Dewey Balfa and the Balfa Brothers

Christine Balfa, of Balfa Toujours, is the youngest daughter of Dewey Balfa, who did quite a bit to bring about the revival Cajun culture has experienced in the second half of this century. With his brothers Will and Rodney, Dewey was one of the first to take Cajun music outside of Louisiana and perhaps the first to bring the message back home that it was vital to keep the culture alive. Balfa Toujours and many others owe a great debt to him. The following is a brief history of his life. (For a few of his own words, see Some Quotes from Dewey. Also, take a look at some photos of the Balfa Brothers.)

Dewey Balfa was born in 1927 in Grand Louis, a small community near Mamou, Louisiana, to Charles Balfa and Amay Ardoin. There was music in the Balfa household from the beginning, with papa Charles playing the fiddle and singing ballads. Dewey's older brother Will played with his father, and at the age of ten Dewey began to join in as well. In the mid-1940's he formed the Musical Brothers and began playing at Hick's Wagonwheel Club. Along with his brothers Will, Harry, Rodney and Burkeman, Dewey began playing a schedule that would break many musicians today, often playing eight dances a week while holding down a full time job. With the beginnings of rock and roll, however, Cajun music entered a period of decline and the band performed less and less.

In 1964, Dewey was called in as a last minute replacement on guitar to perform at the Newport Folk Festival. This was to be the first time Cajun music was heard in such a context, and many were embarrassed at the thought of what they considered old "chanky-chank" representing Louisiana at such a prestigious event. Here are a few words of Dewey's to describe what happened: "I had played in house dances, family gatherings, maybe a dance hall where you might have seen as many as two hundred people at once. In fact, I doubt I had ever seen two hundred people at once. And in Newport, there were seventeen thousand. Seventeen thousand people who wouldn't let us get off stage."

This incredible response was a major turning point for Dewey, who went home with a new sense of pride in his culture and his music. He got his brothers playing again and began bringing their passionate music to festivals across the globe. While this travelling was important to him, it was the resonance back in Louisiana that mattered most. He got a chance to amplify this resonance in 1974, when the first Tribute to Cajun Music, now known as Festivals Acadiens, was held in Lafayette, Louisiana. With this event, he showed the people of Louisiana just how powerful and important their music was; at the same time he sent a message to the world that the culture was standing tall and reviving itself. The Balfa Brothers emerged from the festival as ambassadors of the culture, and they continued that mission for many years.

Tragically, Dewey lost his brothers Will and Rodney in an automobile accident in 1979. To add to that already horrific loss, his wife Hilda passed away in 1980. These combined tragedies were almost enough to bring him down, but he realized that his only choice was to carry on with the goal he had set for himself and his only relief from the suffering was the music itself. He gradually began playing and travelling again, earning a National Heritage Fellowship in 1982. Throughout the 1980's he shared his music with countless audiences and taught many workshops as musicians from around the country became attracted to Cajun music. He continued playing until his death in June of 1992, when he finally succumbed to the cancer that had been hounding him for some time.

Watching Dewey let go of his music before his death was one of the hardest and most painful things we in Balfa Toujours have experienced. But, as did Dewey himself, we came to understand that the only choice was to continue. For us, playing his music brings him back. We can feel his presence in the lonesome cry of a fiddle, just as he felt his father's presence years ago. We hope that, with a little more understanding of what this great man was about, you will understand a little more of the purpose of Balfa Toujours. Our goal is not simply to carry on the music, but also to bring life to the spirit of a powerful man and an enduring family. We hope you will take inspiration, as we have. Perhaps we should all take a pause from the hurried pace of modern life to remember that which has gone before and see if it just doesn't have a rightful, if not necessary, place in our future.

This site created and maintained by Kevin Wimmer (kwimmer@aol.com).
Copyright 1998, 1999 Kevin Wimmer and Balfa Toujours. All rights reserved.
Last updated 6/14/99.