WOMAD

The Savoy Family Cajun Band

From United States

The first family of Louisiana's rural music

Louisiana is a beautiful yet turbulent place, one that's known plenty of upheaval, whether by the hand of man (oil spills) or by a force of nature (unforgiving hurricanes). Its music remains a constant, though, particularly its Cajun traditions, at the heart of which is the Savoy family. Aside from being arguably the best accordion maker around, Marc Savoy (it's pronounced 'savoir') is also one of the deftest players of the instrument the state's ever produced, while his wife Ann has written several books on Louisianan music as well as fronting the all-woman combo The Magnolia Sisters. It's no surprise that their sons feel the spirit too - Joel plays some of the meanest fiddle around, while Wilson is an accordionist recently featured in Treme. The family don't just preserve tradition, them live, breathe, eat and sleep it. As T Bone Burnett said of Ann, "she doesn't imitate the past, she animates it". They all do.

(Biography written by Nige Tassell 2011)

The Savoy Family Band: Cajun Music

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