Just as Delta musicians took Highway 61 to Chicago and electrified their blues, so did the Creoles and Cajuns migrate to California and establish vital dance communities.
Now the California scenes rival anything back home in Louisiana, and that's due to players like Andre Thierry, a standard bearer for the new generation.
The best Zydeco musicians Louisiana had to offer traveled to California to play at the dances and spent considerable time at the Pitres' house while in the area.
On one such visit, the "King of Zydeco," Clifton Chenier, grabbed three-year-old Andre by the arms and deemed him a future accordion player.
His grandparents continued to host Louisiana musicians, and this exposure to his heritage allowed him to develop his love for and mastery of traditional French Creole music.