Wilson Allen Savoy (born February 1, 1982 in

Eunice, Louisiana Eunice is a city in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, Acadia and St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, St. Landry parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The 2010 United States Census, 2010 census placed the population at 10,398, a decrease of 1,101, or 9.5 per ...

) is a Grammy winning

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 i ...

, keyboard player, fiddler and singer with the Cajun bands

Pine Leaf Boys The Pine Leaf Boys is an American Cajun and Creole band from South Louisiana, United States. Members include Wilson Savoy ( accordion, fiddle, vocals), Courtney Granger (fiddle, accordion, vocals), Drew Simon (drums and vocals), Jean Bertrand (g ...

and The Band Courtbouillon, as well as a local filmmaker in

Lafayette, LA Lafayette (, ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the most populous city and parish seat of Lafayette Parish, located along the Vermilion River. It is Louisiana's fourth largest incorporated municipality by population and the 234th- ...

. His father

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 ...

, famous accordion builder and musician, and his mother,

Ann Savoy 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 and family in Eunice, Southern Louisiana. As a musician, sh ...

, musician, author and music producer, are well known ambassadors and supporters of preserving the

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 ...

culture.

History

Wilson Savoy was born 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 ...

and began his musical career in 2000 with the Savoy Family Band (consisting of his father Marc, mother Ann, and brother

Joel Savoy Joel Savoy (born in Eunice, Louisiana, USA) is a Cajun musician and music producer from Southwest Louisiana. His father Marc Savoy, famous accordion builder and musician, and his mother, Ann Savoy, author and music producer, are well known amba ...

). Since 2000 he has also operated Almena Pictures, a film company specializing in band documentaries and music videos. In 2004 he joined the

Red Stick Ramblers The Red Stick Ramblers were a Cajun Music and Western Swing band formed in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1999 while some of the members were attending Louisiana State University. Their name comes from a translation of Baton Rouge, which means "re ...

from

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

and in 2005 formed his own band, the

. In 2006 he and his brother Joel (a fiddle player, cofounder of

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 ' ...

and also a former member of the Red Stick Ramblers) were instrumental in starting the annual Faquetigue

Courir de Mardi Gras The ( ) is a traditional Mardi Gras event held in many Cajun and Creole communities of French Louisiana on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. is Louisiana French for "Fat Tuesday Run". This rural Mardi Gras celebration is based on early begging ...

as an alternative to the main Eunice event. They felt that the other local runs had gotten too rowdy and lost too much of their authentic traditions. The run has become one of the most musically based on the various versions of the courir. Also in 2006 he recorded a collection of 1930's era songs and classic Cajun Swing music with fellow traditional Cajun act the Lost Bayou Ramblers titled ''Mello Joy Boys: Une Tasse Cafe''. In 2008 the Pine Leaf Boys were nominated for a

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 pres ...

for their 2007 album ''Blues de Musicien'', released on

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 b ...

. Fellow nominees that year were

Geno Delafose Geno Delafose (born February 6, 1971) is an American zydeco accordionist and singer. He is one of the younger generations of the genre who has created the sound known as the nouveau zydeco. His sound is deeply rooted in traditional Creole music ...

, Roddie Romero, Lost Bayou Ramblers, the Racines and the winner of the Grammy

Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience is a Zydeco band from Louisiana led by Terrance Simien. Awards Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience won a Grammy award for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music Album for their album '' Live! Worldwide''. Di ...

. In 2010 and 2011, Savoy appeared as himself in three episodes of the HBO series '' Treme''. In 2013 the eponymous debut album of The Band Courtbouillion, featuring Savoy, Steve Riley and

Wayne Toups Wayne Toups (born October 2, 1958, in Crowley, Louisiana) is one of the most commercially successful American Cajun singers. He is also a songwriter. Wayne Toups has been granted numerous awards and honors throughout his career including 2010 Fes ...

won the

in the

Best Regional Roots Music Album The Grammy Award for Best Regional Roots Music Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 as the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for releasing albums in the regionally based traditional Americ ...

category.

Discography

* 2004 Savoy-Michot Cajun Band: ''L'autre bord de l'eau'' * 2004 Church Point Aces avec Paul Daigle et Mitch Reed: ''Together At Last for the Last Time'' * 2004

: ''Right Key, Wrong Keyhole'' (

Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Al ...

) * 2006 Lost Bayou Ramblers: ''Mello Joy Boys: Une Tasse Cafe'' (

Swallow Records James Floyd Soileau (born November 2, 1938) is an American record producer. Biography Soileau was born in Faubourg, a small community between Ville Platte and Washington, Louisiana. He grew up speaking Cajun French and did not speak English un ...

) * 2007

& 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 ...

'' ( Memphis Records) * 2011 The Band Courtbouillion: ''The Band Courtbouillion'' (

) * 2013 Joel Savoy: ''Joel Savoy's Honky Tonk Merry-Go-Round'' (Valcour Records) * 2015 various artists: ''I Wanna Sing Right: Rediscovering Lomax in the Evangeline Country'' four-EP set (Valcour Records) See also * Pine Leaf Boys§Discography. * Savoy Family Band§Discography

Awards

Grammy Awards

References

External links

Almena Pictures Official Website

Pine Leaf Boys Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Savoy, Wilson 1982 births Living people Cajun accordionists Grammy Award winners Rounder Records artists People from Eunice, Louisiana 21st-century American musicians 21st-century accordionists