Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
Encyclopedia
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys are a Grammy Award
-nominated Cajun
band from southern Louisiana
. The band formed in 1988 and has since recorded 10 albums, nine of which are on Rounder Records
.
The band includes Steve Riley (accordion
), David Greely (fiddle
), Sam Broussard (guitar
), Brazos Huval (fiddle/saxophone
/bass
) and Kevin Dugas (drums
) and formerly Jimmy Domengeaux (guitar) before his death in 1999. Kevin Wimmer (fiddle
) joined the band in 2011.
. Their style has grown from exclusively traditional music of Riley's mentors Dewey Balfa
, Belton Richard
, and Walter Mouton to a more personal style that still has a distinctively Cajun sound.
They released a 'Best of' compilation album in 2008, which featured some of their greatest hits.
David Greely has retired from the band due to hearing problems. His last performance was the 2011 Mardis Gras dance in Eunice, LA.
category, one Grammy nomination was for Trace of Time for Best Traditional Folk Album
, and the second was for Bon Rêve in 2004.
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-nominated Cajun
Cajun music
Cajun music, an emblematic music of Louisiana, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based, Cajun-influenced zydeco form, both of Acadiana origin...
band from southern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
. The band formed in 1988 and has since recorded 10 albums, nine of which are on Rounder Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
.
The band includes Steve Riley (accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
), David Greely (fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
), Sam Broussard (guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
), Brazos Huval (fiddle/saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
/bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
) and Kevin Dugas (drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
) and formerly Jimmy Domengeaux (guitar) before his death in 1999. Kevin Wimmer (fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
) joined the band in 2011.
History
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys started in 1988 by Steve Riley and David Greely. They have been very prolific with more than 10 CD's almost exclusively in Cajun FrenchCajun French
Cajun French is a variety or dialects of the French language spoken primarily in Louisiana, specifically in the southern and southwestern parishes....
. Their style has grown from exclusively traditional music of Riley's mentors Dewey Balfa
Dewey Balfa
Dewey Balfa was an American Cajun fiddler and singer who contributed significantly to the popularity of Cajun music. Balfa was born near Mamou, Louisiana...
, Belton Richard
Belton Richard
Belton Richard is a Cajun accordionist. He is known for his baritone vocal range.-Biography:Richard was born in Rayne, Louisiana in 1939. He began to play the accordion at age seven, and at 12 he started playing with 'Neg Halloway and the Rayne Playboys. He founded The Musical Aces in 1959 after...
, and Walter Mouton to a more personal style that still has a distinctively Cajun sound.
They released a 'Best of' compilation album in 2008, which featured some of their greatest hits.
David Greely has retired from the band due to hearing problems. His last performance was the 2011 Mardis Gras dance in Eunice, LA.
Awards
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys have been nominated for two Grammy Awards in The Best Traditional Folk AlbumGrammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album
The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album was awarded from 1987 to 2011. Until 1993 the award was known as the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording.An award for Best Contemporary Folk Album was also presented...
category, one Grammy nomination was for Trace of Time for Best Traditional Folk Album
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album
The Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album was awarded from 1987 to 2011. Until 1993 the award was known as the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Recording.An award for Best Contemporary Folk Album was also presented...
, and the second was for Bon Rêve in 2004.
Discography
- Grand Isle (2011)
- Dominos (2005)
- Bon Réve (2003)
- Happytown (2001)
- Bayou Ruler (1988)
- Friday at Last (1997)
- La Toussaint (1995)
- Live! (1994)
- Trace of Time (1993)
- Tit Galop Pour Mamou (1992)
- Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys (1990)