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Home/Acadiana/Swamp Pop – Let’s Dance
gold silver and blue plaid tuxedo jackets of swamp pop band members

Swamp Pop – Let’s Dance

Swamp Pop was the name given to the South Louisiana Rock N Roll music that filled the airwaves and the local dance halls in the mid-1950’s through the early 1960’s. “It’s a little bit of (Fats) Domino and it’s a little bit of Fais do-do”, says Mark Layne, General Manager of KVPI Radio in Ville Platte, Louisiana. The station still features “Swamp Pop Fridays”.

small town main street with railroad crossing and red lights
Main Street in Ville Platte, Louisiana.

swamp capital of the world

Layne helped convince the Louisiana Legislature to proclaim the town of Ville Platte the Swamp Pop Capital of the World in 1995. That’s because the area played a key role in the development of the music. Ville Platte record producer Floyd Soileau got many of the bands playing the south Louisiana Rock n Roll into his studio and released their songs on his Jin record label. And the town has turned an old railroad depot into the Swamp Pop Museum. The small museum tells the story of the development of the Swamp Pop sound with photographs, record albums, musicians’ costumes and instruments and a few furnishings from old dance halls.

afternoon sun lights up tan and brown building with steps and sign swamp pop museum
Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum in Ville Platte, LA

preserving a unique louisiana sound

In addition to helping found the museum, director Sharon Fontenot organizes an annual reunion of musicians. They gather during the Mardi Gras season and perform their most popular songs to a packed house at the Ville Platte Civic Center. The musicians, who are now in their late 70’s and early 80’s, have been a part of the reunion concert for the past 16 years. “We do this to honor these wonderful people who created this wonderful genre of music,” Fontenot tells me. Her biggest concern is passing on the music to the next generations, “so it will never be forgotten.”

red mural on side of building with name ville platte
Ville Platte painted on the side of a local bank. Ville Platte means “Flat Town”.

telling the story of swamp pop

Fontenot told me she had tried unsuccessfully for years to get someone to do a documentary that told the story of this unique genre of music. Being a music-lover and a fan of all things Louisiana, I agreed to do it. I attended the 2022 Swamp Pop Reunion concert, an event that featured dozens of musicians and non-stop live performances that lasted more than four hours. I followed up with one-on-one interviews with many of the musicians. KVPI radio gave me an interview recorded years ago with Cookie and the Cupcakes. And historian Shane Bernard and videographer Mark Ducote provided taped interviews with his father Rod Bernard and friend Warren Storm, both swamp pop pioneers. In some cases, the young musicians had switched from playing Cajun to rock n roll. Others, who loved the sound of Fats Domino, started with rock n roll. After nine months of interviews, collecting photos, music and memorabilia, and writing and editing, these musicians tell their stories. The documentary was broadcast in December, 2022 on WVUE Television in New Orleans.

watch the tv documentary

Watch “Swamp Pop – Let’s Dance”

featured interviews

Johnnie Allan man with tinted glasses in dark striped shirt in front of wall covered with music albums
Johnnie Allan, musucian
Rod Bernard, man wearing dark blue shirt with gray hair
Rod Bernard, musician
man with gray beard and dark shirt seated in library
Shane Bernard, historian
woman with gray hair and blue dress and jacket seated on porch
Grace Broussard, musician
V.J. Boulet. Man with gray moustache and beard seated in living room
V. J. Boulet, musician
woman with blond hair and blue patterned blouse in front of swamp pop museum display
Sharon Fontenot, Swamp Pop Museum
Ryan Foret man with beard and cap wearing dark shirt
Ryan Foret, musician
Jivin Gene man wearing blue print shirt, wearing glasses and playing acoustic guitar
Jivin' Gene, musician
T.K. Hulin, man with green shirt
T. K. Hulin, musician
Mark Layne man wearing glasses and blue striped shirt sitting near microphone in radio studio
Mark Layne, KVPI Radio
Charles Mann man wearing glasses and light blue shirt smiling
Charles Mann, musician
Tommy McLain man with gold hat and white beard and hair seated at piano
Tommy McLain, musician
man with gray beard, gray plaid cap, and red and gray striped shirt
Bobby Page, musician
Floyd Soileau man wearing tan cap and orange shirt sitting in front of record player and LP
Floyd Soileau, record producer
warren storm man with dark hair, moustache, glasses and dark shirt
Warren Storm, musician
Willie Tee man with dark hair and graying beard and glasses in striped shirt
Willie Tee, musician
man with gray hair and blue shirt sitting in front of cabinets and shelved with pictures on display
Kenny Tibbs, musician

getting there

The Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum is located at 205 NW Railroad Ave, Ville Platte, LA. Phone (337) 363-0900.

