IT AIN'T EXACTLY BLUEGRASS, BUT IT IS REALLY GOOD

Long before Scruggs style banjo was applied to old time mountain music and renamed "bluegrass" in the mid 1940's, French people had been exiled from Canadian Acadia by the British in 1755 following the French and Indian War. They had refused to pledge allegiance to the king of England.  These folks traveled all the way down the East coast to the Gulf of Mexico and settled among the French, Spanish, Creoles, Indians and free Blacks in Louisiana. The term "Acadian" was shortened down to simply "Cajun," and they brought with them their fiddles and traditional songs and dances from the Celtic regions of France. Bluegrass is often called "hillbilly" music. Notably when a great Cajun accordionist, Arlie LaJeune, died years ago in a car accident his LA newspaper referred to him as a "hillbilly" musician.  There is a definite connection there.  We don't get to hear much good Cajun music in Montana, although a Bozeman area  group called Bebe LeBoeuf was featured on MT PBS last year. Cajun music nearly disappeared in the 30's and again in the 60's due to the popularity of Western Swing bands and later Rock and Roll. In recent decades three people have done more than any others in continuing the traditional sound of Cajun music, Marc and Ann Savoy plus Michael Doucet.  Doucet brought his great Cajun band, Beasoliel, to Montana on a tour some 20 years ago. At the time people raved about the music, but then interest slowly waned. Now the Savoy Family Cajun Band is coming for performances in Bozeman on Saturday, July 12, and in Billings the next day. It doesn't get any better than this group for foot stomping traditional Cajun music. I have tried to encourage locals to play Cajun music since the Billings bluegrass club began with no luck.  I would love to get a jam going learning their great music. The Billings performance by the Savoy's will be at the Yellowstone Brewing Garage Pub. I plan to be there for sure and I hope many of you will attend, too.