Father and son, Amar “Ti-Frere” and Jerry Devillier, are to be inducted into the Cajun French Music Association’s Lake Charles Chapter Hall of Fame on Nov. 10.
Neal Granger of Lake Charles contacted The Eunice News about the upcoming honor for the Devilliers and provided his extensive research supporting the honor.
Amar, a sharecropper, began playing an accordion at dance halls in the 1930s and 1940s.
“A prominent fiddler from Eunice picked up Amar in a car and would drive to a club outside of Cameron for $5. He played more frequently in the 1950s just about every weekend and sometimes during the week,” Granger wrote.
“He formed several bands that featured musicians such as Dennis McGee, Isom Fontenot, Eston Bellow, Joseph “Cabri” Menier, Ed and Bee Deshotels, Preston Manuel, and Harry Lafleur at times. They played at various clubs, bars, and dance halls such as Courtableau Inn, known as the “Bloody Bucket”(Port Barre), Blue Goose (Eunice), Cazan’s Hall (Mamou), Club 26 (Old Crowley Rd), Snooks (Ville Platte), Dup’s Bar (Hwy 13), Fred’s Lounge (Mamou), etc. He also played at the Cotton Festival (Ville Platte), Rice Festival (Crowley), Yambilee Festival (Opelousas), Mardi Gras Festival (Mamou) and Swine Festival (Basile) occasionally joined by his son Jerry on harmonica or p’ti fer. Amar and Dennis were known to have co-written some songs together, most notably “La Valse de Lanse Meg” or “La Valse de Devillier”. The tune was later renamed “Kathleens Waltz” by Sady Courville after a young relative who loved the song,” Granger stated.
In the early 1950s he and his band had two singles recorded with Khoury Records out of Lake Charles, La. titled “The Durald Two Step” and “The Shoe Pick Waltz” with Wallace Lafleur on vocals and were also featured on several compilation albums, Granger reported.
Amar Devillier’s association with Cajun music’s most famous names continued with his son, Jerry.
Granger wrote, “As luck would have it, I made contact with him (Jerry) and it was an eye opening experience for me personally as I visited him in his home in Eunice. He was welcoming and cordial. At 81 years of age he is sharp-minded and with a quick-wit.”
Jerry Devillier is a multi-talented artist. Granger noted Jerry graduated from the University of Southwest Louisiana with bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He was a teacher, coach, photographer, pilot, diver instructor and world-class harmonica player.
“Like his father, Jerry had played the accordion and played it well, but he chose to play another instrument of preference. What I had no idea was that Jerry is considered a World Class harmonica player by some of the worlds finest players of today, his peers, as a member of the largest international harmonica organization - S.P.A.H. The Society for the Preservation of the Harmonica. It’s where Jerry’s mission as a volunteer is to teach Cajun style harmonica to the worldwide attendees at their convention. He is so revered by his peers that he was selected on multiple occasions to headline the large convention held in major cities each year,” Granger stated.
“Jerry has enjoyed playing sessions with a standout list of performers such as, D.L. Menard, The Balfa Bros, Johnnie Allen, Clifton Chenier, Terry Huval, August Broussard, Jaime Berzas, Kenneth Thibodeaux, John Delafose, Chris Miller among many others. Not bad considering he taught himself as a young boy to play the 25 cent harmonica that his Mom bought for him,” he wrote.
Jerry learned to play the harmonica by mimicking the sounds his father made on the accordion.
“What is little known is the fact that Jerry is a major part of Cajun music history as a member of the Mamou Cajun Band along with Cyprien and Adam Landreneau. They toured large popular festivals in the US and in Europe in the late 50’s and in the mid 60’s such as the National Folk Life Festival in Washington D.C., the Newport Festival in Rhode Island, Central Park in New York City, the Jazz Festival in New Orleans, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Jewish Community Center in Houston, Texas., the Berlin Jazz Festival in Germany. The group in 1965 featuring Cyp, Adam, & Jerry were the only group to receive two standing ovations and to perform two encores at the Newport Folk Festival that year, which also featured such performers as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter, Paul, & Mary, etc.”
Granger continued, “They went on to record an album called “Cajun Sole” and had songs featured on two other compilation albums, “Cajun Fais DO-DO” and “Cajun Champs.” Years later, Jerry would be a part of a group of talented musicians that included Fred Charlie, Cliff Miller & Kenneth Thibodeaux from the city of Eunice that would travel to play at the Noirt Festival in France. He played at a harmonica festival in Birmingham, Alabama featuring major national players as well. Interestingly enough, he provided the harmonica background on a Louisiana blues single “Street Walkin’ Woman” by Donnie Jacobs.”
Jerry also played with the The Boogie Kings.
Jerry also “...has dedicated his time teaching students how to operate the video and sound for the “Rendez-Vous Des Cajuns” Cajun music radio & TV live shows at the Eunice Liberty Theater on Saturday nights and he also volunteers to handle the DVD development for those shows in conjunction with the National Parks Prairie Acadian Culture Center, KEUN radio station, KDCG-TV, Acadiana Open Channel-Lafayette and the C.F.M.A.”