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Doxa
Wow! Cool-sounding stuff! Both Mick and Keith on fire - there is that roots feel in their hearts and bones like they had proved lately with BLUE & LONESOME and "Rolling Stone Blues". They are paying homage to the masters but sound original. This adds to the scale. But the way they recorded it resembles more that of "Watching The River Flow" - each of them doing their bit independently. But it works! Besides, we haven't heard accordion since "Back Street Girl", right?

Life is beautiful - hearing new Stones material. And there is more to come.

- Doxa

Sweethearts Together

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drewmaster

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DandelionPowderman
Stunningly good! Wow

It sure is!! (And thank God that Andrew Watt didn't get his mitts on this one).

Drew

AMEN

So damned good!!!!
I hope the album to come would sound like this!!!!!

The complete album - 'A Tribute to The King of Zydeco' - [www.YouTube.com] :


01 - Zydeco Sont Pas Salés - The Rolling Stones




02 - Easy Easy Baby - Charley Crockett




03 - Hey 'Tite Fille - Taj Mahal




04 - Release Me - Lucinda Williams




05 - Just Like a Woman - Steve Earle




06 - I'm on the Wonder - Jon Cleary




07 - Why Did You Go Last Night - Kam Franklin




08 - Hot Rod - David Hidalgo




09 - Tout Le Temps En Temps - Shannon McNally




10 - My Soul - Jimmie Vaughan




11 - You Used to Call Me - John Hiatt




12 - Ay Ai Ai - Ruben Ramos




13 - I May Be Wrong - Marcia Ball




14 - I'm Coming Home - C.J. Chenier






Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2025-07-01 19:35 by Irix.

Yeah, z! Totally forgot that one.

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-06-26 15:42 by Doxa.

The Stones (together with the other Zydeco musicians on the track) just burn this mother to the ground. Jagger at 81 sounds like 31... the guitars chime and churn... I mean... is this FOR REAL!? It is insane... these dudes are OCTOGENARIANS and are still upright and rocking and swinging savagely when most of their generation is dust in the wind or rotting bones on the ground. This is insane... what a Godsend...

Article is behind a paywall…hopefully this link works.

Nola.com:

How and why the Rolling Stones did 'Zydeco Sont Pas Salés' on new Clifton Chenier tribute

[www.archivebuttons.com]

How and why the Rolling Stones did 'Zydeco Sont Pas Salés' on new Clifton Chenier tribute

Lafayette guitarist C.C. Adcock pitched the idea, then produced the recording

BY KEITH SPERA | June 26, 2025


Lafayette guitarist and record producer C.C. Adcock, saxophonist and artist Dickie Landry and
Mick Jagger at Antoine's Restaurant in New Orleans, May 3, 2024.


The Rolling Stones don’t contribute to tribute albums.

They don’t release recordings billed as “The Rolling Stones featuring….” some other artist.

And Mick Jagger doesn’t sing in Creole French.

But they did for Clifton Chenier.

The Rolling Stones recorded “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” for “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco,” which commemorates the 100th anniversary of Chenier’s birth.

On the new album, “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” is credited to “The Rolling Stones featuring Steve Riley,” an acknowledgement of the southwest Louisiana accordionist’s extensive contribution to the track.

Jagger sings in “perfect midcentury Creole French, not Parisian French,” notes C.C. Adcock, the Lafayette guitarist who produced the Stones’ first zydeco recording. “He does his homework.”

The Stones’ take on “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” opens “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco,” which the Eunice-based Valcour Records released Friday as both a CD and a vinyl LP.

The song is also available as a standalone 7-inch vinyl single issued jointly by Valcour, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings and Arhoolie Records. The single's flip side features Chenier’s 1965 recording of “Zydeco et Pas Salés.”

That this unique Rolling Stones recording exists is testament to Jagger and company’s decades-long fascination with American roots music in general and Chenier in particular — and to Adcock’s proximity to British rock royalty.

Stones' zydeco connection

Charles “C.C.” Adcock released his self-titled debut on Island Records in 1994. He’s toured and/or recorded with Buckwheat Zydeco and other zydeco bands, with his own Lafayette Marquis and with the southwest Louisiana all-star ensemble Lil' Band O’ Gold.

He’s composed music for films and TV and produced albums, including 85-year-old swamp pop legend Tommy McLain’s acclaimed 2022 release “I Ran Down Every Dream.”

