See a sample: list of 33 rpm long-play records or try the search page now!

Project director: Jim Hobbs, Online Services Coordinator, Loyola University New Orleans.

Outcome of project: Computer database, with distribution via a web site.

Project description:
Locate and transcribe information from commercially-released Cajun and zydeco music recordings into a computerized database (Microsoft Access). Information will contain album and individual cut titles with musicians. The listing will include all formats: 78s, 45s, 33 1/3 LPs, cassettes, 8-tracks, CDs, etc. Users will be able to search for an album or song title or musician as well as musician with album or song. There are no printed or computerized lists covering all periods of time specific to Cajun or zydeco music with this detail.

I will review related discographies, determine what information to include, design basic structure for data storage (tables in database terminology), design data entry and output forms, locate music collections (preliminary work suggests that these are not in library collections. I anticipate relying heavily on private collectors, new and used record stores and record labels. I will enter data from local sources, travel to other collections in state by car and enter data, travel to collections in other states, and review titles located for completeness against lists from other sources such as record company catalogs.

This project will be of use to several groups. Primarily I see it as a tool for musicologists who wish to study Cajun and zydeco music. A database will allow a researcher to locate recordings by musician, by song title or album title. Searching will permit queries such as "Has Michael Doucet recorded Valse de Kaplan?" and "How many versions of Quelle Etoile are there?" It will also be of use to linguists studying the Cajun French language as most titles are in Cajun French and represent many thousands of common words. Musicians may also use it to locate recordings of songs in order to learn them. Fans of Cajun and zydeco music will also use it to locate favorite performers and songs.

Statistics: Recordings-2086; musicians-2,116; cuts/tracks-10,592; musicians on cuts/tracks-49,590; record companies-268. (August 29, 2006).

Institutional support: This project is supported by generous grants from the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation and from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For further information, contact: Jim Hobbs, Online Services Coordinator, Loyola University New Orleans, University Library, 6363 St. Charles Avenue, Box 198, New Orleans, LA 70118-6195, voice phone 504-864-7126, fax phone 504-864-7142, email address hobbs@loyno.edu, further information about project director.

Want to help? You can take down and send information on recordings using this transcription form.

Many thanks to Dr. Mark DeWitt for his invaluable help with this project.

This page last updated August 29, 2006.
Address of this page: http://www.loyno.edu/~hobbs/discography.html
Back to main page

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.