Larry Miller | |
|---|---|
 Larry constructing an accordion. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | July 7, 1936 |
| 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]
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]
Acadia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 57,576. The parish seat and the most populous municipality is Crowley. The parish was founded from parts of St. Landry Parish in 1886, and later an election was held to determine the parish seat, ending when Crowley beat Rayne and Prairie Hayes. Acadia Parish is included in the Lafayette metropolitan statistical area.
Eunice is a city in Acadia and St. Landry parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The 2010 census placed the population at 10,398, a decrease of 1,101, or 9.5 percent, from the 2000 tabulation of 11,499.
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based zydeco music. Both are from southwest Louisiana and share French and African origins. These French Louisiana sounds have influenced American popular music for many decades, especially country music, and have influenced pop culture through mass media, such as television commercials.
Clifton Chenier, was an American musician known as a pioneer of zydeco, a style of music that arose from Creole music, with R&B, blues, and Cajun influences. He sang and played the accordion. Chenier won a Grammy Award in 1983.
Justin Elmer Wilson was a Southern American chef and humorist known for his brand of Cajun-inspired cuisine, humor and storytelling.
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are an American Cajun band from southern Louisiana. The band formed in 1988 and has since recorded 10 albums, nine of which are on Rounder Records.
Jimmy Yves Newman, better known as Jimmy C. Newman, was an American country music and cajun singer-songwriter and long-time star of the Grand Ole Opry.
Ira "Iry" LeJeune was one of the best selling and most popular Cajun musicians in the mid to late 1940s into the early 1950s.
Marc Savoy is an American musician, and builder and player of the Cajun accordion.
Nathan Abshire was an American Cajun accordion player. His time in the U.S. Army inspired Abshire to write the crooner song "Service Blues", which the newspaper Daily World reported as "one of his most memorable tearjerkers". After the war, he settled in Basile, Louisiana, where he played regularly at the Avalon Club. He released his best-known record, "Pine Grove Blues", in 1949. Abshire's music became more well known outside of Louisiana at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival. Abshire was never able to write so he was unable to sign autographs, resulting in him having to politely decline the requests. Despite thoughts of Abshire being "arrogant or stuck-up" for not signing autographs, he was unable to read and write. However, Abshire was taught how to write his own signature by Barry Jean Ancelet. Despite receiving more income from music than the majority of Cajun musicians, Abshire was not able to entirely depend on that income to live on. Abshire had multiple jobs during his life and his final job was working as the custodian of the town's dump. Abshire's legacy continued after his death in the form of a museum, a book, and a magazine special issue.
Cajun music has its roots based in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada, and in country music.
A Cajun accordion, also known as a squeezebox, is single-row diatonic button accordion used for playing Cajun and Creole music.
Harrison Fontenot was a Cajun accordion player and builder, best known for his recording of "The Cajun Twist" in 1962.
Anthony Chachere was an American businessman and chef best known as the founder of his eponymous Tony Chachere's Creole Foods seasonings and ingredients brand and its original product, Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning. He was the first inductee into the Louisiana Chefs Hall of Fame, receiving that honor in 1995, just one week before his death.
CajunBot refers to the autonomous ground vehicles developed by the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for the DARPA Grand Challenges. CajunBot was featured on CNN and on the Discovery Channel science series Robocars.
Antoine "Tony" Thibodeaux was a prominent Cajun fiddler born south of Rayne, Louisiana. His parents were Mary G. Thibodeaux and Nestor Thibodeaux.
Belton Richard was an American Cajun accordionist and vocalist known for his baritone vocal range.
Sidney Brown was a Cajun accordion builder and accordion player. In the 1950s, he recorded with his band, Sidney Brown and the Traveler Playboys. He would eventually be recognized as the first person to build Cajun accordions after World War II in Louisiana. Eventually, other Cajun musicians would play Brown's accordions, including Jo-El Sonnier, Boozoo Chavis and Marc Savoy.
Mojo & The Bayou Gypsies is a band led by Mojo from Breaux Bridge Louisiana. Their music is a blend of zydeco, Cajun and their particular style which he calls Red Hot Mojo Music. Circa 2018, they consist of Mojo on vocals and Cajun accordion, Zydeco T Carrier on Frottoir, Greg Hirte on Cajun fiddle, Tee John Moser on drums, and Beau Brian Burke on bass.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)