Dewey Balfa
Encyclopedia
Dewey Balfa was an American
Cajun
fiddler and singer who contributed significantly to the popularity of Cajun music
. Balfa was born near Mamou, Louisiana
. He is perhaps best known for his 1964 performance at the Newport Folk Festival
with Gladius Thibodeaux and Vinus LeJeune, where the group received an enthusiastic response from over seventeen thousand audience members. He sang the song "Parlez Nous à Boire" in the 1981 cult film Southern Comfort
, in which he had a small role.
, Dewey worked in a shipyard in Orange, Texas
. After returning in 1948, he and his brothers formed the Musical Brothers. In 1965, he formed The Balfa Brothers
after an enthusiastic response from a performance at the Newport Folk Festival
.
. Many of whom became musicians. Christine founded the band Balfa Toujours to continue the family tradition.
"We are here to tell you a little bit about what a Cajun is. A Cajun is a person who his homeland was France. Went into Nova Scotia, at the time Acadia, and settled there and was there for about a hundred years, and afterwards the British took over the territory and then the French-speaking people, the French descendants, known as the Acadians, came down to the South-Western part of Louisiana, and that was back in 1755. So over all of these years, your language, and your music has been preserved from daddy to son or daddy to daughter or momma to daughter."
Selected Filmography
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
fiddler and singer who contributed significantly to the popularity of Cajun music
Cajun music
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
. Balfa was born near Mamou, Louisiana
Mamou, Louisiana
Mamou is a town in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 3,566 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mamou is located at ....
. He is perhaps best known for his 1964 performance at the Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
with Gladius Thibodeaux and Vinus LeJeune, where the group received an enthusiastic response from over seventeen thousand audience members. He sang the song "Parlez Nous à Boire" in the 1981 cult film Southern Comfort
Southern Comfort (film)
Southern Comfort is an American action/thriller film directed by Walter Hill, working from a script by Hill, longtime collaborator David Giler, and Michael Kane. It featured Keith Carradine, Powers Boothe, Alan Autry, Les Lannom, Peter Coyote, T. K...
, in which he had a small role.
Early life
Dewey Balfa was born in Grand Louis, Louisiana, a small community west of Mamou. He was the son of Amay (née Ardoin) and Charles Balfa who were sharecroppers. Dewey had learned most of his songs from his grandmother and father who was a fiddle player.Musical career
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Dewey worked in a shipyard in Orange, Texas
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
. After returning in 1948, he and his brothers formed the Musical Brothers. In 1965, he formed The Balfa Brothers
The Balfa Brothers
The Balfa Brothers were an American cajun music ensemble. Its members were five brothers; Dewey on fiddle, Will on fiddle, Rodney on guitar, harmonica, and vocals, Burkeman on triangle and spoons, and Harry on Cajun accordion....
after an enthusiastic response from a performance at the Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
.
Family
Dewey Balfa married Hilda Frugé when he was 22 in 1949. They had five children together: Nelda, Roberta, Norma, Dewey Jr., and ChristineChristine Balfa
Christine Balfa is a Cajun musician. She is the daughter of Dewey Balfa. She was born June 28, 1968.She founded the groups Balfa Toujours in 1992 and Bonsoir, Catin.- Discography:* Live at Whiskey River Landing - Balfa Toujours...
. Many of whom became musicians. Christine founded the band Balfa Toujours to continue the family tradition.
Popularization of Cajun Music
Dewey Balfa appears in a documentary file entitled "Les Blues de Balfa" produced by Yasha Aginsky. In one scene, Balfa is shown with Nathan Abshire entertaining a group of school children. Balfa gives a short lecture concerning the origins of Cajun music:"We are here to tell you a little bit about what a Cajun is. A Cajun is a person who his homeland was France. Went into Nova Scotia, at the time Acadia, and settled there and was there for about a hundred years, and afterwards the British took over the territory and then the French-speaking people, the French descendants, known as the Acadians, came down to the South-Western part of Louisiana, and that was back in 1755. So over all of these years, your language, and your music has been preserved from daddy to son or daddy to daughter or momma to daughter."
Musical Samples
Selected discography
- 1976: Traditional Cajun Fiddle: Instruction (Smithsonian Folkways)
- 1977: Cajun Fiddle, Old and New: Instruction (Smithsonian Folkways)
- 1984: Les Quatre Vieux Garçons (Smithsonian Folkways)
- 1993: Folk Masters: Great Performances Recorded Live at the Barns of Wolf Trap (Smithsonian Folkways)
Selected Filmography
- 1972: "Dedans le sud de la Louisiane" by Jean-Pierre Bruneau
- 1983: "Les Blues de Balfa" by Yasha Aginsky
External links
- Biography, Balfa Toujours website
- VH1.com profile
- Balfa Discography at Smithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian FolkwaysSmithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways...
- Documentary film about Dewey and Cajun music