The Color of Music: Social Boundaries and Stereotypes in Southwest Louisiana French Music

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The Color of Music: Social Boundaries and Stereotypes in Southwest Louisiana French Music

by Sara Le Menestrel
Southern Cultures, Vol. 13, No. 3: Music 2007

"One Cajun woman who grew up in the 1960s was convinced that the AM/FM options on her radio referred to the distinction between American Music and French Music."

Until the 1960s, southwest Louisianans did not categorize their music as Cajun, Creole, or zydeco. Instead, they referred to it as musique française, or French music, without systematically assigning it to a specific ethnic group or music subgenre. The French versus American musical distinction was the significant factor. In fact, this belief was so well-rooted that one Cajun woman who grew up in the 1960s was convinced that the AM/FM options on her radio referred to the distinction between American Music and French Music.

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