Ok, I know about KLRZ and KLEB down in the swamps. I know that there are a couple other stations in south LA carrying a Cajun format. What's the history of this format in the area? Were there any early stations that catered to it? Did stations mix it in with block programming? Have there been any non-commercial stations successfully taking it on? Is the Cajun/Swamp Pop/Louisiana format something that was big back in the day, died out, and is now making a little comeback... or is it all a relatively new addition to the radio dial?
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Cajun/Swamp Pop radio history anyone?
- Thread starter Poledo
- Start date
In the 1970s when WCKW serviced primarily St John/St Charles/St James parishes as River Parish Radio, swamp pop was often mixed in to the late afternoon/evening country format, along with listener requests and dedications. I don't recall playing any cajun music. We labeled the box with the swamp pop records as "Louisiana Rock-a-billy".
South west Louisiana and South east Louisiana are two seperate animals when it comes to the radio on this
, and not too sure on the Southwest Louisiana part.
Basically Swamp pop has been a format that was either played in addition to the current playlist of country music (such as what was done on KQKI- Bayou Vista) or has had it's own Saturday/Sunday morning show for about 20 years as much as I can remember (KCIL-Houma and WYPY-Baton Rouge)
Some of the swamp pop songs were heard on top 40 stations in the 1950s and 1960s, so some of those songs were added to oldies stations such as Kool 95.7.
But as far as I know the run down if I remember is this:
Truck owned KLRZ and didn't want to air another country format, so he ran the top 40 and classic rock with not much success, while looking for something interesting, he came across Ruth Ann Marx station in Mamou that played everything. Knowing the people who listened to the early morning shows on the country stations he developed the format pretty much from KBON's original idea. (there was a local Daily Comet/Courier story about this about 5 years ago.. But I lost my copy of the story)
It became more successful than the other formats and he bought KLEB when it came up for sale from the Callais family who I've heard aired Cajun and country also as well as KANE in New Iberia (Truck also owns a business radio repair business hince his first IDs as coming from the EUI telecommunications Empire... Electronics Unlimited) . KMRC went through a few owners in Morgan City before being bought by a company called Spotlight. The classic rock format that aired didn't do nothing at all, so they stole Truck's idea and aired swamp pop. they are the same people who own KAGY down in Buras, and I can't remember which one came first but one followed the other within the year.
, and not too sure on the Southwest Louisiana part.
Basically Swamp pop has been a format that was either played in addition to the current playlist of country music (such as what was done on KQKI- Bayou Vista) or has had it's own Saturday/Sunday morning show for about 20 years as much as I can remember (KCIL-Houma and WYPY-Baton Rouge)
Some of the swamp pop songs were heard on top 40 stations in the 1950s and 1960s, so some of those songs were added to oldies stations such as Kool 95.7.
But as far as I know the run down if I remember is this:
Truck owned KLRZ and didn't want to air another country format, so he ran the top 40 and classic rock with not much success, while looking for something interesting, he came across Ruth Ann Marx station in Mamou that played everything. Knowing the people who listened to the early morning shows on the country stations he developed the format pretty much from KBON's original idea. (there was a local Daily Comet/Courier story about this about 5 years ago.. But I lost my copy of the story)
It became more successful than the other formats and he bought KLEB when it came up for sale from the Callais family who I've heard aired Cajun and country also as well as KANE in New Iberia (Truck also owns a business radio repair business hince his first IDs as coming from the EUI telecommunications Empire... Electronics Unlimited) . KMRC went through a few owners in Morgan City before being bought by a company called Spotlight. The classic rock format that aired didn't do nothing at all, so they stole Truck's idea and aired swamp pop. they are the same people who own KAGY down in Buras, and I can't remember which one came first but one followed the other within the year.
how can you steal an idea when there are other stations playing swamp pop? if I recall, back when that station kmrc switched over there was the following station(s) playing it:
KQKI in Bayou Vista (mixed in with Country)
KCIL -- Bobby Richard, weekend mornings
WTGE (100.7 Baton Rouge) weekend mornings
so....did Truck steal it for KLRZ from those other ones?
who did it first?
what about Marty in Mamou on KBON
......hmmmmm. inquiring pigvomit's want to know....
KQKI in Bayou Vista (mixed in with Country)
KCIL -- Bobby Richard, weekend mornings
WTGE (100.7 Baton Rouge) weekend mornings
so....did Truck steal it for KLRZ from those other ones?
who did it first?
what about Marty in Mamou on KBON
......hmmmmm. inquiring pigvomit's want to know....
