About
The sound of the Savoy Family Cajun Band begins with accordion, fiddle, guitar, and piano; it’s sung in Cajun French and performed by two generations of a family that joyfully lives their culture.
Cajun music is rooted in musical traditions French-speaking Acadians carried to southwest Louisiana after they were expelled from Nova Scotia by the British in 1755. There they settled alongside Native Americans, Spanish, Germans, and French Creoles of African descent, and a distinctive Cajun culture emerged. The Savoy family has been incubators, stewards, and evangelists for this culture for generations.
Each member is an award-winning instrumentalist. Marc Savoy, a National Heritage Fellow, was born on a rice farm outside Eunice, Louisiana, raised French speaking, surrounded by music; his grandfather played fiddle and legendary Cajun musician Dennis McGee was a family friend. Marc picked up the accordion at age 12; by 20 he had taught himself to build them.
Ann Savoy married into the tradition and then developed such a keen ear and voice for Cajun life she became both practitioner and chronicler, authoring Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People, Vol. 1. Marc and Ann immediately began throwing old-time boucherie parties—or pig roasts—punctuated by music. “We were … young people playing traditional Cajun music in a pretty traditional way,” recalls Ann. A founding member of the all-female Magnolia Sisters, she plays guitar, accordion, and fiddle.
Son Joel, a renowned fiddler, launched Valcour Records, an award-winning Cajun and Creole label, and has devoted himself to preserving, presenting, and playing traditional music. He headlines the Cajun Country Revival band with Jesse Lége. His brother, Wilson, a star on fiddle, accordion, and piano, fronts the Pine Leaf Boys and plays with Band Courtbouillon. Both Joel and Wilson have been nominated for multiple Grammy® awards.
The Savoy’s dedication to their roots remains all-encompassing. “We’re not performers,” says Marc Savoy. “We need people to live the Cajun culture and be Cajuns.”