Ann Savoy Archives - Page 2 of 5 - The Arhoolie Foundation

Ann Savoy Collection: Clifton Chenier, 1984

Clifton didn’t grant many interviews and I was worried I wouldn’t get to talk with him. His wife, Margaret, was fiercely protective of him and wouldn’t let me into the house when I went to interview him.

Ann Savoy Collection: DL Menard, 1983

When I first met Marc he was traveling extensively with DL Menard, Doc Guidry, and sometimes Dewey Balfa. They called themselves The Louisiana Aces. DL was always ready to tease everyone and laugh. He was such a character.

Ann Savoy Collection: John Delafose, 1983

We would go to John’s dances at Catholic Church halls in and around Eunice. He had his whole family working for him-Tony on rubboard, Geno on drums…He also had two slim brothers, Charles and Slim Prudhomme, playing bass and guitar.

Ann Savoy Collection: Dennis McGee

Dennis lived in Eunice and was a constant visiter at Marc’s store, Savoy Music Center, and also at our house. Since he was the best living example of early Cajun music he was in high demand among musical historians and with young Cajuns and outsiders who wanted to learn the roots of the music.

Ann Savoy Collection: Aldus Roger

There can’t be enough said about the importance of Aldus Roger and the Lafayette Playboys. Their excellent band set the standard for Cajun dancehall bands. They actually were on TV on Saturday afternoons in Acadiana on channel 10 and both Cajuns and Black creoles would sit riveted to their TVs watching them, so proud for one of their own French speaking people to be on TV!

Ann Savoy Collection: Belton Richard, 1983

Belton was the most modern and the most locally famous I interviewed. My friend Hadley Castille went with me to his house in Lafayette because it helped to have someone who knew Belton to give me access to his house.

The Ann Savoy Collection

The Arhoolie Foundation’s Ann Savoy Cajun Interviews Collection consists of over 200 recorded interviews Ann Savoy conducted with Louisiana musicians over the past 45 years. The...

Ann Savoy Collection: On Angelas LeJeune

Finding living relatives of Angelas LeJeune, one of my favorite early Cajun recording artists, was a bit tricky. I went to Church Point and I found his nephew Dewey LeJeune and his wife Carrie Miller who had photos of him.

Ann Savoy Collection: On Nathan Abshire

I never got to interview Nathan though I had a tape of an interview he did with Shirley Bergeron. Fortunately, Floyd Soileau offered to take me over to see Nathan’s wife, Olla. Olla took out her old photos and we had a great time talking.

Ann Savoy Collection: On Sidney Brown

Sidney Brown was not only one of the first people to recreate the diatonic Cajun accordion in southwest Louisiana but had a very popular band in the Lake Charles area.

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