Discussion opener?:

One thing i really appreciate in Cajun music and most players i listen to and know, is that they don't misuse musical power for religion ... f.i in bluegrass maybe about 25% of the bands seem to be sold to that devil, since there's more money in playing reli-parties ....

Such an example is this great looking band:



Alas just about every song title they put on their many CDs contains words like "god", "lord" or Jesus, and they don't seem to be cursing even .........

PS I guy i once met was very proud he was making so much money doing just that in e-country style, and bragging about the side effects being scoring women, driving in a Big Benz sports-car, and also buying every expensive guitar and pedal steel he could lay a hand on .... he was a pretty lousy player to boot. - Nout

Someone explained it to me like this: Bluegrass is about Jesus and Mama. Old-Time music is about whiskey and chickens.

I'd say the Chigger Hill Boys have not passed up on many church socials or too much chicken:

chicken & dumplings
fried chicken, mashed potatoed & gravy
roasted chicken & grits

etc., all washed down with lots of whole fat milk, sweetened ice tea, and bisquits of the Southern American variety.

Amen.

JB

Now where is that "Like" button?

Having lived most of my life in Virginia and Kentucky, I grew up listening to gospel music, both black and white varieties. I really enjoy a good gospel song - actually, when my husband died I found a couple of gospel songs very comforting, in particular Ralph Stanley's Glory Land. It is a very simple, heartfelt song. I imagine it earned him some money, but I'm all for that too.

I can also put a mean scald on friend chicken

I really don't care what people do to make a few bob, it's none of my business. Bluegrass is originally a Southern rural style, and religion is very important there. So I guess it's only natural that there's a lot of religion in bluegrass music. Always was, listen to Bill Monroe, the Founding Father of this style.

More On Topic, I wonder why religion plays such a minor role in Cajun songs. Les Flammes d'Enfer, that's the only one I can think of right now.

I think the Family Life Cajun Band from Lafayette did a religious album something called Cajun Praise.
Chuck from Kentucky

Jo-El Sonnier did a cd called Cajun Hymns

Peer Cajun music is all about beer, beer, and more beer. Leave religon to Sundays and then only till 12pm then move on to music and beer.

==I wonder why religion plays such a minor role in Cajun songs.

because they are catholic

no one is *fired up* about being catholic, they have no pompadoured evangelists or tent revivals..


wle

Because Cajuns have a long history of being anti-clerical.

For most of their early time in Louisiana, there was a shortage of priests in the isolated areas where Cajuns lived.

As a result, Cajuns learned to be self-reliant in their religious practices. Often, lay people conducted masses and officiated at religious services. And practices developed that weren't quite acceptable to the Catholic Church--like the work of traiteurs or women serving as de facto priests.

When priests were finally assigned to the churches in these areas, they were often shocked by what they saw and attacked these practices. But since these things had been going on for years and since the priest was brand new, Cajun congregations often ignored the priest and kept to their old ways.

This is why you often run across Cajuns who are extremely religious but who distrust organized religion and who view priests as clueless and foolish. Those attitudes have been passed down.

Could it also be French people emigrating abroad because of religious persecution? .... my grandmother was from a French Huguenot family that fled through Belgium to the Netherlands. She taught me as small child that "God lives in your heart, never in a church" ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huguenot -Nout

I'm descended from Hugenot's too - but they are Protestants (hence the exodus from France), so I don't know if it applies - but who knows, maybe that's why I walk my own path. Anyway - this is a really interesting discussion. Thanks for getting it going.

This is very interesting, Jude. I think this is the answer I was looking for.
"critical catholics" ... very sympathetic, sounds familiar.. we have a lot of them in the NL.

Very interesting. I had never paid attention to this fact in Cajun songs.

Don't tell the Pope I said this!!
It might cost me my yearly regular gig at the Vatican every Easter !!

This reminds me of a cajun joke.

Boudreaux and Thibodeaux were visiting the vatican to see the pope go by. They were set up for the whole parade. They had a crab boiler set up, some beer, and some easy chairs.

Pretty soon, the pope mobile drives by and stops. The pope opens the top and motions to Boudreaux to approach the car. Thibodeaux is sitting there and is astounded as he watches the pope bless Boudreaux with the sign of the cross.

Boudreaux turns around and comes back to the camp out, but looking a little down. Thibodeaux says "Boudreaux, what's the matter with you? You just got blessed by the pope. Mai, I'd by happy about dat, me."

"Ah nooo man, he just pointed at me, pointed at you pointed at the crab boiler and said 'I want you and that other coonass to take that crab boiler and get the hell off my lawn', and then he pointed towards the exit back dere."

(This is more of a visual joke).

You know what you can do? Ask a Cajun musician. He would probably say," You know, I never really gave it any thought".

And that's exactly true. Where I'm from the thought of religion seldom crosses the mind of any player. The "God Factor" comes from the playing and singing from the soul and being able to relate this art to one's past and present life. La Verite'

Unless of course you're parakeeting the music like so many do. Then you can't feel nothing and therefore, you can't cause others listening to you to feel it either.