 |
Sample Entry - Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, capital of Louisiana, is situated on the east bank of the
lower Mississippi River, 80 miles (130 km) northwest of New Orleans.
Baton Rouge means ‘Red Stick’ in French, the French explorer Iberville being
credited with naming the city in 1699. A pole reddened by the blood of animal
s and fish, and erected on the river bluffs, is said to have separated Native
American tribal territory, probably distinguishing the Houma from the
Bayougoula territories. To mark this, a modern ‘Red Stick,’ cast with Native
American symbols, can be found on the Mississippi levee in Baton Rouge.
The city is served by an airport located close to the suburb of Scotlandville,
once the home of many of the city’s blues musicians. Interstate 10 links
Baton Rouge to New Orleans to the east, and to Cajun country and Texas to the
west. Much of the city’s economy is based on the petrochemical industry,
whose plants stretch for miles up both sides of the Mississippi.
Historically linked to France, Britain and Spain, Baton Rouge displays its
cultural diversity through its busy calendar of international festivals,
which have contributed toward earning Louisiana its alternative name, ‘the
Festival State.’ Baton Rouge’s annual Spanish Town Mardi Gras provides
exposure to many local blues, jazz and rock musicians, who play their music
as decorated floats carry them around the streets. Each fall, Baton Rouge
hosts the River City Blues Fest, one of the largest blues festivals in the
country.
Whilst the neighboring cities of New Orleans and Lafayette are often
associated with jazz and Cajun music respectively, the prominent music of
Baton Rouge is undoubtedly the blues. Baton Rouge was the center of swamp
blues and, in the 1950s and early 1960s, had a thriving live blues scene,
featuring Lightnin’ Slim, Slim Harpo, Silas Hogan, Lonesome Sundown and
others. From this period, the bluesman Tabby Thomas has remained active as
a musician, club owner, DJ, and general spokesperson for the blues. During
the 1990s, Baton Rouge’s bars and clubs continued to abound with live
music -- blues, rock, jazz, Cajun and zydeco.
Louisiana State University (LSU) (29,000 students), and Southern University
(9,000 students), are the city’s two universities. Harry Oster, Professor
of English at LSU, produced a series of important folk blues recordings,
between 1959 and 1964, featuring performers such as Robert Pete Williams,
James ‘Butch’ Cage, and Willie B. Thomas for his Folk-Lyric label. Many of
these recordings were made in the Baton Rouge metropolitan area and at the
Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. Ellis Marsalis, jazz pianist,
composer and educator, developed a strong jazz curriculum at Southern
University, which was continued by Alvin Batiste. LSU’s football stadium
is frequently used as a venue for rock and country music concerts. The city
boasts 25 radio stations, 20 of which broadcast popular music across a wide
range of genres, including country, gospel, soul, rock, adult contemporary,
R&B, blues, jazz and contemporary Christian music.
Bibliography
Beyer, Jimmy. 1980. Baton Rouge Blues: A Guide to the Baton Rouge Bluesmen and Their Music. Baton Rouge, LA: Arts and Humanities Council of Greater Baton Rouge.
Broven, John. 1983. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company.
Discography
Authentic Excello R&B. Ace CHD 492. 1993: UK.
Country Negro Jam Session. Arhoolie 372. 1993: USA.
Edwards, Clarence. Swamp’s the Word. Red Lightnin’ 90. 1998: USA.
Garner, Larry. Baton Rouge. Evidence 26106. 1999: USA.
Lightnin’ Slim. Rollin’ Stone. Flyright FLY 08. 1991: UK.
Louisiana R&B. Flyright FLY 42. 1996: UK.
More Louisiana Swamp Blues. Flyright FLY 24. 1990: UK.
Thomas, Tabby. King of the Swamp Blues, Vol. I. Blue Beat B 1801 A. 1997: USA.
Williams, Robert Pete. Free Again. Original Blues Classics OBC 553. 1961: USA.
|
ALISON J. PRINGLE |
|
|