He’s also a conduit for British rockers looking to work and have fun in south Louisiana.

Lil' Band O’ Gold backed Robert Plant on “It Keeps Rainin’,” from the 2007 album “Goin’ Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino.” Years later, Lil' Band O’ Gold toured with Plant’s Sensational Space Shifters.

Adcock’s infamous all-nighter with Florence Welch during the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival inspired the song “Morning Elvis” from Florence + the Machine’s 2022 album “Dance Fever.”
n the 1990s, he befriended several Rolling Stones progeny, then became acquainted with their famous dads.

When Valcour Records founder Joel Savoy asked Adcock who he could possibly recruit for a Clifton Chenier centennial tribute, Adcock didn’t hesitate: how about the Rolling Stones?

The Stones have long admired Chenier, who died in 1987 at age 62. Jagger has said he first picked up a Chenier recording in New York in the late 1960s. That Chenier's music drew heavily from the blues was likely part of the attraction.

In 1978, south Louisiana saxophonist and visual artist Richard "Dickie" Landry — later a member of Lil' Band O’ Gold — took Jagger to a Chenier concert at a Los Angeles high school gymnasium. For years, Landry told the story of how Chenier thought Jagger was from Rolling Stone magazine.

When the Stones headlined the Superdome in 1994, Jagger and drummer Charlie Watts spent an off night at Rock ‘n’ Bowl watching Beau Jocque & the Zydeco Hi-Rollers.

During the Stones’ 2024 New Orleans Jazz Fest performance, zydeco accordionist Dwayne Dopsie sat in on “Let It Bleed.”

To Adcock’s ears, Watts’ drumming on the 1966 Rolling Stones single “19th Nervous Breakdown” has a zydeco flavor.

The zydeco connection even extends to Jagger’s younger brother Chris, who titled his 1995 album “Rock the Zydeco.”

Given all that, Adcock thought the Stones “just might bite” on an invitation to contribute to a Chenier tribute. He first broached the subject with Richards’ son Marlon.

“I’d never asked him to triangulate anything, not even (concert) tickets,” Adcock said. “I thought, ‘I can’t believe I’m going to use the Bat-phone.’

“Therein begins the very interesting tutorial on how the Stones work. That was almost as fascinating as getting in the studio and making music with my heroes.”

Antoine's lunch with Jagger

On May 3, 2024, the day after the Stones performed at Jazz Fest, Adcock hosted a lunch at Antoine’s Restaurant in the French Quarter. Jagger attended, as did Dickie Landry.

Before Landry arrived, Adcock asked Jagger about going to see Chenier in L.A. in 1978. “Mick goes, ‘I remember Clifton thought I was from Rolling Stone magazine.’ He corroborated (Landry’s) punchline.”

After lunch, Adcock popped the question: Would Jagger want to sing on a Chenier tribute album?

He would.

Weeks later, Jagger requested a list of songs chosen by the album’s other participants. He was surprised no one had claimed “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés,” the song that essentially gave the genre its name.

Jagger asked Adcock to make a demo recording of “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” with some “Lafayette boys.” Adcock assembled a band that night with Steve Riley and Lil' Band O’ Gold bassist Dave Ranson, rubboard player Curley Taylor, and longtime Chenier drummer Robert St. Julien.

By the next morning, Jagger had their “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” demo in his inbox. He liked it so much that it would be used on the final album.

Jagger laid down his harmonica parts and vocals in Paris. Adcock checked in via Zoom – not that Jagger needed much coaching.

“He takes a job very seriously," Adcock said. "His work ethic and attention to detail ... impeccable.”


C.C. Adcock and Keith Richards at the Hiy Factory in New York, December 13, 2024

Richards' full moon fever

Having Jagger on “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” was a coup in and of itself. But it wouldn’t be the Rolling Stones without Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood.

Adcock was told to meet Richards at The Hit Factory recording studio in New York on Friday, Dec. 13, a full moon. Adcock had gumbo and jambalaya delivered from a Soho restaurant that was “legit,” even though the bread pudding was “a bit off.”

Traditionally, guitar isn’t prominently featured in a zydeco band; Chenier usually performed “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” with only accordion, rubboard and drums. So Adcock wasn’t sure exactly what Richards would contribute.

At the Hit Factory, the star pulled out his iconic butterscotch Telecaster, the same guitar he deployed on “Brown Sugar” and “Start Me Up.”

