Filé is a

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 ...

ensemble from

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 ...

founded in 1983. The group is named after

filé powder Filé powder, also called gumbo filé, is a spicy herb made from the dried and ground leaves of the North American sassafras tree ''( Sassafras albidum)''. Culinary use Filé powder is used in Louisiana Creole cuisine in the making of some t ...

, a spice used in

cajun food Cajun cuisine (french: cuisine cadienne , es, cocina acadiense) is a style of cooking developed by the Cajun–Acadians who were deported from Acadia to Louisiana during the 18th century and who incorporated West African, French and Spanish co ...

. The group was founded by Ward Lormand and Kevin Shearin, who had previously played together in the band Cush-Cush from 1980. Peter Stevens joined the group for their debut in 1985, while

D'Jalma Garnier D'Jalma Garnier is a musician and composer best known for Creole and Cajun fiddle and "outside" musical compositions and collaborations with other artists. Biography His musical heritage descends from the Camelia Brass Band in New Orleans ...

and David Egan joined in the early 1990s.

Members

;Current * Ward Lormand – accordion, percussion, vocals * Kevin Shearin – bass, guitar, vocals * Peter Stevens – percussion * D'Jalma Garnier – fiddle * David Egan – keyboards * Al Berard - Guitar * Darren Wallace - Fiddle * Brian Langlinais - Guitar ;Former *Michael Shinkman - Trombone

Discography

*''Live at Mulate's'' (1985) *''Cajun Dance Band'' (

Flying Fish Records Flying Fish Records was a record label founded in Chicago in 1974 that specialized in folk, blues, and country music. In the 1990s the label was sold to Rounder Records. Bruce Kaplan, the label's founder, was a native of Chicago and the son of ...

, 1987) *''Two Left Feet'' (Flying Fish, 1990) *'' La Vie Marron'' (

Green Linnet Records Green Linnet Records was an American independent record label that specialized in Celtic music. Founded by Lisa Null and Patrick Sky as Innisfree Records in 1973, the label was initially based in Null's house in New Canaan, Connecticut. In 1975, t ...

, 1996) *''Hang On to Your Chapeau'' (2000)

References

*Craig Harris, Filéat

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

Musical groups from Louisiana Flying Fish Records artists {{US-band-stub