{"id":3712,"date":"2025-06-27T17:56:17","date_gmt":"2025-06-27T17:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artgardenhub.com\/?p=3712"},"modified":"2025-06-27T17:56:20","modified_gmt":"2025-06-27T17:56:20","slug":"mick-jagger-sings-in-french-creole-for-the-first-time-ever-in-a-powerful-rolling-stones-tribute-to-zydeco-legend-clifton-chenier-that-blends-rock-soul-and-louisiana-roots-like-youve-never-h","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artgardenhub.com\/?p=3712","title":{"rendered":"Mick Jagger Sings in French Creole for the First Time Ever in a Powerful Rolling Stones Tribute to Zydeco Legend Clifton Chenier That Blends Rock, Soul, and Louisiana Roots Like You\u2019ve Never Heard Before"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 1965, Mick Jagger first saw zydeco legend Clifton Chenier perform, which left a lasting impression on the then 22-year-old singer. Zydeco was different from the Chicago and Delta Blues that the Stones had already been drawn to from America. \u201cI\u2019d never heard the accordion in the blues before,\u201d Jagger said upon hearing zydeco for the first time, and its patchwork of Cajun and Creole music and blues, often mixing French Creole and English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cClifton was a great influence on me,\u201d Jagger said in 2020, citing one of his other Chenier favorites, \u201cI\u2019m a Hog for You.\u201d He added, \u201cWe first listened to him around 1965 when we went to the States. I love the way he just grabs a blues number and adapts it to his style.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jagger remained a lifelong fan of Chenier, dubbed the \u201cKing of Zydeco,\u201d and even met him for the first time in 1978. To mark the 100th birthday of Chenier, who died in 1987 at 62, Jagger and the Rolling Stones\u2018 Keith Richards and Ron Wood recorded one of the zydeco master\u2019s signature songs, \u201cZydeco Sont Pas Sal\u00e9s.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Stones cover is part of the compilation A Tribute to the King of Zydeco<\/em>, also featuring renditions of Chenier classics including Charley Crockett and Zydeco Cha Chas leader Nathan Williams Sr. on \u201cEasy Easy Baby\u201d; Taj Mahal and Keith Frank performing on Chenier\u2019s 1955 hit \u201cHey, \u2019tite Fille\u201d; and \u201cLucinda Williams on \u2018Release Me,\u201d among other covers by Steve Earle, Jon Hiatt, Molly Tuttle, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Produced by musician and songwriter C.C. Adcock (Robert Plant, Nick Cave), the Stones capture the rhythms and grit, the shuffle and Creole essence of Chenier\u2019s classic, backed by Cajun accordionist Steve Riley and Chenier\u2019s longtime drummer, Robert St. Julien. On the track, Jagger sings entirely in French Creole, a first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe all got into a lot of cool music through the back door of The Rolling Stones and rock and roll,\u201d said Adcock. \u201cAnd there\u2019s another moment to do that here. The Stones being involved and them crowing about it is a way for some kid in Brazil to learn about zydeco and learn about Clifton.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Translated into \u201cThe Snap Beans Aren\u2019t Salty,\u201d in French Creole, the meaning of \u201cZydeco Sont Pas Sal\u00e9s\u201d is still unclear 60 years later. \u201cNo one really knows what the words are,\u201d said Jagger. \u201cIt\u2019s lost in the midst of time. I did a bit of a deeper dive, and maybe it\u2019s about hunting dogs too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Clifton Chenier (Photo: Reed and Susan Erskine \/ Courtesy of Ralph Rinzler, Folklife Archives and Collections)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On June 27, a limited edition 7-inch single of the Stones\u2019 \u201cZydeco Sont Pas Sal\u00e9s\u201d will also be available, featuring Chenier\u2019s original version from his 1965 sessions with Arhoolie founder Chris Strachwitz on the flip side. Proceeds from the sale of the single will support the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Born June 25, 1925, in Opelousas, Louisiana, Chenier was taught the accordion at a young age by his father, a musician, and later started performing with his brother Cleveland at house and dance parties in Southern Louisiana. Eventually, Chenier developed a sound blending French Creole, R&B, Cajun, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, blues, and other influences, as a pioneer of zydeco music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1983, Chenier won a Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording for his album I\u2019m Here!<\/em> A year later, Chenier was also named a National Heritage Fellow for the National Endowment for the Arts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commemorating Chenier\u2019s centennial later in the year, in November, Smithsonian Folkways\u00a0will also release\u00a0King of Louisiana Blues and Zydeco<\/em>. The expansive box set in November, featuring recordings from 1954 through 1983, including his classic \u201cBon Ton Roulet,\u201d \u201cJole Blonde,\u201d \u201cZydeco et Pas Sale,\u201d and \u201cBlack Gal,\u201d along with previously unreleased songs \u201cCalinda,\u201d Wilson Pickett\u2019s \u201cThat\u2019s My Number \/ 634-5789,\u201d \u201cShake Rattle & Roll,\u201d \u201cMr. Charlie,\u201d and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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