“The track starts and he does every damn thing you can do to get fired from a zydeco band,” Adcock recalled. “He started before the accordion, (played) louder than everybody else, just cutting it all up.

“The kid in me that had always wanted to try that experiment and never had the guts was like, ‘Yes!’ It immediately sounded like rock ‘n’ roll, just killer. His instincts were, of course, dead-on.”

The end result “still sounds like a great south Louisiana dance track, but it sounds like the Stones. Keith is the first thing you hear.”

A 'mom and pop' organization

Ronnie Wood would later record his guitar parts in London. With the deadline looming, Adcock added backing vocals from Zachary Richard, the “Mick Jagger of southwest Louisiana,” and Ivan Neville.

Jagger and company recorded a second Chenier song, “One Step At a Time,” that is not on “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco.” Adcock isn’t sure when it might be released.

Meanwhile, he’s thrilled that “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” came out so well. Despite layers of managers, agents, attorneys and publicists, Rolling Stones Inc. is ultimately “a mom and pop organization,” Adcock said. “Keith and Mick are Mom and Pop.

“There’s a lot of handlers, but I’m here to tell you that it was music first and business later. They were just really into Clifton and really into the music and so good-willed and so gracious and no B.S."

When contracts were drawn up, “they expressed to their team that they didn’t want any special treatment. They just wanted the same deal as everybody else on the record. They were super cool and really respectful.”

With “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés,” Jagger, Richards and Wood showed how “the Stones can assimilate into any style, especially American styles. They put it through their own road-tested prism.

“It’s not pastiche. They’re not trying to make an exact zydeco record. When those guys get together, they’re there to make a Stones record.”

Sometimes even one by way of south Louisiana.

[www.nola.com]

a really nice read, thanks

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Turd On The Run
The Stones (together with the other Zydeco musicians on the track) just burn this mother to the ground. Jagger at 81 sounds like 31... the guitars chime and churn... I mean... is this FOR REAL!? It is insane... these dudes are OCTOGENARIANS and are still upright and rocking and swinging savagely when most of their generation is dust in the wind or rotting bones on the ground. This is insane... what a Godsend...

This.

And once again, the Stones inspired me to check out the original, which also is damn good!



Drew

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maumau
a really nice read, thanks

+1

Producer of The Rolling Stones’ New Clifton Chenier Cover Says It’s the “Coolest Thing I’ve Ever … Been Involved With” (Exclusive)

By Matt Friedlander
June 26, 2025

The Rolling Stones have just released their first new recording since the arrival of their 2023 album Hackney Diamonds. Core Stones members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Ronnie Wood contributed to a cover of “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés,” a traditional song famously adapted by late zydeco legend Clifton Chenier that gave the Louisiana music genre its name.

he track was released as a digital single on June 25 in honor of what would’ve been Chenier’s 100th birthday. It also will be featured on the star-studded album A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, which pays homage to Chenier and will be released on June 27.

The track was produced by C.C. Adcock, a veteran New Orleans-based producer and guitarist who during his long career has worked with Robert Plant, Elvis Costello, Florence and the Machine, and many others.

In a recent interview with American Songwriter, Adcock explained that he was brought into the Chenier tribute project by the album’s main co-producers, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and Joel Savoy.

“[Steve and Joel] knew I had a past recording, producing some local tracks with local musicians with Robert Plant, … Florence and the Machine, and Elvis Costello,” Adcock noted. “So, I kind of had a reputation for having a little bit of a Rolodex, and having made some of those connections between what goes on around here in Louisiana and all of our heroes who were also influenced by that music.”

Adcock said that when Berlin and Savoy asked him if he had any ideas about who else could contribute to the album, “my mind immediately went to, ‘Oh my God, The Stones have to do a Clifton track.’”

On Asking The Rolling Stones to Participate in the Tribute Album

Adcock, who is a huge Rolling Stones fan, told American Songwriter that he was aware of Jagger and Richards both being zydeco fans, which meant he could imagine them being open to taking part in the tribute album.

C.C. noted that he was friends with Richards’ son Marlon, and knew how to contact “Camp Keith,” so he went ahead and put in a request.

