Way-Back Wednesday: The Rolling Stones Honor Zydeco Legend Clifton Chenier at 100
Remembering the King of Zydeco on his 100th birthday.
Today would have marked the 100th birthday of Clifton Chenier, the King of Zydeco and one of the most influential musicians to emerge from Louisiana.
Born in Opelousas in 1925, Chenier created zydeco by fusing Creole French accordion music with blues, R&B, and Southern soul. His signature sound—fueled by accordion, rubboard, and a whole lot of swing—helped transform house-party rhythms into a global genre.
To celebrate this milestone, The Rolling Stones have released a new version of Chenier’s breakout song, “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés.” The track was produced by Louisiana swamp rocker CC Adcock and features legendary accordionist Steve Riley.
Mick Jagger sings entirely in Creole French while Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood put their signature guitar stamp on the track. It's swampy and defiant—exactly the kind of tribute you’d want for a genre born out Louisiana.
Listen to “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” by The Rolling Stones and Steve Riley
This new version is part of the upcoming tribute album A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, arriving June 27 from Valcour Records. The record features a star-studded lineup of artists influenced by Chenier’s legacy, including Lucinda Williams, Taj Mahal, Charley Crockett, Steve Earle, Molly Tuttle, and CJ Chenier, Clifton’s son and a zydeco star in his own right. From its danceable grooves to heartfelt performances, the album celebrates not only the music but the movement Clifton started.
Zydeco music is Creole roots music built for dancing. It blends French folk melodies with blues backbeats and Afro-Caribbean energy. It’s house-party music, and Chenier’s band was the blueprint for nearly every zydeco act that followed.
With its infectious accordion riffs, syncopated rhythms, and Creole storytelling, Zydeco music played a subtle yet influential role in shaping traditional country music, particularly through its shared Southern roots and deep connections with Cajun, blues, and R&B traditions.
In Texas and Louisiana dancehalls, zydeco and country music often shared the same stage, influencing each other in terms of phrasing, rhythm, and instrumentation. The washboard (or rubboard) rhythms and two-step backbeats of zydeco laid a foundation that aligned perfectly with honky-tonk swing.
At the same time, the genre’s emphasis on live danceability helped push country toward its own twangy, hard-grooving edge. Artists like Clifton Chenier brought Creole energy to the same circuits where George Jones and Buck Owens played, and in doing so, zydeco helped make the American roots music map more rhythmic, diverse, and deeply danceable.
Later this year, Smithsonian Folkways and Arhoolie Records will release Clifton Chenier: King of Louisiana Blues and Zydeco, a career-spanning box set featuring 67 tracks (19 of them previously unreleased), plus a 160-page book filled with essays, photos, and liner notes chronicling his life and work.
Even on what would be his 100th birthday, Chenier’s music still pulses through roadside bars, festival stages, and backyard parties. His rhythms remain contagious, his influence undeniable. Whether you’re dancing to a Creole accordion in Lafayette or a country shuffle in Luckenbach, you’re feeling a beat that Clifton helped build.