Dewey Balfa (March 20, 1927 – June 17, 1992) 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.
Early life Dewey Balfa was born in Grand Louis, Louisiana, a small community west of Mamou.Savoy 1984, p. 236. He was the son of Amay (née Ardoin) and Charles Balfa who were sharecroppers.Savoy 1984, p. 237. Balfa had learned most of his songs from his grandmother and father who was a fiddle player.
Musical career During World War II, Balfa worked in a shipyard in Orange, Texas.Savoy 1984, p. 239. After returning in 1948, he and his brothers Will and Rodney formed the Musical Brothers. In 1965, he formed The Balfa Brothers after an enthusiastic response from a performance at the Newport Folk Festival. This led to their first LP, produced by Swallow Records.
Family Balfa married Hilda Frugé when he was 22 in 1949. They had five children together: Nelda, Roberta, Norma, Dewey Jr., and Christine,Savoy 1984, p. 241. many of whom became musicians. Christine founded the band Balfa Toujours to continue the family tradition.
Popularization of Cajun music Balfa appears in a documentary film 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:
Musical samples J'ai Passé devant ta Porte Listen Jolie Blonde Listen
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) 1986: Dewey Balfa and Friends Fait A La Main! (Handmade Records) 1986: Spicy Traditional Instrumental Cajun Classics! (Swallow Records LP-6063) 1993: Folk Masters: Great Performances Recorded Live at the Barns of Wolf Trap (Smithsonian Folkways) 2012: The Balfa Family: A Retrospective - Festivals Acadiens et Créoles 1977-2010 (2012, Valcour Records)
Selected filmography 1972: Spend It All by Les Blank 1974: Dedans le sud de la Louisiane by Jean-Pierre Bruneau 1983: Les Blues de Balfa by Yasha Aginsky
Awards and honors Balfa was a recipient of a 1982 National Heritage Fellowship awarded by the National Endowment for the Arts, which is the United States government's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts. That year's fellowships were the first bestowed by the NEA.
See also The Balfa Brothers List of Cajun musicians History of Cajun music
References
External links Biography, Balfa Toujours website VH1.com profile Balfa Discography at Smithsonian Folkways Documentary film about Balfa and Cajun music NPR:Commerce