Out Today: Limited Edition 7” Vinyl – “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” by Clifton Chenier & The Rolling Stones feat. Steve Riley
To celebrate the centennial birthday of zydeco legend Clifton Chenier, The Rolling Stones joined forces with a supergroup of Louisiana musicians—including Cajun accordionist Steve Riley, longtime Chenier drummer Robert St. Julien, and producer CC Adcock—to put their stamp on the song that birthed a genre, “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés.”
“Clifton Chenier was one of the most influential musicians to come out of Louisiana,” state The Rolling Stones. “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.”
Recorded in 1965 with Arhoolie founder Chris Strachwitz, Chenier’s version of the song became a cornerstone of the zydeco tradition. The title nods to a Creole phrase, “les haricots (zarico) et pas salés,” or “snap beans and no salt,” meaning “just getting by.” This 7” single pairs the Stones’ raucous 21st-century tribute with Chenier’s original recording, featuring his brother Cleveland on rubboard and Madison Guidry on drums.
In addition to the 7” release, Chenier’s recording appears on the upcoming box set, ‘King of Louisiana Blues and Zydeco,’ arriving in November via Folkways, while the Stones’ track opens the new Valcour compilation ‘A Tribute to the King of Zydeco’ and is available to stream now.
The Rolling Stones have designated the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as the recipient of the royalties from this recording. Sales from this 7” benefit Smithsonian Folkways’ nonprofit mission to preserve the legacy of Clifton Chenier and Arhoolie Records.
Smithsonian Folkways
Out Today: Limited Edition 7” Vinyl – “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” by Clifton Chenier & The Rolling Stones feat. Steve Riley
To celebrate the centennial birthday of zydeco legend Clifton Chenier, The Rolling Stones joined forces with a supergroup of Louisiana musicians—including Cajun accordionist Steve Riley, longtime Chenier drummer Robert St. Julien, and producer CC Adcock—to put their stamp on the song that birthed a genre, “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés.”
“Clifton Chenier was one of the most influential musicians to come out of Louisiana,” state The Rolling Stones. “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.”
Recorded in 1965 with Arhoolie founder Chris Strachwitz, Chenier’s version of the song became a cornerstone of the zydeco tradition. The title nods to a Creole phrase, “les haricots (zarico) et pas salés,” or “snap beans and no salt,” meaning “just getting by.” This 7” single pairs the Stones’ raucous 21st-century tribute with Chenier’s original recording, featuring his brother Cleveland on rubboard and Madison Guidry on drums.
In addition to the 7” release, Chenier’s recording appears on the upcoming box set, ‘King of Louisiana Blues and Zydeco,’ arriving in November via Folkways, while the Stones’ track opens the new Valcour compilation ‘A Tribute to the King of Zydeco’ and is available to stream now.
The Rolling Stones have designated the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as the recipient of the royalties from this recording. Sales from this 7” benefit Smithsonian Folkways’ nonprofit mission to preserve the legacy of Clifton Chenier and Arhoolie Records.
Listen & Purchase → linktr.ee/cliftonstones
Cover artwork by Francis Pavy
Photo by Susan Antone
Design by Josh Hartley, In The Shop, LLC.
2 months ago | [YT] | 21