Musicians - Jambalaya

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"Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" is a song written by Hank Williams, released in 1952, which reached great popularity in two genres: country and popular music.

Originally, the song was composed and performed by Williams as a country song. It reached #1 on the country charts, and remains one of his most popular songs today. His song resembles an originally French worded song about life, parties and typical food of the cajun.

Another, even more popular at the time, version of the song was the 1952 cover version recorded by Jo Stafford, reaching #3 on the Billboard pop charts (and making the song well known to people other than country music fans). It was further popularized in a Rock'n'Roll version by Fats Domino.

The song has a cajun theme, possibly inspired by Williams' time with the Louisiana Hayride. Referenced within the song are such cajun dishes as jambalaya, crawfish pie, and gumbo. Williams sings of "Yvonne" in the song, referring to her as his ma cher amio, which is considered poor French for "my dear" (redundantly Williams uses the word "my" before the French "ma"), and has caused some confusion among listeners, particularly given his pronunciation. The refrain "son of a gun, we'll have big fun on the bayou" has become a well recognized and often repeated phrase.

Williams composed a sequel to the song from the female perspective, "I'm Yvonne (Of the Bayou)", with Jimmy Rule. It was not as popular.

Other artists who have performed the song include The Carpenters, John Fogerty, Brenda Lee, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The Residents, Dolly Parton, and Tommy Funderburk (appearing in the film Steel Magnolias), among many others. International, translated or derived versions do exist at least in Dutch, Italian, Polish, German and Estonian.

Melody: Cajun French called "Grand Texas" Words: Hank Williams Sr.

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Musicians - Jambalaya

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