“I just sensed that it was something kinky enough that they’d be into,” Adcock maintained. “I’m here to say that there was just nothing but goodwill on the part of The Stones. And … in some ways it was easier, again because of Clifton, because the music, and because the connections. … And it was all music first, business second, when it came to those guys. There was no legion of attorneys that descended upon me and managers. It was just real organic and musical.”

About Mick Jagger Choosing the Clifton Chenier Cover

Adcock told American Songwriter that when it came time for The Stones to record their contribution to the album, the project “was pretty much done.”

According to C.C., Jagger was “absolutely switched on about Clifton and his repertoire,” and he wanted to hear the other tracks that had already been recorded for the album before picking a tune for The Rolling Stones.

“He said to us, ‘Send over everything,’ and he came back with, ‘Hey, let’s do “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés,”’ Adcock recalled. “He’s like, ‘Isn’t that the one that the whole genre is named after? … I mean, if The Stones are gonna do one, shouldn’t we do the f—ing one, man?’ And [I was like], ‘That’s why you’re Mick Jagger, sir.’”

The Recording of the Track with Richards

Adcock then proceeded to assemble a band of local New Orleans musicians to record the main track. They included acclaimed accordion player Steve Riley, bassist Dave Ranson, and drummer Robert St. Julien, who played in Chenier’s band.

Richards wanted to record his guitar part on a Friday the 13th when a full moon was out. The session was done at The Hit Factory in New York City.

C.C. explained that there’s a certain etiquette to recording with a zydeco band that Keith completely ignored.

“Keith came in and did everything you can do to immediately get fired or get the stink eye from a zydeco band leader,” Adcock noted. “Like he didn’t even wait for the accordion to start. He just jumped in and established his dominance. And you know, when you hear the track, it’s kind of like ‘Honky Tonk Women’ on speed or something. And it was just so cool as a guitar player to watch your hero break every rule and pretty much immediately establish the new way going forward of playing that song.”

Adcock then expressed his admiration of Richards because of his bold disregard for the genre’s conventions.

“I think it’s really important to note that this exercise isn’t so much about, ‘Oh, look at The Stones paying homage to Clifton and showing that they know how to play the zydeco,’” he offered. “It’s them showing all of us in Louisiana the way forward with how to play this music, ’cause it’s just boogie music, it’s just rock ‘n’ roll. And I think it’s a fantastic moment for our culture and for that music to revitalize it.”

Adcock said that after his session with Richards, he felt like he’d “had about the most perfect day you can have in rock ‘n’ roll.”

Wood’s Contribution to the Track

Wood recorded his guitar part separately from Richards, after Keith had laid his down.

“Ronnie … did exactly what he’s … so brilliant [at doing],” Adcock noted. “He’s the world’s most extraordinary session guitarist. … And so, he came in … and … he weaved with Keith.”

He added, “Ronnie really plays really cool rhythm on it, way up high on the neck. And then … [at] the very end of the track, Ronnie teases with this cool little blues lick … just to kind of go, like, ‘Hey, dudes, I’m here.’”

Jagger’s Contributions to the Song

Jagger recorded his vocals at a studio in Paris. Mick sang “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” in the French Creole dialect.

Jagger also contributed a harmonica part to the track.

Adcock said that Jagger is a “excellent” harmonica player, noting that when he came in with his harp part, “it’s just that great Mick, ‘Banty Rooster’ … British blues harmonica. It’s just so tough.”

A couple of other veteran Louisiana artists, Ivan Neville and Zachary Richard, contributed backing vocals to the song.

The Rolling Stones’ Statement About the Tribute Album

In conjunction with the release of the “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” cover, The Rolling Stones issued a joint statement about their participation in the Chenier tribute.

“The Stones are truly honored to be on this tribute album amongst a stellar cast of artists and musicians,” the band wrote. “Clifton Chenier was one of the most influential musicians to come out of Louisiana. He turned so many people onto the wonderful free spirited dance music of Zydeco, including ourselves back in the day. Although the development of any music style can seldom be attributed to one artist, there is not a zydeco band who has not followed the template Chenier created.”

Coinciding with A Tribute to the King of Zydeco’s release this Friday, June 27, a limited-edition 7-inch vinyl single featuring The Stones’ cover of “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” and a 1956 version of the song by Chenier also will be released.

Proceeds from sales of the single and album will support the Clifton Chenier Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

More About the A Tribute to the King of Zydeco Album

A Tribute to the King of Zydeco is a 14-track collection featuring new cover versions of a selection of tunes Chenier recorded during his career. Other well-known musicians who appear on the record include Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Taj Mahal, Jimmie Vaughan, Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo, John Hiatt, Marcia Ball, Molly Tuttle, and Chenier’s son C.J.