Floyd Soileau’s Flat Town Music Store is located at 700 S. Chataignier St., Ville Platte, LA. Phone (337) 363-2177.

Swamp Pop Museum, 205 NW Railroad Ave, Ville Platte, LA 70586

700 S Chataignier St, Ville Platte, LA 70586

Flat Town Music, 700 S Chataignier St, Ville Platte, LA 70586

Places to Visit

45 rpm records swamp pop songs

Swamp Pop Museum

    hand on keyboard playing cajun accordion

    La Poussiere

      Fred's Lounge painted on side of white building with accordian fiddle and musical notes

      Fred’s in Mamou

        Written by:
        Dave McNamara
        Published on:
        December 20, 2022
        Thoughts:
        19 Comments

        Categories: Acadiana, Featured

        Reader Interactions

        Comments

        1. JoAnn Miller

          December 20, 2022 at 5:27 pm

          This post is absolutely fantastic – it’s hard to describe to my out of town family and friends (even to Australia, Argentina, Rio de Janerio and more) and this will give them the chance to listen and see for themselves why it is so loved !!!!!

          Reply
          • Henry Bubby Kinler

            December 27, 2022 at 11:34 pm

            Very good story. Being a swamp pop, country, rock and roll, and blues musician, I was blessed with spending some time in Mamou back in the 80’s. We would go down to Fred’s on Saturday mornings and listen to the local musicians and whoever would happen by. Been to the Mardi Gras there. The people were the best. Nobody they met was a stranger. I want to go back, hopefully to make the 2023 Swamp Pop Reunion.

            Reply
            • Sharon Fontenot

              January 7, 2023 at 6:52 pm

              Mr. Kinler –
              Tickets are now on sale for Swamp Pop Reunion XVII, which will be held on Monday, February 20, 2023 at the Ville Platte Civic Center.

              Call the Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum at 337-363-0900 (Friday and Saturday – 10 AM to 3PM) or Sharon Fontenot, Museum Curator, at 337-523-7206 for information.

              Reply
        2. Doris Adams

          December 20, 2022 at 6:10 pm

          Thank you Dave for another interesting story – I love Swamp Pop Music & now I have a place to visit for the true History

          Reply
        3. Faron Duhe

          December 20, 2022 at 7:19 pm

          Thanks Dave, beautiful story and history about swamp pop music, how it began and where it’s at today. I grew up listening to swamp pop music, my dad played with the Rythym Six Band in the 50’s and then The Country Swingers that played at the Louisiana Hayride and locally.

          Reply
        4. Stephanie Belgard

          December 20, 2022 at 8:31 pm

          My Dad is Chester Coco Jr. , and told me that Rod Bernard used to practice in my grandma and grandpa’s garage. I believe it was on S. Washington St., in Marksville right next to the Bennett Home.

          Reply
        5. Jimmy Rogers

          December 20, 2022 at 9:48 pm

          Why did you not feel that Van Broussard should be mentioned as a major artist that made a significant contribution to helping create the Swamp Pop sound over the past 45 years along with his record producer and Label owner Jimmy Rogers / Bayou Boogie Records and CSP Records releasing 45’s , Vinyl LP’s cassettes 8 Tracks CD’s etc starting in 1977 until the present Lord I. Need Somebody Bad was a major Swamp Pop hit record in 1977 I could go on and on …..
          I feel very sad and unappreciated for Van and I am glad that he is not here to see how he was completely left out
          Jimmy Rogers
          Bayou Boogie Records
          CSP Records
          CSP Publishing co ( BMI)
          CSP Swings Ink ( ASCAP)
          Please reply with why you felt Van was not mentioned in this documentary

