Jambalaya (On the Bayou) is a 1952 country song written and recorded by Hank Williams with His Drifting Cowboys. It was released as a MGM single on July 19, 1952, and later appeared on Hank Williams compilation albums. The tune blends country and western with honky tonk and features a Cajun inspired melody based on the Cajun song Grand Texas. The lyrics tell a bayou party story, as the narrator heads by pirogue to a gathering with his girlfriend Yvonne and her family, where jambalaya, crawfish pie and filé gumbo are served. Williams began writing the song while listening to Cajuns talk about food on the Hadacol Caravan bus. Although not a true Cajun two-step, the song popularized Cajun culture and Louisiana cuisine to a broad audience. It became Williams' most recorded song, and it topped the US country charts for fourteen nonconsecutive weeks. There is some discussion about Moon Mullican as a co writer, though Williams is the credited author on the original release. In 2002 the recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
