Ann Savoy (; born Ann Allen on January 20, 1952) is a musician, author, and record producer.

Biography

Savoy was raised in Richmond, Virginia. She resides with her husband

Marc Savoy Marc Savoy ( ) (born October 1, 1940) is an American musician, and builder and player of the Cajun accordion. Early life He was born on his grandfather's rice farm near Eunice, Louisiana. His grandfather was a fiddler, who occasionally played w ...

and family in

Eunice Eunice is a feminine given name, from the Greek Εὐνίκη, ''Euníkē'', from "eu", good, and "níkē", victory. Eunice is also a relatively rare last name, found in Nigeria and the Southeastern United States, chiefly Louisiana and Georgia. Pe ...

, Southern

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

. As a musician, she performs with her husband

accordionist Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

and

fiddler A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, the ...

Michael Doucet in the Savoy Doucet Cajun Band. She also has an all-woman band The Magnolia Sisters. She also performs with husband Marc and their sons,

Joel Joel or Yoel is a name meaning "Yahweh Is God" and may refer to: * Joel (given name), origin of the name including a list of people with the first name. * Joel (surname), a surname * Joel (footballer, born 1904), Joel de Oliveira Monteiro, Brazili ...

and Wilson, in the Savoy Family Band. Most recently, she has put together a

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

-style swing band called Ann Savoy and her Sleepless Knights. Savoy appeared as a musician in the film ''

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood ''Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood'' is a 1996 novel written by Rebecca Wells. It follows the novel '' Little Altars Everywhere''. In 2005, Wells wrote ''Ya-Yas in Bloom'' and then ''The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder''. ''Divine Secret ...

'' and was the associate music director of the film ''

All The King's Men ''All the King's Men'' is a 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. The novel tells the story of charismatic populist governor Willie Stark and his political machinations in the Depression-era Deep South. It was inspired by the real-life story of U ...

'', working on this project with

T Bone Burnett Joseph Henry "T Bone" Burnett III (born January 14, 1948) is an American record producer, guitarist and songwriter. He rose to fame as a guitarist in Bob Dylan's band during the 1970s. He has received multiple Grammy awards for his work in fil ...

. She has appeared in many documentaries on the subject of

Cajun music Cajun music (french: Musique cadienne), 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 ...

including a

Les Blank Les Blank (November 27, 1935 – April 7, 2013) was an American documentary filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians. Life and career Leslie Harrod Blank Jr. was born November 27, 1935 in Tampa, Florida. He atten ...

film, entitled ''Marc and Ann''. As a record producer she produced, among others, the Grammy Award nominated tribute to Cajun music, '' Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music'', featuring singers

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

, John Fogerty,

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and New wave music, new wave, She is the editor and compiler of ''Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People'', which chronicles the history of

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

and

Zydeco Zydeco ( or , french: Zarico) is a music genre that evolved in southwest Louisiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native American people of Louisiana. Al ...

music. Volume one was published in 1984, and volume two will be released in December 2020. Savoy had put the project on hold while she raised four children and pursued a music career, but the downtime forced by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

plus the encouragement of her grown children allowed her to complete volume two in 2020. Volume one garnered the American Folklore Society's Botkin Book Award, and the documentary film ''J'etais au bal'' was based in part on the book. She has recorded a number of albums. As The Zozo Sisters, she recorded with

the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

-nominated and '' Billboard''-charting CD '' Adieu False Heart''. That album is notable for being Savoy's first time recording in English.

Discography

Ann Savoy and Her Sleepless Knights

* ''

If Dreams Come True ''If Dreams Come True'' is an album by American singer and musician Ann Savoy, released in 2007. History Prior to recording her first solo album, Savoy performed professionally for many years with her husband accordionist Marc Savoy and fiddler ...

'' (2007) Memphis Records * '' Black Coffee'' (2009) Memphis Records

With Savoy Doucet Cajun Band

* ''Home Music with Spirits'' (1981)

Arhoolie Records Arhoolie Records is an American small independent record label run by Chris Strachwitz and is based in El Cerrito, California, United States (it is actually located in Richmond Annex but has an El Cerrito postal address.) The label was founded ...

* ''Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band'' (1984) Arhoolie Records * ''With Spirits'' (1987) Arhoolie Records * ''J'ai Ete au Bal: I Went to the Dance'' various artists (1989) Arhoolie Records * ''J'ai Ete au Bal: I Went to the Dance'' video (DVD); various artists (1989) Arhoolie Records * ''Two Step D'Amadé'' (1993) Arhoolie Records * ''Les Harias: Home Music'' (1993) Arhoolie Records * ''Live!'' (1994) Arhoolie Records * ''Cajun Country'' video (DVD); various artists (1995) Shanachie * ''Aly Meets The Cajuns'' video (DVD);

Aly Bain Aly Bain MBE (born 15 May 1946) is a Scottish fiddler who learned his instrument from the old-time master Tom Anderson. The former First Minister of Scotland Jack McConnell called Bain a "Scottish icon." Career Bain was born in the town ...

and others (1998) Whirlie Records * ''Sam's Big Rooster'' (2000) Arhoolie Records * ''Best of the Savoy Doucet Cajun Band'' (2002) Arhoolie Records

Magnolia Sisters

* ''Prends Courage'' (1995) Arhoolie Records * ''Chers Amis'' (2000) Rounder Records * ''Après Faire Le Boogie Woogie'' (2004) Rounder * ''Stripped Down'' (2009) Arhoolie Records

Savoy Family Band

* ''Savoy Family Album'' (2003)

* ''Turn Loose But Don't Let Go'' (2008) Arhoolie Records * ''Live at the 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival'' (2013)

New Orleans Jazz Fest The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of visitors to New ...

With others

*'' The Rough Guide to Cajun & Zydeco'' Various Artists (1999)

World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competit ...

*'' Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music'' Various artists, including and produced by Ann Savoy (2002)

Vanguard Records Vanguard Recording Society is an American record label set up in 1950 by brothers Maynard and Seymour Solomon in New York City. It was a primarily classical label at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s, but also has a catalogue of recordings by a n ...

*'' Adieu False Heart'' with

as the Zozo Sisters (2006) Vanguard Records *''Allons Boire un Coup: A Collection of Cajun and Creole Drinking Songs'' Ann and Joel Savoy; Ann Savoy and Jane Vidrine – various artists (2006)

Valcour Records Valcour Records is an independent record label based in Eunice, Louisiana. Valcour was founded in 2006 by Joel Savoy (son of Marc and Ann Savoy), with friends Phillip LaFargue II and Lucius Fontenot. Valcour Records' first release in 2006 was ...

* ''I Wanna Sing Right: Rediscovering Lomax in the Evangeline Country'' four-EP set – various artists (2015) Valcour Records * ''Fais Do Do: Louisiana Lullabies'' Ann Savoy and Jane Vidrine (2019) Valcour Records

References

External links

*
Marc and Ann Savoy

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savoy, Ann 1952 births Living people American folk singers American folk musicians Cajun musicians American women singers American music historians Record producers from Virginia Musicians from Richmond, Virginia American women historians Singers from Louisiana Vanguard Records artists Rounder Records artists American women record producers Historians from Virginia 21st-century American women