On June 25, 2025 American roots music celebrated the centennial birthday of Clifton Chenier, the architect of contemporary zydeco. Clifton passed away in 1987. In the nearly 40 years since he died at the young age of 62, the music has continued to evolve and reach millions around the world. Jagger sang in French and played harmonica on the track. Zydeco Sont Pas Sale translated “the snap beans aren’t salty”.
Mick Jagger tells the story of seeing Clifton Chenier perform at Verbum Dei, a black Catholic high school in Los Angeles in the 1970’s. Keith Richards has also long been familiar with Clifton and zydeco, since one of his long time friends and band mates in the Expensive Whino’s band, George Recile (Bob Dylan) has been celebrating zydeco in his own music with NYC based band Loup Garou (1980’s). In the 1990’s Chris Jagger, Mick’s brother released an entire CD of original zydeco songs in Rock The Zydeco.
In the late 80’s Terrance and the Mallet Playboys performed at a benefit concert Biana Jagger organized and hosted in NYC.
It should come as no surprise to anyone that zydeco is known, loved and respected by the likes of Taj Mahal, David Hidalgo (Los Lobos -took a young Terrance Simien on tour with them in 1987 for 6 weeks), Dave Matthews Band (Coran Capshaw was booking Terrance in Charlottesville in the 80’s and 90’s and Terrance & band opened shows for DMB in 2002), Paul Simon (wrote a song with zydeco and Clifton in the lyrics and recored background vocals with Terrance on a 45), U2, Willie Nelson (both worked with the late Buckwheat Zydeco) and the late Robert Palmer, another Englishmen who loved zydeco so much he too, took Terrance et al on tour in 1993 for 6 weeks!
Image: Jean Michel Basquiat, Zydeco 1984, triptych