PigVomit, I was talking about to program your station totally with the format compared to a few shows you mentioned which are 4 - 5 hour shows one or twice a week, he programmed it 22 hours a day (The talk show "talk of the bayou" goes from 10-12 weekdays) As I take the original questioner was inquiring about it as a full time format and not a show or a Hybrid such as KQKI (95.3 Bayou Vista).
KBON (101.1 Mamou) was the first I know of who ran any kind of Cajun heritage music as a commercial station (It mixes many genres such as country music, Blues,Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp pop over the air with the main fix being more Cajun prairie originated Cajun music and Zydeco). Gisclair copied the basic Louisiana all the time format idea but narrowed the focus making a full format of Swamp pop only (meaning if it failed, it was more than say just 4 hours he was loosing money on) instead of just a show or part of other music aired like the others mentioned (He has since added some Louisiana country artists and some Zydeco, but his FM transmitter was mainly Swamp Pop when he started)
Oh and sorry, KMRC 1430Am Morgan City flipped mid decade, roughly 2003 if I remember, more than 4+ years since Gisclair started the format on his station. It is said Swamp pop is more popular along the bayou than some of the other forms of Cajun music
And Bobby Richard was doing his show on KQKI if I remember when KLRZ (100.3 Larose) flipped. He left there and broadcasted from KCIL (107.5 Houma) according to his website in December 2000.
Also anyone remember a Cajun program on WYNK (101.5 Baton Rouge) ? I believe there was one that was canned when Clear Channel took over.
KBON (101.1 Mamou) was the first I know of who ran any kind of Cajun heritage music as a commercial station (It mixes many genres such as country music, Blues,Cajun, Zydeco, and Swamp pop over the air with the main fix being more Cajun prairie originated Cajun music and Zydeco). Gisclair copied the basic Louisiana all the time format idea but narrowed the focus making a full format of Swamp pop only (meaning if it failed, it was more than say just 4 hours he was loosing money on) instead of just a show or part of other music aired like the others mentioned (He has since added some Louisiana country artists and some Zydeco, but his FM transmitter was mainly Swamp Pop when he started)
Oh and sorry, KMRC 1430Am Morgan City flipped mid decade, roughly 2003 if I remember, more than 4+ years since Gisclair started the format on his station. It is said Swamp pop is more popular along the bayou than some of the other forms of Cajun music
And Bobby Richard was doing his show on KQKI if I remember when KLRZ (100.3 Larose) flipped. He left there and broadcasted from KCIL (107.5 Houma) according to his website in December 2000.
Also anyone remember a Cajun program on WYNK (101.5 Baton Rouge) ? I believe there was one that was canned when Clear Channel took over.
RF, you talking about our buddy Roland Doucet? He's been on BR radio with Cajun and Swamp Pop since dirt was new. I first met him during our tour of duty at Kajun 103.
While looking up Roland I ran across an interesting book from 1996: "Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Blues" by Shane Bernard. Looks interesting, even just for a different take on South Louisiana history. I just bought a copy and will let y'all know of any fun radio tidbits I find.
While looking up Roland I ran across an interesting book from 1996: "Swamp Pop: Cajun and Creole Rhythm and Blues" by Shane Bernard. Looks interesting, even just for a different take on South Louisiana history. I just bought a copy and will let y'all know of any fun radio tidbits I find.
Just to touch on a point that RFLA stated:RFLA said:South west Louisiana and South east Louisiana are two seperate animals when it comes to the radio on this
, and not too sure on the Southwest Louisiana part.
Basically Swamp pop has been a format that was either played in addition to the current playlist of country music (such as what was done on KQKI- Bayou Vista) or has had it's own Saturday/Sunday morning show for about 20 years as much as I can remember (KCIL-Houma and WYPY-Baton Rouge)
Some of the swamp pop songs were heard on top 40 stations in the 1950s and 1960s, so some of those songs were added to oldies stations such as Kool 95.7.
But as far as I know the run down if I remember is this:
Truck owned KLRZ and didn't want to air another country format, so he ran the top 40 and classic rock with not much success, while looking for something interesting, he came across Ruth Ann Marx station in Mamou that played everything. Knowing the people who listened to the early morning shows on the country stations he developed the format pretty much from KBON's original idea. (there was a local Daily Comet/Courier story about this about 5 years ago.. But I lost my copy of the story)
It became more successful than the other formats and he bought KLEB when it came up for sale from the Callais family who I've heard aired Cajun and country also as well as KANE in New Iberia (Truck also owns a business radio repair business hince his first IDs as coming from the EUI telecommunications Empire... Electronics Unlimited) . KMRC went through a few owners in Morgan City before being bought by a company called Spotlight. The classic rock format that aired didn't do nothing at all, so they stole Truck's idea and aired swamp pop. they are the same people who own KAGY down in Buras, and I can't remember which one came first but one followed the other within the year.
