Today, on what would’ve been his 100th birthday, the music of Clifton Chenier is being heard more far and wide than he could’ve ever imagined. From the original recordings that put the King of Zydeco on the map to the covers from bands and artists he helped influence, Chenier’s fiery accordion and raucous, bluesy delivery have touched the souls of everyone from the fledgling aficionado to some of the biggest acts in history. And today, one of the latter is returning the love to one of their early influences. As part of the upcoming album, A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco, The Rolling Stones got into the studio to put their stamp on the song that birthed a genre, “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés.”
‘’The Stones are truly honoured to be on this tribute album amongst a stellar cast of artists and musicians. Clifton Chenier was one of the most influential musicians to come out of Louisiana. He turned so many people onto the wonderful free spirited dance music of Zydeco, including ourselves back in the day. Although the development of any music style can seldom be attributed to one artist, there is not a zydeco band who has not followed the template Chenier created,” The Rolling Stones stated.
“[The Rolling Stones] seem to effortlessly turn everything they touch into their own iconic brand of rock'n'roll,” says the track’s producer, CC Adcock. “That's certainly what they've done with Clifton's music—and even his musicians—here!” From the get-go, a rowdy line is drawn between the Stones’ and Chenier’s forms of hopped-up dance music. It just makes sense. With the help of Steve Riley on accordion, the two entities’ worlds are straddled seamlessly and jubilantly. “Both Mick singing in impeccable Creole French and Keith and Ronnie completely carving up the traditional approach with those signature licks and their iconic ‘weaving’ style sounds easy and playful,” says Adcock. “Man, this one sounds like they're just running wild through the swamps with it!”
Out this Friday, June 27th, on Valcour Records, A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco is all about honoring Chenier’s legacy. “Clifton Chenier was an international ambassador, introducing the world to Zydeco,” say the album’s producers, GRAMMY Award-winning producer and member of Los Lobos, Steve Berlin, and Joel Savoy, Valcour Records founder and member of the “First Family of Cajun Music.” “While he has been honored with many awards, his real impact is found in the lives and style of musicians from southwest Louisiana and beyond.” From Taj Mahal to John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams to Charley Crockett, Marcia Ball to Molly Tuttle, A Tribute to the King of Zydeco is a 14-track romp through Chenier’s legendary catalog with performances from the aforementioned icons and many more
Fans can stream or purchase “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” today at this link, hear the project’s previously-released singles, “Release Me” by Lucinda Williams, Tommy McClain, and Keith Frank and “Hey ‘Tite Fille” by Taj Mahal and Keith Frank, at their respective links, and pre-order A Tribute to the King of Zydeco ahead of its June 27th release right here.
To further celebrate Chenier’s 100th birthday, our friends at Smithsonian Folkways are releasing an expansive box set featuring music from throughout his career as well as a limited edition 7” single which features The Rolling Stones' raucous version of today's single on its South side. On the North side is a version from Chenier’s 1965 sessions with Arhoolie founder Chris Strachwitz, offering a contrasting take on the rollicking shuffle heard on his debut album. Learn more here.
In addition to the announcement of A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, Valcour Records recently joined the Chenier family estate and the University of Louisiana Lafayette to form the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the King of Zydeco in 2025, the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship honors Clifton Chenier's legacy at the College of the Arts at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The scholarship fund will offer annual financial assistance to students studying Traditional Music, specifically Zydeco accordion, at UL Lafayette. All proceeds from A Tribute to the King of Zydeco will go directly toward funding this new scholarship. To learn more about the scholarship or to donate, please visit this link.
A Tribute to the King of Zydeco Tracklist:
“Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” - The Rolling Stones and Steve Riley
“Easy Easy Baby” - Charley Crockett and Nathan Williams, Sr.
“Hey ‘Tite Fille” - Taj Mahal and Keith Frank
“Release Me” - Lucinda Williams, Tommy McClain, and Keith Frank
“Just Like A Woman” - Steve Earle and Anthony Dopsie
“I'm On The Wonder” - Jon Cleary and Curley Taylor
“My Soul” - Jimmie Vaughan, Johnny Nicholas, and Steve Riley
“Hot Rod” - David Hidalgo and CJ Chenier
“Tout Le Temps En Temps” - Shannon McNally, Keith Frank, and Molly Tuttle
“Ay Ai Ai” - Ruben Ramos with Los Texmaniacs and Augie Meyers
“I May Be Wrong” - Marcia Ball and Geno Delafose
“I'm Coming Home” - CJ Chenier and Sonny Landreth
“You Used To Call Me” - John Hiatt and Roddie Romero
“Why Did You Go Last Night” - Kam Franklin, A. J. Haynes, and Roddie Romero
Album produced by Steve Berlin and Joel Savoy with Executive Producer John Leopold. “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” and “Release Me” produced by C.C. Adcock.
