Snap Bean Reviewed in Midwest Book Review Bookwatch!

My upcoming children’s album “My Little Snap Bean, Zydeco for Children” with Nathan Williams & The Zydeco Cha Chas received a rave review in Midwest Book Review’s Bookwatch, as follows:

Multi award-winning New Orleans children's musician Johnette Downing and Grammy nominees Nathan Williams & The Zydeco Cha Chas present My Little Snap Bean: Zydeco for Children, an upbeat album that introduces the zydeco music genre to young listeners. Zydeco was originally created in rural Southwest Louisiana by French-speaking African-Americans of Creole heritage; the zydeco genre is known for its blend of rhythm & blues with types of Creole music such as la la and jure. Zydeco is especially known for its use of the accordion and the rubberboard (as a percussion instrument). My Little Snap Bean: Zydeco for Children features twelve lively songs; three are adaptations of Johnette Downing's "singable books"; others include adaptations of traditional Creole motifs and children's songs. Several songs feature lyrics in Cajun French and Southwest Louisiana Creole, in this delightful cultural celebration. Highly recommended! The tracks are My Parrain is the Loup Garou; Going to the La La; Jure; My Aunt Came Back from Louisiane; The Fifolet; Hitch Up My Pony; Ready or Not; Pass It On; Eh La Bas; Loop de Loop; Give Me That Zydeco; and My Little Snap Bean. 39 min.Midwest Book Review March 2026, Bookwatch, The Music CD Shelf

Thank you Bookwatch!

Cover Reveal for the new Album!

Nathan Williams & The Zydeco Cha Chas are overjoyed to show you the cover of our new collaborative album “My Little Snap Bean, Zydeco for Children.” These twelve songs are a rockin’ Louisiana boogie on the bayou with a zydeco beat for children and their families.

Pre-orders are available. The album will be released on April 10, 2026!

Down in Louisiana Book Video on YouTube and TikTok!

Join me as we sing and read along with my book music video for Down in Louisiana!

Crawfish Song Sing Along Video on YouTube and TikTok!

I have been adding new songs and videos to my YouTube Channel and to my new TikTok channel. Subscribe and follow to see what I have been cooking up lately. Here is a new sing along video of the “Crawfish Song” from my “From the Gumbo Pot” album for children.

2026 Literary Arts & Humanities Award - New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Foundation

Celebrate with Johnette Downing at the Fourth Annual NOTCF Honors Gala! We are pleased to recognize Johnette as the 2026 Literary Arts & Humanities Honoree.

Johnette Downing is a New Orleans author, illustrator, musician, and poet known as the “Bard of the Bayou” and the “Cajun Raffi,” who has performed on five continents and earned dozens of awards for her thirty-two books and thirteen recordings. Her literary work earned her the 2017 Louisiana Writer Award. Johnette’s 2026 releases include My Little Snap Bean, Zydeco for Children, and Just Irma: The Biography of Irma Thomas. She continuously shares Louisiana’s culture with children around the world.  

Join us on Friday, January 9, 2026 to honor Johnette’s impact. Purchase your tickets to the Honors Gala today! #linkinbio

#cultureisouropendoor #notcfhonorsgala

No Trick, Just a Treat at my Boo Carre Festival Concert!

Come dressed in costume and howl along with me at my Boo Carre concert on Saturday, October 25 at 12:30 at 916 N Peters Street in Dutch Alley in the French Market. There will be crafts and trick or treating at participating shops, so come out for a silly, slightly spooky, fun time!