A Tribute to Austin Pitre by Evangeline Playboys

A Tribute to Austin Pitre by Evangeline Playboys

Evangeline Playboys' A Tribute to Austin Pitre recalls a turning point in Cajun music, when bands began to add driving drums and rhythm instruments, revitalizing regional musical traditions that’d been passed down through multiple generations of Cajun and Creole families. A Tribute to Austin Pitre is being released March 10 by Arnaudville, Louisiana’s Nouveau Electric Label on CD, digital download and streaming platforms.

Austin Pitre stands as one of the most iconic accordion players and bandleaders to come from the Cajun dancehall era. Born in 1918 in Ville Platte, Louisiana, Pitre’s recording career lasted from the late 1940s to the early 1970s, leaving a legacy of dozens of original songs added to the Cajun music repertoire before his passing in 1981.

A Tribute to Austin Pitre was recorded in 1999 by Bobby Michot at Playboy Allen Ardoin’s outdoor kitchen in Opelousas, LA, featuring original members of the Evangeline Playboys: Ardoin (“T-Lan”) on fiddle; Eston Bellow on drums; Junior Martin on steel guitar; and another of Pitre’s former drummers, Mike Tate moving over to accordion. These musicians were joined by Bobby Michot on guitar and vocals for the occasion.