On Saturday nights in Southwest Louisiana, a weekly ritual unfolds in the bars and clubs along the "crawfish circuit". Working men and women exchange their work clothes for plumed Stetsons and fancy dresses and converge on rural road houses for an infusion of zydeco - the exuberant dance music of Louisiana's black Creole community.

In eighty portraits of the genre's leading people and places and through extensive interviews and historical commentary, photographer Rick Olivier and journalist/musician Ben Sandmel have created a book as spirited as the rollicking music it so vividly illuminates.

Once an obscure regional tradition, zydeco now enjoys worldwide popularity. In this book, two respected veteran observers draw on more than thirty years of combined professional experience to explore zydeco's rural roots and trace its emergence on the global stage. Through Olivier's innovative use of lighting and Sandmel's skill as an interviewer, zydeco icons such as Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis, and Stanley "Buckwheat" Dural guide readers through their music, its complex cultural context, and the unbounded joy they find in performing.

Praise for Zydeco!

"In their new book Zydeco!, writer Ben Sandmel and photographer Rick Olivier join forces to give a tour of the zydeco world and an introduction to one of Louisiana's great cultural resources. The result is a useful and informative work, with wonderful photographs.  Sandmel brings to his writing the triple perspective of critic, performer and producer. He knows how hard musicians work and for how much ...." -- Susan Larson, The New Orleans Times-Picayune

"Zydeco! takes me right home to Louisiana and East Texas. I'll always remember late nights at the Continental Ballroom listening to Clifton Chenier with my old boyfriend, Clyde Woodward. I wrote the song "Lake Charles" about those days. Zydeco! brings back the feeling of being right there, out on the floor at one of Clifton's dances. Rick Olivier and Ben Sandmel take a deep, insightful look into this wonderful music and the whole incredible scene. Zydeco! hits the note!" -- Lucinda Williams, Grammy-winning singer and songwriter

"A lovely tribute in word and picture to the folk artists who have made ‘zydeco' a synonym for joyous music that lifts all spirits. It is an eloquent toast to Clifton Chenier and all his gifted colleagues." --Studs Terkel, author of An American Century

"Zydeco! is an essential celebration of the history and mysteries of a unique, irresistible American sound. Rick Olivier and Ben Sandmel have gone deep into zydeco country--the wide open prairies and hot, packed dance halls of southwestern Louisiana, the homes of pioneers like Clifton Chenier and Boozoo Chavis--and come back with vivid images and vital stories of the music and the people who keep it alive." -- David Fricke, Rolling Stone

"Zydeco is as much a part of Louisiana as gumbo. It is quite apparent that Rick Olivier and Ben Sandmel have thoroughly studied this element of Louisiana culture. Now they are sharing their musical experience with the world. Enjoy!" -- Allen Toussaint, Producer, songwriter, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer

"If Louisiana is a long way from wherever you happen to call home, and there are no Clifton Chenier records close at hand, well, clearly your lifestyle could use a little upgrading. Until you can manage that, this illuminating book may be as close as you can get to the heart of zydeco--an American musical culture unlike any other. Ben Sandmel is an on-the-scene scholar with soul, and Rick Olivier's evocative photos put you right in the midst of all the clattering rubboards and prancing accordions--and, friend, there are few finer places you could ever want to be." -- Kurt Loder, MTV News

"A stunning volume..." -- Craig Havighurst, the Wall Street Journal

"Sandmel offers a concise and engaging portrait of Louisiana musical history and the roots of zydeco..." -- Craig Havighurst, No Depression

"Sandmel traces zydeco's origin, clearly laying out its Creole heritage and traditions -- when it was still called 'la-la' -- and quickly distinguishes it from Cajun music, its geographical cousin. The tone of the book is set early on, as Sandmel balances history and scholarship with interviews in a fluid, friendly narrative that never bogs down in minutiae." -- Scott Jordan, Gambit Weekly

Sandmel's opening chapter is as good an entry to the world of zydeco as you can find. With finesse and clarity, he outlines the history of the music and introduces major artists, while touching upon the unique qualities of zydeco culture..." Robert Santelli, the Cleveland Plain Dealer