DUANE
Duane's take
Here's what the official marker outside Frenchtown has to say, and I'm gonna do my level best to tell it right. Now, every good story starts with people movin' toward something — and in the 1920s, Creole families from Louisiana, known as Creoles of Color, were movin' toward Houston. They settled in and built up a neighborhood that folks came to call Frenchtown.
And they didn't come empty-handed. Not even close. They brought their culture, their language, and — maybe most importantly — their music.
See, traditional Creole music had this beautiful, no-frills architecture to it: an accordion out front, a washboard keeping the rhythm, and sometimes a fiddle swaying in from the side. Simple instruments, but lord, what they could do. These weren't just songs people played for their own amusement.
This music was the backbone of gatherings called La-las — community events that also served the very practical purpose of raising funds. Music with a mission. That's a Texas tradition if I ever heard one, even if it was born in Louisiana.
Now here's where the story shifts gears. By the 1940s, musicians in Frenchtown started blending that La-la sound with jazz and blues, and out of that fusion came something new, something that crackled with its own electricity — the sound that came to be known as Zydeco. Word spread.
The music grew. And Frenchtown's venues grew right along with it. Places like the Silver Slipper started putting Zydeco musicians on their stages.
Then there was Johnson's — established by one Charley Johnson — which became another popular club. After Johnson's death, a man named Lonnie Mitchell managed the club and performed there too. Eventually, Johnson's granddaughter, Doris McClendon, took the reins and changed its name to the Continental Lounge and Zydeco Ballroom.
Three generations, one stage, one music. And performing regularly at that very ballroom was a man named Clifton Chenier — a man the world came to call the King of Zydeco. He wasn't content to let the music stand still.
Chenier modernized the style, adding electric guitars, a bass, drums, a saxophone, and a trumpet alongside the more customary instruments. He took something rooted and made it reach. Now, through the years, Frenchtown's population has grown increasingly diverse — that's just the nature of a living, breathing neighborhood.
But here's the thing that lands this story right where it ought to: renewed interest in Zydeco in the late twentieth century helped make sure that Frenchtown's musical and cultural heritage isn't just remembered — it's preserved. What those Creole families carried up from Louisiana in the 1920s is still playing. Still alive.
Still dancing.
What the marker says
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)