          Reply
        6. Lisa Boughton

          December 21, 2022 at 1:34 am

          I am 57 – I love Ryan foret and the foret tradition and swamp pop music! I grew up in uptown New Orleans my parents always took us to tipatinas and loved to dance to all these songs! My daddy worked at the refinery’s in Chalmette And too often came home tipsy singing these songs – I re discovered this music when I heard Ryan foret singing at the silver slipper casino in Mississippi where I live now and I have been following him ever since- my grandkids sing teen Nana and dance with me they already love it – this is a great video thank you 😊

          Reply
          • Dave McNamara

            December 22, 2022 at 8:56 am

            The intent of this documentary was to tell the story of swamp pop music, its roots, and how it evolved through the dance halls and radio stations of south Louisiana and southeast Texas. That story was told through the personal experiences of the musicians themselves who were interviewed for this program. Van is among many great swamp pop performers who are not mentioned by name in the program (although Van’s sister Grace credits Van for encouraging her to sing in his band). Hopefully by telling this story, there will be a greater appreciation and interest swamp pop and all the musicians who perform and recorded this unique style of rock n roll.

            Reply
        7. Terry Fuelier

          December 21, 2022 at 9:35 am

          Very nice pics and all positive comments: great documentary THANK YOU AND MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

          Reply
        8. Ronnie Bennett

          December 21, 2022 at 3:43 pm

          I was part of this too. Recorded songs I wrote at Floyd’s on The Jin label. My biggest hit was,”in this letter, ” also “traveling mood”, “just you wait and see ‘ and several others. Still performing when ask. It never gets out of your blood.

          Reply
        9. Mark Layne

          December 21, 2022 at 8:59 pm

          Dave:

          On behalf of a lot of Swamp Pop fans, I want to personally thank you for this labor of love. You have done a great job in your limited time in explaining what Swamp Pop is all about. I think this will go a long way in keeping our music going for future generations after we’re all gone. As I mentioned in the clip, I had a conversion over this music. These guys deserve all the recognition we can give them. Out of Cajun, Zydeco and Swamp Pop, Swamp Pop is the only music genre that has had national hits. Thank you Bobby Charles, Cookie and the Cupcakes, Johnnie Allan and the dozens more that played this music and recorded songs that we played on the radio and on the jukebox and danced to this music. Finally, Swamp Pop music is music to dance to..

          Reply
        10. Ken Romero

          December 22, 2022 at 12:19 pm

          Very well done documentary. Growing up with this music I even learned a few facts. Danced to all of these songs. We began calling it “belly rubbing music” because there were few jitterbug songs.

          Reply
        11. Dorothy Purpera

          December 22, 2022 at 3:22 pm

          Sure wish there was a share button

          Reply
          • Dave McNamara

            December 22, 2022 at 11:36 pm

            Great suggestion Dorothy. I’ll see if we can make that happen.

            Reply
        12. Sharon Fontenot

          January 7, 2023 at 6:47 pm

          Dave McNamara did an outstanding job in telling the story of Swamp Pop music, and for that, I am eternally grateful! Because of his efforts in creating this wonderful documentary, Swamp Pop music and the talented young men and women who created it over 65 years ago are finally receiving the recognition they truly deserve! And now this wonderful music will be preserved and hopefully passed on to future generations of Swamp Pop music lovers!

          Thank you, Dave! Working with you was a pleasure!

          Sharon Fontenot, Curator
          Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum
          Located in Ville Platte, Louisiana, “ The Swamp Pop Capital of the World”
          Visit Louisiana Swamp Pop Museum on Facebook
          Museum – 337-363-0900

          Reply
        13. Harold (Hal) Young

          January 8, 2023 at 7:26 am

          Gonzales could have or maybe deserved to be named the Swamp Pop Capitol of the Worrld. I have never lived any where there were more Swamp Pop bands. Micky and SJ Montalbano of Montel records has probably recorded more Swamp Pop music than any one right here in Baton Rouge. Van Broussard was still packing the house up until he died two years ago. I started my swamp Pop career around Eunice where I lived up until 1965. I played with the Electras,the lyrics, and of course the great Boogie Kings

          Reply
        14. ANTOINE E Dardar

          January 9, 2023 at 4:29 pm

          Thanks Dave for an amazing job. I.got to see it

          Reply
        15. BOBBY HODGE

          February 7, 2023 at 11:37 am

          Dianne & I drive from Biloxi, Ms. for this great event and benefit, thanks for the opportunity.

          Reply

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