birthplaces of the Afro-creole Zydeco music that has become one of the signatures of Louisiana culture throughout the world.

Opelousas is also the home of Clifton Chenier, the king of Zydeco.

Zydeco is a musical genre of American folk music roots.

Zydeco music originated from Creole music — today's rubboard or frottoir rubbing the washboard is a stylized version of the early washboard.

Zydeco music is performed at festivals, schools, performing art centers and large corporate events.

Zydeco music is featured in the video game The Sims: Unleashed when traveling to Old Town on the Shuttle Bus ( while the game loads Old Town ), during building mode in Old Town, as well as other scenarios.

The theme of the game, with its new lots and music, is considered Cajun or Zydeco.

Zydeco music is also a central theme in the German award-winning 2003 film Schultze Gets the Blues about a retired polka-playing miner living in rural eastern Germany, who, after hearing Zydeco music on the radio, without knowing a word of English, embarks on a tragi-comical odyssey to Louisiana.

Zydeco music is featured in the pop song " Cupid Shuffle ".

Along with the accordion, the second main instrument in a zydeco group is a corrugated metal washboard, called a Zydeco Rubboard or frottoir.

It is held each June and has featured national acts like Taj Mahal, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Buckwheat Zydeco, and Eric Lindell.

Often, this step pattern is alternated with other styles, during a single song, particularly among those who are regular dancers, in urban and non-traditional settings, or those who are also Zydeco dancers.

The main stage at the 2006 festival ; Buckwheat Zydeco is playing.

That music is mix of Zydeco, Country, Rock & roll, Folk and Blues elements, and often has a hard beat, with repetition of simple phrases in lyrics.

There is also a large Dance Tent that features various group and partnered dance styles until the wee hours of the morning, including Contra Dancing, Swing Dancing, Square Dancing, and Zydeco Dancing.

It is the site of the annual Gulf Coast Zydeco Music Festival.

Rosie Ledet ( born October 25, 1971, Mary Roszela Bellard in Church Point, Louisiana, USA ) is an American Creole Zydeco accordion player and singer.

This is evident from the beginning of the film: The opening is an aerial shot of the New Orleans bayou and the cajun band Beausoleil plays " Zydeco Gris Gris " on the soundtrack ( title sequence ).

Country music performer George Strait's 2009 album Twang includes a song called " Hot Grease and Zydeco ".

* Buckwheat Zydeco recorded this song on their May 5, 2009 release Lay Your Burden Down.

* " Turning Point ", a song by Buckwheat Zydeco

It was designed in 1946 by Clifton " King of Zydeco " Chenier, and fashioned by Willie Landry, a friend and metalworker at the Texaco refinery in Port Arthur, Texas.

Young performers like Chris Ardoin, Keith Frank, and Zydeco Force added further by tying the sound to the bass drum rhythm to accentuate or syncopate the backbeat even more.

The first zydeco vest frottoir ( rubboard ) was designed by Clifton Chenier, the " King of Zydeco ," in 1946 while he and his brother, Cleveland, were working at an oil refinery in Port Arthur, TX.

Although nothing before or after ever matched the career-defining success of " My Toot Toot ," several of his songs such as " If It's Good For The Gander ," " My Zydeco Shoes ," " Jalapeño Lena ", and " Ann Cayenne " have become zydeco staples and are played regularly by other bands.

Their debut LP was 1990's " Zydeco Force ", followed by a series of albums that also achieved regional fame.

# " Ooh Wow " – written by Sidney Cooper, performed by Buckwheat Zydeco

Arkansas early rock and roll was typically Rockabilly music influenced by Zydeco music and Blues.

The score for the film was orchestrated by Ennio Morricone in conjunction with the New York Philharmonic, while songs written by musical artists Van Halen and Buckwheat Zydeco, were used in-between dialogue shots in the film.

Musicians vary by track, including Jesse Cook, Stanley Dural Jr. aka Buckwheat Zydeco, Art Avalos, Ofra Harnoy, Blake Manning, Carmen Romero, Miguel de la Bastide, Djivan Gasparyan, George Koller, Mario Melo, Etric Lyons, and Holly Cole.

* " When The Levee Breaks " and " The Wrong Side " on Lay Your Burden Down by Buckwheat Zydeco

King, Bill Doggett, Golden " Big " Wheeler, Billy Branch, Bo Diddley, Bobby " Blue " Bland, Bobby Rush, Buckwheat Zydeco, Buddy Guy, Calvin Jones, Carey Bell, Carl Perkins, Chicago Blues Museum All Stars, Barrelhouse Chuck, Chuck Berry, Clarence " Gatemouth " Brown, Dave Myers, Dion Payton, Dr. John, Eddie Boyd, Eddie C. Campbell, Eddie Vinson, Eddy Clearwater, Etta James, Fenton Robinson, Floyd Jones, Fontella Bass, Hank Ballard, Henry Townsend, Homesick James, Hubert Sumlin, James Cotton, Jerry Portnoy, Jimmy Johnson, Jimmy Rogers, Jimmie Lee Robinson, Jody Williams, John Lee Hooker, Johnnie Taylor, John Brim, Johnny Shines, Johnny Winter, Junior Wells, Keith Richards, Koko Taylor, Little Milton, Little Willie Littlefield, Lonnie Brooks, Lowell Fulson, Louisiana Red, Luther Allison, Lurrie Bell, Magic Slim, Matt Murphy, Memphis Slim, Mick Taylor, The Neville Brothers, The Ice Cream Men, Otis Rush, Pee Wee Crayton, Pinetop Perkins, Ray Charles, Robert Cray Band, Robert Lockwood, Jr., Sam Lay, Otis " Big Smokey " Smothers, Snooky Pryor, Son Seals, Lacy Gibson, Staple Singers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Sugar Blue, Sunnyland Slim, Taildragger, Taj Mahal, Willie Buck, Willie Dixon, Yank Rachell, Lil ' Ed Williams and the Blues Imperials, and Johnny B. Moore.

The exposure helped the city to be named the Zydeco Capital of the World on May 27, 2000, reflecting its significance in the history and continuing evolution of zydeco.

Zydeco music pioneer Clifton Chenier, " The King of Zydeco ", made Zydeco popular on regional radio stations with his bluesy style and keyboard accordion.

** Queen Ida for Queen Ida & the Bon Temps Zydeco Band on Tour

Buckwheat Zydeco on the main stage at the 2006 festival.

** Queen Ida for Queen Ida & the Bon Temps Zydeco Band on Tour

KRVS operates on campus, located in Burke-Hawthorne Hall and plays Louisiana roots music such as Cajun, Zydeco, Swamp Rock, Swamp Pop, Blues, Jazz, and a variety of other programs.

For years, he has played traditional polka music on his accordion, but a series of upheavals in his life inspire an interest in American Zydeco and Cajun music.

* Buckwheat Zydeco ( 1992 ) on the album On Track

Other performers on the album include Beausoleil, Buckwheat Zydeco, Dewey Balfa, Aaron Neville & The Neville Brothers.