Canray Fontenot
Canray Fontenot | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Born | L'Anse aux Vaches, Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, U.S. | October 16, 1922
Died | July 29, 1995 Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. | (aged 72)
Genres | Creole Cajun |
Instrument(s) | Fiddle |
Labels | Arhoolie, Melodeon, Rounder, Sonet |
Canray Fontenot (October 16,[a] 1922[1] – July 29, 1995)[2] was an American Creole fiddle player, who has been described as "the greatest Creole Louisiana French fiddler of our time."[3]
Early life
Canray Fontenot was born in L'Anse aux Vaches, near Basile, Louisiana;[3][4] his family was from nearby Duralde.[5] Fontenot, who grew up working on a family farm, inherited his musical skills from his parents, who played accordion; his father Adam, known as "Nonc Adam", played with Amédé Ardoin.[3] Canray first played a cigar-box fiddle that had strings taken off the screen door of his home. His bow was made from the branches of pear trees and sewing thread.
Canray stated: "So, we took some cigar boxes... In those days, cigar boxes were made of wood. So, we worked at it and finally made ourselves a fiddle. For our strings, we had no real strings ... we took strands off the screen door. We made fiddles out of that stuff, and then we started practicing." He visited a neighbor "to see how he tuned his fiddle. He would sound a string, and then I would try mine, but I couldn't go as high as his fiddle; every time I tried to match his pitch, I'd break a string.... But then when he would break a string, I would take the longest end. Then my fiddle sounded pretty good. And that's how I learned. It's just a matter of having music on your mind."[5]
Music career
By 1934, Fontenot had begun performing with Amédé Ardoin, who wanted him to play on a recording session with him in
Fontenot and Ardoin made their debut outside of Louisiana in 1966, performing at the Newport Folk Festival. At the time, Fontenot had not performed in public for several years, but was persuaded to do so by folklorist Ralph Rinzler.[3] Following the festival, the pair recorded an album with producer Dick Spottswood, Les Blues Du Bayou, and from then on started appearing in a steady stream of festivals in Louisiana and around the world, becoming the last Creole musicians playing music in the "old style".[3]
In 1986, Fontenot and Ardoin were both awarded
Canray Fontenot died in 1995 at his home in Welsh, Louisiana, from cancer.[4][8]
Personal life
Legacy
The New Orleans culture magazine OffBeat Magazine has compared Fontenot to contemporary artist Jourdan Thibodeaux, who also performs music of the "Cajun French" style.[10] Mark DeWitt, an expert of Louisiana's traditional music styles has noted that modern zydeco style has moved away from the fiddle to emphasize the accordion. Zydeco DJ James "J.B." Adams has noted that most of the Creole fiddlers have died: "When Canray passed, it’s like it’s gone. It’s almost like a lost art."[11]
Recordings
Fontenot's music can be found on Arhoolie Records, CD 381, Canray Fontenot: Louisiana Hot Sauce, Creole Style, 1993; also on Arhoolie Records, Les Blues de Bayou, 1970; and also on Arhoolie Records, La Musique Creole, 1983.
- "Les Blues du Voyageur" Canray Fontenot & Alphonse 'Bois-Sec' Ardoin Listen (MP3)
- "Jolie Bassette" Canray Fontenot & Alphonse 'Bois-Sec' Ardoin Listen (MP3)
See also
- History of Cajun Music
- List of Notable People Related to Cajun Music
Notes
a. ^ Some sources say the 23rd
References
- ISBN 978-0-930169-00-8.
- ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Harris, Paul (2008). "Biography of Canray Fontenot". Juke Blues (65).
- ^ ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ a b "Canray Fontenot: African-American Creole Fiddler". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ^ "Canray Fontenot". Archived from the original on September 28, 2007.
- ^ "NEA National Heritage Fellowships 1986". www.arts.gov. National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on May 19, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0313344237.
- ^ Atkinson, Bob (December 3, 2018). "Canray Fontenot – Story Commons". Retrieved July 11, 2022.
- ^ Willging, Dan (March 28, 2018). "Jourdan Thibodeaux Et Les Rôdailleurs, "Boue, Boucane, Et Bouteilles" (Valcour Records)". Offbeat Magazine. Retrieved March 21, 2019.
- ^ Myers, Ben (June 17, 2018). "Meet Willie Durisseau, the 100-year-old purveyor of Creole fiddle playing who's inspired a new contest". The Acadiana Advocate. Retrieved March 21, 2019.