How Houston’s Urban Center Ignited Zydeco
Originally published in No Depression, January 2021.
A modern-day oil refinery just south of Houston. Between the world wars, thousands of Black rural residents of Louisiana and Texas moved to Houston, bringing with them their music and culture — and the seeds of zydeco. (Photo by Art Wager / Getty Images Signature)
When you think of the word “Creole,” I suspect you think of Louisiana. It inspires images of bayous and memories of rich, stick-to-your-ribs gumbo.
This is all fair and reasonable — Creole and Cajun culture definitely have strong roots in southwestern Louisiana. But the border with Texas isn’t a light switch. The same terrain and culture exist across state lines, leaving a strong community of swamp people in both states. And it is these people, and their migration into the urban stronghold of Houston in the early 20th century, that created the thoroughly modern and funky genre of zydeco.