Zydeco Music in Frenchtown
Houston, Harris County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In the 1920s, Creole families from Louisiana, known as “Creoles of Color,” migrated to Houston, establishing the neighborhood known as Frenchtown. In addition to their culture and language, they also brought their music to Houston. Zydeco, a fusion of traditional creole music and other styles, became an important form of expression for the families that settled in Frenchtown. Traditional Creole music featured an accordian backed by washboard percussion and sometimes a fiddle. This music was an integral part of social gatherings, called La-las, which served the purpose of raising funds for the community. By the 1940s, musicians blended the music, also known as La-la, with jazz and blues to form the distinctive sound known as Zydeco. As the musical form grew in popularity, several frenchtown ven-ues, including the silver slipper, began to showcase Zydeco musi-cians. Another popular club was Johnson’s, established by Charley Johnson; Lonnie Mitchell, manager of the club after Johnson’s death, also performed there. Johnson’s granddaughter, Doris McClendon, later ran the club, changing its name to the Continental Lounge and Zydeco Ballroom. A regular performer was Clifton Chenier, known as the “King of Zydeco.” An innovator, he modernized the style by adding electric guitars, a bass, drums, a saxophone and a trumpet to the more customary musical instruments. Through the years, the population of Frenchtown has become increasingly diverse. However, renewed interest in Zydeco in the late 20th century helped ensure this dynamic neighborhood will continue to preserve its rich musical and cultural heritage. (2007)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the 1920s, Louisiana Creole families — "Creoles of Color" — migrated to Houston and built the Frenchtown neighborhood, carrying their language, culture, and music with them. Their traditional accordion-and-washboard La-la music, played at community fundraising gatherings, blended with jazz and blues by the 1940s into the distinctive sound of Zydeco, showcased in clubs like Johnson's (later the Continental Lounge and Zydeco Ballroom). Clifton Chenier, the "King of Zydeco," modernized the style here by adding electric guitar, bass, drums, and horns.
Why it matters
Frenchtown shows how a migrant community transplanted an entire folk culture into a Texas city and forged from it an American musical genre now celebrated worldwide.
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Related people
- · Clifton Chenier
- · Charley Johnson
- · Lonnie Mitchell
- · Doris McClendon
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
The Frenchtown Community
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The "Creoles of Color" — a distinct people of French, Spanish, African, and Native American heritage — emerged in Louisiana before losing their free status under Jim Crow. Fleeing the devastating 1927 Mississippi River flood, many migrated west to Houston for work in oil, construction, and railroads, building the tight-knit enclave of Frenchtown. There they sustained their Catholic faith, French language, la-la gatherings, and the zydeco music that became their signature.
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