Mona Wilson, DeWayne Simmons, and Joseph Hall
Recorded
December 18, 2023
Archived
December 18, 2023
43:00 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
mby023413
Description
Cousins Mona Wilson (61) and DeWayne Simmons (32) and their friend Joseph "Joe" Hall (52) speak about Creole culture and zydeco music.Subject Log / Time Code
Mona (M), DeWayne (D), and Joe (J) discuss Creole identity.
J says his grandmother was his favorite relative. He recalls special memories with his grandparents.
J details when his grandfather learned he could play the accordion.
J remembers when his grandparents would find him out dancing. He recalls his parents making rooster gumbo.
D says he may be young but he grew up old school because he surrounded himself with older folks.
D details how he and J met. He says he looked up "Black zydeco artists" and they eventually ended up jamming together. J explains the music culture in Louisiana and how he tries to make zydeco music appealing to younger audiences.
M details how she goes about teaching zydeco dancing to others. J shares his process to play accordion.
J and D play their accordions.
J shares how he introduced M and D. M talks about how she and D were able to meet their other family members.
D, M, and J discuss the nuances of skin color complexion in Creole identity.
M shares what she learned about her family's history in researching her last name.
Participants
- Mona Wilson
- DeWayne Simmons
- Joseph Hall