The Balfa Brothers

The Balfa Brothers played an integral role not only in preserving traditional Cajun music, but also reviving the genre's commercial prospects during the late 1960s. Brothers Dewey Balfa, Will Balfa, Rodney Balfa, Harry Balfa, and Burkeman Balfa were all born in Louisiana, where they began playing Cajun music at family reunions during the 1940s. They recorded the songs "La Valse de Bon Baurche" and "Le Two Step de Ville Platte" at the family home in 1951. Dewey Balfa spent several years performing with different groups, notably collaborating with Gladius Thibodeaux and Vinus LeJeune at the 1964 Newport Folk Festival, before reuniting with his siblings to official form The Balfa Brothers in 1967. The Balfa Brothers Play Traditional Cajun Music, the group's debut, was released that same year. The Balfa Brothers toured heavily and even performed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. 1972's The Cajuns, 1972's The Good Times are Killing Me, 1974's The Balfa Brothers Play Traditional Cajun Music Vol. 2, and 1976's J'ai Vu le Loup, Le Renard et la Belette were all released before Rodney and Will passed away in a car accident in 1979. The group continued performing with a revised lineup, and Dewey maintained a parallel solo career with releases like 1984's Les Quatre Vieux Garçons and 1986's Spicy Traditional Instrumental Cajun Classics! Although his death in 1992 effectively ended the band's career, The Balfa Brothers continue to be known as Cajun icons, with the compilation album The Balfa Brothers Play Traditional Cajun Music, Vol. 1 & 2 going gold in 2023.

Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.