Zydeco Memories and Creole Culture
Zydeco Memories: Past and Present
A Port Arthur photographer and Creole spokeswoman says she danced her way across Texas and Louisiana to create a collection of zydeco memories.
Clifton Chenier, Boozoo Chavis and Beau Jocque are zydeco legends. Rita Colligan Manuel has photographed these and other musicians over the decades. Museum of the Gulf Coast will showcase her collection from October through December of 2024. An opening reception will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5.
Born in Opelousas, Louisiana, Manuel picked up a camera 45 years ago. She says she was witness to extraordinary history and wants to preserve it. She and her husband, Pete Manuel, became popular zydeco radio disc jockeys on stations in Port Arthur and Beaumont.
The Performers
Zydeco means green beans in the French Creole language. It refers to the snap of a fresh bean, like the snappy beats getting dancers on the floor. Singers mingle their voice with fast-paced sounds from washboards, accordions, percussion and keyboards. Musicians featured in the exhibit include: John Delafose, Buckwheat, Clifton Chenier, C. J. Chenier, Boozoo Chavis, Beau Jocque, C.J. Chenier, Willis Prudhomme and Leo Thomas. Zydeco bands often include family members and Manuel’s photos capture today’s well-known performers in their earliest appearances. These include Keith Frank, Geno Delafose, Chubby, Big Nate, Rob Pitre, Lady D, Step Rideau, Brian Jack, Noonie and J-Paul. C.J. Chenier is a Port Arthur native.
Creole Culture
Colligan, Manuel’s maiden name, has Irish roots. Creoles have historically been people of Louisiana’s colonial period, often speaking French and Spanish and often practicing Catholicism. European, African or mixed descent people and those born in colonies or the West Indies can be included.
Both Creole and Cajun people have settled this corner of Texas. These two groups have separate and proud identities. Port Arthur became the Cajun Capital of Texas in 2022. Read about the people who came from Novia Scotia to Louisiana to Port Arthur, here.
‘I’m Really A Country Girl’
While many Creoles lived a city life in New Orleans, Manuel’s family enjoyed a rural lifestyle centered around community and church.
“I grew up on a farm with all the bells and whistles. The cows and the farming. I’m a farmer’s daughter. On the weekend we were exposed to the lifestyles,” Manuel says.
There were eight kids in the Landry Parish family, and only one was a boy. The girls pitched in with chores, fishing and hunting to keep the family thriving.
“I don’t regret any of it. Hard work was not really hard work. You had to live. That was the way to live. Everybody put their best foot forward,” she says.
Tribute to the Musicians
Displaying these images is her move to preserve a culture.
“It was time to dust off those pictures and show them to the public,” Manuel says.
This will also be a thank-you to the musicians.
“They never saw me without my camera. I want to thank the musicians. It’s a tribute to the musicians. We were sort of like a family and we traveled around them whenever possible. We celebrated good times and we don’t want them to be forgotten,” she says.
Crossing the Bridge
When Manuel moved to Port Arthur, she went from country girl to city woman.
“The hardest part was crossing over that bridge,” she says, referring to the famously high Rainbow Bridge connecting Bridge City – near the Louisiana-Texas border – to Port Arthur, where she made her home.
“With that said, we just fell right into the community,” she says.
Her husband, Pete, owned Pete and Harold’s Automotive on Port Arthur’s West Side for years. His brother John is both a musician and folk artist.
Rita retired from St. Mary Hospital where she held many titles over 38 years working with the “watchful eyes of the nuns,” who she says she loved. As a hospital cook, her savory gumbo was famous and earned many wins at the Rotary Taste of Gumbo in Port Arthur.
Rita and her husband came to host zydeco shows on area radio stations. The Pete and Rita Zydeco Show entertained and educated locals. He husband continues the tradition with a podcast.
Keeping History Alive
Music and food. It’s what we are about,” Manuel says, referring to Creole contributions to the area.
“The Creoles that came to Port Arthur added a lot to the culture.”
It’s up to the elders to keep the young informed, she says.
“A lot of kids grew up not knowing they are Creole. You’ve got to know your ancestry,” Manuel says.
Zydeco Memories
The exhibit will continue through Dec. 28. Joyce James Consulting, Pete and Rita’s Zydeco Show and Port Arthur Convention & Visitors Bureau are sponsors. Learn more about Museum of the Gulf Coast’s music hall of fame and the many featured genres, including blues, soul and swamp pop, here.
