Biography
The Balfa Brothers (Les Frères Balfa) were a Cajun music group from the rural community of Bayou Grand Louis near Mamou, Louisiana, where the brothers grew up on a sharecropper’s farm and learned music from their father, fiddler and singer Charles Balfa. They first played together at family gatherings and local dances in the 1940s, gradually building a regional reputation with a core lineup of Dewey Balfa on fiddle and vocals, Will Balfa on fiddle, Rodney Balfa on guitar and vocals, Harry Balfa on Cajun accordion, and Burkeman Balfa on triangle and spoons. In 1951 they made their first home-recorded 78 rpm single with accordionist Hadley Fontenot, and Dewey soon developed a parallel career as a studio and dancehall musician in southwest Louisiana, recording for labels such as Khoury and Swallow while holding day jobs to support his family.
In the 1960s the Balfa Brothers became central figures in the revival and public recognition of traditional Cajun music. Dewey’s appearance at the Newport Folk Festival in the mid‑1960s, initially with other Cajun musicians, demonstrated that Cajun fiddle music could move large non‑Cajun audiences, inspiring him to formalize the Balfa Brothers as a touring band and cultural standard‑bearers. Under that name they toured folk festivals across the United States, Canada, and Europe, recorded influential albums such as “The Balfa Brothers Play Traditional Cajun Music,” and even performed at the cultural program of the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, helping to reintroduce older Cajun songs and performance styles to both Cajun and international listeners. Their repertoire, rooted in waltzes, two‑steps, and unvarnished dancehall fiddle tunes, emphasized emotional vocals, twin fiddles, and a strong rhythmic drive that contrasted with more commercial country‑influenced Cajun sounds.
Tragedy struck the group when brothers Will and Rodney were killed in an automobile accident in the late 1970s, but the musical legacy continued as Dewey carried on with other family members, including Rodney’s son Tony and his own daughters, in later ensembles. As a spokesman for Cajun cultural pride, Dewey received national recognition, including a National Heritage Fellowship from the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts, and used the Balfa Brothers’ platform to teach, record, and advocate for the preservation of Cajun French language and music. Through their recordings, festival appearances, and the subsequent projects of younger family members, the Balfa Brothers are widely regarded as foundational figures in the modern Cajun music revival and a key link between early twentieth‑century rural dancehall traditions and contemporary roots and folk scenes.
Fun Facts
- The Balfa family reportedly had nine siblings, and almost all of them played some form of music, making the household a hub of informal Cajun jam sessions rather than a formally organized band at first.
- Before music became a full‑time focus, Dewey Balfa worked jobs such as insurance salesman, school bus driver, and furniture store owner while still playing as many as eight dances a week with his brothers.
- The Balfa Brothers were initially nervous that performing Cajun music at a major folk festival would embarrass Louisiana audiences, but the overwhelming standing ovation they received instead helped launch a broader Cajun cultural revival.
- The band’s appearances at international events, including performing during the cultural festivities around the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, helped bring rural Louisiana dancehall music to listeners far beyond Cajun country.
Musical Connections
Mentors/Influences
- Charles Balfa - Father of the brothers who taught them fiddle tunes and songs at home, shaping their repertoire and style from childhood. (Foundational influence on all Balfa Brothers recordings and traditional Cajun songs they performed.) [1930s–1950s]
- Nathan Abshire - Legendary Cajun accordionist who worked closely with Dewey and the brothers, helping integrate accordion with string‑band Cajun styles and reinforcing their traditional approach. (Joint recordings and performances on Swallow label releases and numerous folk festival appearances.) [1950s–1970s]
- Gladius Thibodeaux and Louis "Vinesse" LeJeune - Older Cajun musicians who performed with Dewey at the Newport Folk Festival, giving him a national platform and reinforcing his commitment to traditional Cajun music. (Newport Folk Festival appearances that preceded and inspired the full Balfa Brothers touring band.) [mid‑1960s]
Key Collaborators
- Hadley Fontenot - Neighboring accordionist who joined the brothers for early home recordings and later as the band’s accordion player on tours and studio sessions. (Early 1951 78 rpm recordings and later Balfa Brothers band tours and recordings.) [1950s, late 1960s–1970s]
- Nathan Abshire - Frequent collaborator whose accordion playing featured alongside the Balfa Brothers at dances, on records, and at folk festivals. (Multiple joint recordings and festival performances often billed with both Nathan Abshire and the Balfa Brothers.) [1950s–1970s]
- Nelda Balfa - Dewey’s daughter who performed with the Balfa Brothers during their folk‑festival and touring years, contributing vocals and helping represent the next generation. (Touring lineup and recordings under the Balfa Brothers name in the late 1960s and 1970s.) [late 1960s–1970s]
- Tony Balfa - Rodney’s son who joined the group after the deaths of Will and Rodney, helping keep the family band active. (Later versions of the Balfa family band following the original brothers’ peak era.) [late 1970s–1980s]
Artists Influenced
- Christine Balfa - Dewey’s daughter who became a prominent Cajun musician, bandleader, and culture bearer, explicitly continuing the Balfa Brothers’ musical and cultural mission. (Band Balfa Toujours and later projects drawing heavily on Balfa Brothers repertoire and style.) [1990s–present]
- Balfa Toujours - Group led by Christine Balfa that pays direct tribute to the Balfa Brothers’ songs, arrangements, and cultural advocacy. (Recordings and performances built around classic Balfa repertoire and traditional Cajun dance music.) [1990s–2000s]
- Contemporary Cajun and roots musicians - Numerous Cajun, Americana, and folk artists cite the Balfa Brothers’ recordings and festival performances as key inspirations for learning Cajun fiddle, accordion, and French‑language songs. (Modern Cajun revival recordings and festival presentations modeled on Balfa Brothers’ arrangements and song choices.) [1970s–present]
Connection Network
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release Date | Type |
|---|---|---|
| B3 | 2006-10-06 | Album |
| Christmas in South Africa | 2018-12-04 | Album |
| Christmas In South Africa | 2012-11-26 | Album |
| Bala Brothers | 2015-03-03 | Album |
| Live at Emperors Palace | 2013-05-07 | Album |
| Strome van Seën | 2008-08-25 | Album |
| Christmas In South Africa | 2012-11-26 | Album |
Top Tracks
- Konsertina Vastrap Keurspel (Vastrap Dans)
- Masibuyelane (B3)
- Sylvia (B3)
- Caro Mio Ben (B3)
- Khumbula (B3)
- You Raise Me Up (B3)
- Beauty & The Beast (feat. Judith Sephuma) (B3)
- Pata Pata - Live (Live at Emperors Palace)
- Simon: Under African Skies (Live) (Bala Brothers)
- Bala: Masibuyelane (Live) (Bala Brothers)
External Links
Heard on WWOZ
Balfa Brothers has been played 1 time on WWOZ 90.7 FM, New Orleans' jazz and heritage station.
| Date | Time | Title | Show | Spotify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 4, 2025 | 15:45 | Parlez Nous a Boire | Bluesw/ DJ Giant |