WCajun fiddle music is a part of the American fiddle music canon. It is derived from the music of southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas, as well as sharing repertoire from the Quebec and Cape Breton Island traditions. It is one of the few extant North American folk music traditions rooted in French chanson. According to Ron Yule, "Louisiana fiddling had its birth roots in Europe, with fiddling being noted as early as the 1400s in Scotland". Zydeco music is a geographically, culturally, and musically related style.
WThe Balfa Brothers were an American cajun music ensemble. Its members were five brothers; Dewey on fiddle, Will on fiddle, Rodney on guitar, harmonica, and vocals, Burkeman on triangle and spoons, and Harry on Cajun accordion.
WDewey Balfa 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.
WBreaux Frères or Breaux Brothers, were Cajun musicians. They were the earliest to record the song "Jolie Blonde", under the title of "Ma Blonde Est Partie".
WHarry Henry Choates was an American Cajun music fiddler known as "Fiddle King of Cajun Swing" and "Godfather of Cajun music."
WVarise Conner was a Cajun fiddler born in Lake Arthur, Louisiana. His works and personality has inspired many prominent Cajun musicians.
WSady D. Courville was a Cajun fiddler noted for his extensive collaboration with Dennis McGee.
WLuderin Lawrence Darbone, was a Cajun-Western swing fiddle player for the band Hackberry Ramblers.
WMichael Louis Doucet is an American singer-songwriter and musician best known as the founder of the Cajun band BeauSoleil.
WSue Draheim was an American fiddler, boasting a more than forty year musical career in the US and the UK. Growing up in North Oakland, Draheim began her first private violin lessons at age eleven, having started public school violin instruction at age eight while attending North Oakland's Peralta Elementary School. She also attended Claremont Jr. High, and graduated from Oakland Technical High School in 1967.
WJean Batiste "J.B." Fuselier was a Cajun musician most remembered for his tune "Ma Chere Bassette". He played for many years with the group J. B. and His Merrymakers.
WD'Jalma Garnier III is a musician and composer best known for Creole and Cajun fiddle and "outside" musical compositions and collaborations with other artists.
WDavid Greely is a professional fiddler from south Louisiana.
WOran "Doc" Guidry was an American Cajun and country music fiddler. Some of his best known recordings include "Wondering", "Colinda", "Crowley Two Step", and "Chere Cherie".
WDouglas James Kershaw is an American fiddle player, singer and songwriter from Louisiana. Active since 1948, he began his career as part of the duo Rusty and Doug, along with his brother, Rusty Kershaw. He had an extensive solo career that included fifteen albums and singles that charted on the Hot Country Songs charts. He is also a member of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2009.
WL'Angélus is an American band composed of four siblings, Katie, Paige, Johnny, and Stephen Rees, who play in a variety of genres, but in recent years have emphasized their Louisiana roots, performing a mixture of cajun fiddle tunes, swing, saxophone driven swamp pop, and New Orleans-influenced R&B. Their music has received acclaim for its muscular energy, dynamic syncopated fiddle, and rich vocal harmonies. The band's members, now in their 20s, share the role of lead vocals. Katie, the oldest, plays guitar, Paige bass, Johnny drums, and Stephen, the youngest, plays fiddle, accordion, saxophone, and harmonica.
WDennis (Denus) McGee was one of the earliest recorded Cajun musicians.
WAmanda Christian Amaya-Shaw is an American Cajun fiddler, singer, and actress from Mandeville, Louisiana.