Swamp Pop
from the encyclopedia of Cajun Culture

A distinct rhythm and blues / rock ‘n’ roll subgenre, swamp pop music combines New Orleans-style rhythm and blues, country and western, and Cajun and black Creole music; it is indigenous to the Acadiana region of south Louisiana, and a small part of east Texas.  Swamp pop appeared during the mid- to late 1950s, when teenage Cajun and black Creole musicians began to experiment with modern pop music elements.  In doing so, they unwittingly fused the sounds of artists like Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, and Little Richard with south Louisiana’s ethnic music traditions.  The swamp pop sound is typified by highly emotional vocals, simple, unaffected (and occasionally bilingual) lyrics, tripleting honky-tonk pianos, bellowing sax sections, and a strong rhythm and blues backbeat.  Upbeat compositions often possess the bouncy rhythms of Cajun and black Creole two-steps, and their lyrics frequently convey the local color and joie de vivre spirit that pervades south Louisiana.  Slow, usually melancholic swamp pop ballads, however — with their heavy, triplety feel, undulating bass lines, climactic turnarounds, and dramatic breaks — exhibit the heart-broken, what's-the-use-of-living laments common to many traditional Cajun and black Creole compositions, born generations ago of widespread poverty, hard-living, and the loneliness of a largely rural existence.  Classics of the swamp pop genre include Dale and Grace's "I'm Leaving It Up To You," Johnny Preston's "Running Bear," Freddy Fender's "Before The Next Teardrop Falls," Phil Phillips' "Sea Of Love" and Jimmy Clanton's "Just A Dream," all Top Ten national hits.  Of these, the first three reached number one on national charts; over twenty swamp pop recordings have broken into the Billboard Hot 100 since 1958.  In south Louisiana, however, the birthplace of swamp pop, fans and artists regard numerous songs less popular nationally as even more essential to the basic swamp pop repertoire.  These standards include such regional hits as Clint West's "Big Blue Diamonds," Tommy McLain's "Sweet Dreams," Randy and the Rockets' "Let's Do The Cajun Twist," T. K. Hulin's "Graduation Night," Rufus Jagneaux's "Opelousas Sostan" and Johnnie Allan's "South To Louisiana."  From its obscure south Louisiana origins, swamp pop went on to exert an influence on popular music both in the U.S. and abroad.  (The term swamp pop actually was coined by British music writer Bill Millar around 1970, and was popularized in the genre’s homeland by his compatriot, John Broven, author of South to Louisiana: Music of the Cajun Bayous [1983].)  A few notable swamp pop influenced tunes include Bill Haley and the Comets' re-recording of "Later Alligator," the Rolling Stones' version of Barbara Lynn's "You'll Lose A Good Thing," the Honeydrippers' rendition of "Sea of Love," and the Beatles' original composition "Oh! Darling," which exudes the triplety, emotionally charged swamp pop ballad sound.  Recently the swamp pop sound appeared in national hits by country and western artists T. Graham Brown, Mark Collie, and Billy Joe Royal.   (Contrary to popular belief, artists like Dale Hawkins, Tony Joe White, and Creedence Clearwater Revival are not examples of swamp pop, nor do they appear to have been influenced by the sound.)  Although it still can be heard today in south Louisiana and east Texas nightclubs, and sometimes at regional festivals, swamp pop tends to be overshadowed by its Cajun and zydeco sister genres, and often is ignored by many music and cultural preservationists.