KLEB had been doing an cajun/cajun french/zydeco show when it was a daytimer from Signon till 8 am and had done so since its early days as KLFT according to Radex/Whites broadcasting logs.
KMRC had the format before spotlight bought KAGY (COL Port Sulphur) from the Baptise church in Buras and returned 1510 back to the air after a two year slient peroid simulcasting with KMRC for about half a year before going solo.
So I'm gathering that way back when more and more radio stations started to pop up and mature past block programing to lock on individual formats, like Top-40, Country, Easy Listening, R&B, etc..., Cajun music wasn't one of those formats. It was available around Louisiana as specialty shows on stations that still did block programming and some songs were mixed in during regular programming on other stations.
That's not the answer I was expecting. I really though that Cajun/Zydeco/Swamp-Pop/French Creole Rockabilly/Louisiana music was big enough in the state that most markets would have had coverage by at least one AM daytimer (or a bigger signal) by the 1960's and that it would have been the number 1 format in some areas.
Was there a lack of recordings of Cajun music available or was it just not as popular as I thought it was.
What about Bourbon Street Jazz and Blues, how was that music handled by New Orleans area radio stations in the past? Did any station ever "take off" with a French Quarter party format?
That's not the answer I was expecting. I really though that Cajun/Zydeco/Swamp-Pop/French Creole Rockabilly/Louisiana music was big enough in the state that most markets would have had coverage by at least one AM daytimer (or a bigger signal) by the 1960's and that it would have been the number 1 format in some areas.
Was there a lack of recordings of Cajun music available or was it just not as popular as I thought it was.
What about Bourbon Street Jazz and Blues, how was that music handled by New Orleans area radio stations in the past? Did any station ever "take off" with a French Quarter party format?
Problem is many of the posters from Southwest Louisiana haven't chimed in, so they may have had a market for that over there compared to Southeast Louisiana where most of the posters on this board are located.
Also remember that for years, the native population was forced to assemulate into the mainstream society and most of the swamp pop and such was left for the night clubs and such. I have found only in the past 20 years or so has the culture been more introduced to the general populance.
And to answer your second question, only one who has done anything I would say personally is WWOZ. Remember most of New Orleans more popular music made it to top 40 radio (Such as New Orleans funk)
Also remember that for years, the native population was forced to assemulate into the mainstream society and most of the swamp pop and such was left for the night clubs and such. I have found only in the past 20 years or so has the culture been more introduced to the general populance.
And to answer your second question, only one who has done anything I would say personally is WWOZ. Remember most of New Orleans more popular music made it to top 40 radio (Such as New Orleans funk)
Heres what I know of from the Lafayette area:
105.1 first as Oldies KROF now as News/Talk KPEL has had cajun music with some swamp pop on Sunday mornings as long as I can remember since a kid.
88.7 KRVS has blocks of Cajun and Zydeco programming on the weekends, and has for many many years.
105.5 KEUN has blocks of programming with cajun and swamp pop on the weekend, also a mainstay for many years.
960 the Gator mixes oldies, classic country, swamp pop, and cajun as best I can tell.
105.1 first as Oldies KROF now as News/Talk KPEL has had cajun music with some swamp pop on Sunday mornings as long as I can remember since a kid.
88.7 KRVS has blocks of Cajun and Zydeco programming on the weekends, and has for many many years.
105.5 KEUN has blocks of programming with cajun and swamp pop on the weekend, also a mainstay for many years.
960 the Gator mixes oldies, classic country, swamp pop, and cajun as best I can tell.
J
jmkcool
Guest
WYNK BR had a Cajun hybrid/Swamp Pop etc in the mid 80s hosted by Ray Belcher......He resigned in the early 90s after refusing to team up with T-Mick Abed who was hired from KAJUN 103. Sometime later KAJUN 103 brought in Roland Doucet to do the SwampPop he'd been doing on WIBR..........Roland later went to 100.7 where I believe he resides today.........T-Mick Abed did a pure cajun music show until Clear Channel swept him out the door......He now earlier this decade is retired and living in North Caroilina surviving cancer.
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