The Grand Opening of the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville will feature a display of Zydeco-related items.

According to a post by Grammy-winning Zydeco artist Terrance Simien, he credits his wife Cynthia as being the workhorse behind getting Zydeco music recognized at the museum.

She has always fought to get our music recognized in its rightful place on stages across the globe, in the GRAMMY awards and in the landscape of African American music and history. - Terrance Simien, referring to his wife Cynthia Simien, Facebook

According to the post, the $50M facility will have its grand opening on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 18, 2021, and the Zydeco items will be displayed in the main lobby display case. Those items include an accordion that belonged to Quen Ida Guillory, a rubboard that belonged to Reggie Dural, and Terence Simien's own Fulani hat.

It was Terrance and Cynthia who petitioned the Recording Academy (Grammys) to include a category for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album, and Terrance's band (The Zydeco Experience) was the first recipient of that award.

Thank you, Cynthia and Terrance, for bringing local music to the national stage. Keep up the great work, and please continue to be such great stewards for Acadiana!

 

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