As mentioned before, most tracks on A Tribute to the King of Zydeco were co-produced by Berlin and Savoy. Adcock produced two tracks—the “Zydeco Sont Pas Salés” cover and a rendition of the classic ballad “Release Me,” featuring vocals by Williams and veteran Louisiana swamp-pop singer/musician Tommy McLain.

Adcock told American Songwriter that the track with The Rolling Stones was “just the godd— coolest thing I’ve ever f—in’ been involved with.” He added, “I’m here to tell you, and tell the world, the record—not just the couple of ones that I was involved in, but the whole thing—it’s just a great record and there’s not a dud on it.”

[americansongwriter.com]

The cheapest I've seen for both the 7" and the album is amazingly Amazon--I'd ordered them from Rough Trade but then cancelled. i should have the album Saturday, can't wait!

Richards wanted to record his guitar part on a Friday the 13th when a full moon was out.


HhheeeHHHHaaaa .... GO Keith



ROCKMAN

It's a great track, I love it. Full of fire. As to Jagger's vocals, it sure sounds like him. Singing in French? Or Creole? It's his voice alright. God only knows what words he's slurring, in any language.

[open.spotify.com]

The surest way for the Stones to start a brawl on this forum has always been to release new music. We all love it or hate it so bloody passionately that we push & shove to be heard. And when it becomes apparent there is no hope for consensus or concession, we opt to beat each other senseless.

Happily, however, that has not been the case this time. This delightfully obscure, rollicking ditty about unsalted beans has united us like nothing on Hackneyed Diamonds ever could. It’s the miracle that true & discerning Stones fans - who never wavered from speaking the unpleasant truth about the once mighty fine music – have for so long waited. Hallelujah!

Here I am, waiting for my beating. And you post THIS?

Haha, I'm happy a lot of people like the song. I think it's great too for a change. Yahoo!

Bon Temps Stones!

My copy arrived today. I've been putting off listening to the whole album till I could listen on vinyl, as God intended.

A fundamentalist?

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Aquamarine
My copy arrived today. I've been putting off listening to the whole album till I could listen on vinyl, as God intended.

Huracán told me to get the CD.

Considering the last 10 years or so in SE LA, I will ignore God, as usual, and listen to Huracán... and listen to The Rolling Stones, Sonny Landreth, Taj Mahal and the best of the entire album: Shannon McNally.

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GasLightStreet

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Aquamarine
My copy arrived today. I've been putting off listening to the whole album till I could listen on vinyl, as God intended.

Huracán told me to get the CD.

Considering the last 10 years or so in SE LA, I will ignore God, as usual, and listen to Huracán... and listen to The Rolling Stones, Sonny Landreth, Taj Mahal and the best of the entire album: Shannon McNally.

Either way, it's a cracker! (Totally agree about Shannon, btw.)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-06-29 11:02 by Aquamarine.

Another interesting article on the making of the song (if you can get behind the paywall):

[www.nola.com]

N

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NeddieFlanders

Another interesting article on the making of the song

This article was posted above - [iorr.org] .

Next best track is Release Me by Lucinda Williams. Smoky and dark. Snaky piano lines.

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Aquamarine

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GasLightStreet

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Aquamarine
My copy arrived today. I've been putting off listening to the whole album till I could listen on vinyl, as God intended.

Huracán told me to get the CD.

Considering the last 10 years or so in SE LA, I will ignore God, as usual, and listen to Huracán... and listen to The Rolling Stones, Sonny Landreth, Taj Mahal and the best of the entire album: Shannon McNally.

Either way, it's a cracker! (Totally agree about Shannon, btw.)

Shannon is the bomb for the last 20 years and more and only getting better. It's a shame how she's been overlooked.

She is supreme.

A very good album. Tribute albums with lots of different artists often lack consistency, but this one is really good, imo.

And the original versions are awesome

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Irix

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NeddieFlanders

Another interesting article on the making of the song

This article was posted above - [iorr.org] .

Oops sorry, may bad!

Most interesting info in it (to me):

Jagger and company recorded a second Chenier song, “One Step At a Time,” that is not on “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco.” Adcock isn’t sure when it might be released.

N