A compilation of the best material ever written on Cajun music.

“They love to dance most of all, more than any other people in the colony,�? French immigrant C.C. Robin wrote of the Cajun community in 1803. The vibrancy of folk musical traditions in south Louisiana has captured the imaginations of historians, musician aficionados, and dancers across the world. Editors Ryan A. Brasseaux and Kevin S. Fontenot provide a sweeping overview of Cajun music, from early studies of the musical genre, to organizations based on preserving culture through music, to its early heyday on the radio and festival stage, to its present state, edging onto the national radar with Grammy awards, blockbuster movie soundtracks, and revolutionary adaptations of old Cajun standards. The materials featured in this volume are organized into categories based on their thematic focus—socio-cultural context, commercialization, and artist biography.

Accordions, Fiddles, Two Step & Swing is designed with scholars, students, and Cajun music aficionados in mind. The articles included represent the spectrum of Cajun musical expression as interpreted by authors from all walks of life. Materials ranging from instrumentation to information dealing with specific artists and social contexts demonstrate that Cajun music is defined more by ethos and social context than a delimited set of stylistic features. We hope this collection of essays will stimulate a new generation of researchers to document shifts within the local, regional, even global soundscapes. Perhaps this collection of essays will encourage budding scholars and established humanists alike to document a bit of culture for posterity one song at a time.

“A valuable resource to anyone wanting to be placed into the heart of the academic landscape of Cajun music scholarship....�?
—James Akenson, co-chair, International Country Music Conference
and editor, "Country Music Goes to War" (2005)

“This reader attends not only to Cajun music’s past but its current significance and future potential. Taken together, the collected essays set a new standard for breadth in coverage of traditional and popular Cajun music—it’s an essential reference.�?
—Nick Spitzer, producer and host, American Routes, Public Radio International

“...two scions of the Cajun culture have brought together a collection of interesting and important reports from the extant body of research in the area of Cajun music....�?
—Wayne W. Daniel, author of "Pickin’ on Peachtree: A History of Country Music in Atlanta, Georgia" (1990)

“Accordions, Fiddles, Two Step & Swing is a most impressive resource for all who are enamoured by Louisiana’s Cajun music and culture. This book is especially poignant as both scholars and musicians alike contributed to this volume on a truly home-grown genre of American music.�?
—David Spizale, general manager, KRVS-FM Radio Acadie