Larry Miller (accordionist)

For other people named Larry Miller, see Larry Miller (disambiguation).

Larry Miller
Larry constructing an accordion.
Background information
Born	(1936-07-07) July 7, 1936 (age 88)
Origin	Iota, Louisiana
Genres	Cajun
Occupation(s)	Accordion maker, musician, accordionist
Instrument	Cajun accordion

Larry G. Miller (born July 7, 1936) is a Cajun accordion maker from Iota, Louisiana. The brand name of his accordions is "Bon Cajun" (originally "Bon Tee Cajun"). ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Biography

Miller is the son of sharecropper Abraham Miller and Algena Leger. He worked in primary and secondary education for 22 years, and began to build accordions as a hobby in 1978. In 1988, building accordions became his full-time profession. He was also one of the founders of the Cajun French Music Association. Miller retired from building accordions full-time in 2006. His grandson Jay continues to build accordions under the brand "Bon Cajun." ^{[1] [2]}

In 2003, he estimated he built approximately 85 accordions and repaired 200 –250 accordions each year. ^[1] He says each accordion was hand-crafted and took between 160 and 175 hours to make, and he made about 1200 in total. ^[3]

References

1. Jiro Hatano (2003). "Larry Miller and Bon Cajun Accordions". Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2011.
2. Jeroen Nijhof. "Accordion Links – Cajun and Zydeco". Archived from the original on April 21, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
3. Yar, Cengiz (June 13, 2018). "The Accordion Maker". Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. Retrieved June 13, 2024.

Bibliography

• Miller, Larry G.; Miller, Mike (1984). You Can Play Cajun Accordion: Designed for Beginners. Swallow Publications. ISBN   9780961424596.
• Miller, Larry G. (October 2017). "The Craft of Building Cajun Accordions". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 142 (4_Supplement): 2570. Bibcode:2017ASAJ..142.2570M. doi:10.1121/1.5014396.