Harrison Fontenot: Legendary Cajun Musician and Renaissance Man

Harrison Fontenot was born in the L'anse Bleu, (Point Blue) community near the  town of Ville Platte, Louisiana on August 1st, 1934 to parents Saby and Marie Johnson Fontenot. Harrison's father Saby worked for many years in the body shop of a local business in Ville Pltte, Veillion Motor's as a body mechanic. His mother Marie from the Lanse Belaire community, tended to the house and the children. Harrison's siblings, all with surnames Monier, were half and step: Jerry, Charles, Shirley, JoAnn and Barbera. The family moved for a short while to the Tate Cove community before eventually settling in Ville Platte. As a boy Harrison dealt and overcame obstacles. He was born with a speech impairment, his family didn't have much money and along with the rest of the country was dealing with the Great Depression Era. Times were hard and money was hard to come by so Harrison learned at a young age how to work and had to earn every penny he got. He didn't complete his schooling beyond the eighth grade. His 1st job was delivering groceries on a bicycle. He worked as a helper delivering blocks of ice with Oscar Douget on a horse drawn wagon in Ville Platte. Harrison's musical influence began as a young boy listening to the family's battery operated radio. He listened to the Grand Ole Opry and Louisiana Hayride on Saturday nights. His music idols were Aldus Roger and Austin Pitre. Harrison's father Saby played the violin and the guitar but wouldn't allow him to touch either one of his instruments. But he did, while his father was at work. His Grandmother also was known to have played the accordion but he wasn't allowed to touch that one either. When Harrison was 16 years old his father purchased an old Hohner accordion for himself hoping to be able to master playing it. He warned Harrison to stay away from it. Everyday, Harrison listened to father practice on it. After practice it was put away in a closet. The temptation proved too much for him. While Saby was away at work, Harrison would sneak into the closet and would secretly practice on it. After a few short months Saby gave up trying to learn and handed his accordion over to Harrison, who picked up the instrument and proceeded to play several songs much to his fathers amazement. He also demonstrated his skills on the guitar and fiddle that he had learned in secret. At the age of 16, Harrison was already very adept to doing many skills using his hands such as wood carving, painting, and engraving without receiving any lessons. At the age of 14, he once lined up 50 separate gallon drums that were against the neighbors fence in their yard (Leonard Dardeau) and took a narrow paint brush and some old paint and painted a picture of all the presidents of the United States that he knew on top of each drum. Because the paintings were so well done they stayed in the yard for years. Another time while waiting between making deliveries, he started carving on a big China ball tree outside Theophile Soileau's local grocery store. Before he knew it he had carved out a nude lady about 3 feet tall in the tree. It was beautifully done according to bystanders, but was not appreciated by the owners wife very much. But this particular skillset would come in handy as part of one of his two greatest hobbies. One day his curiosity led him to open up his Hohner accordion to examine how it was built and functioned. With encouragement from the earliest known builder of hand crafted Cajun accordions, Sidney Brown from Lake Charles, Louisiana, he began building an accordion similar to the early German Sterling and Monarch models. Amazingly, without ever receiving a single music lesson and couldn't read music he figured out himself how to tune his instruments. His instrument brand name would be named "Imperial". Every piece was handmade for the exception of the reeds that he got from old Hohner Italian piano accordions, and bellows which he ordered. All the leatherwork and engraving were his own design. He sketched his designs and made templates. Interestingly, much was made from his own machinery. The accordion was not the 1st instrument that Harrison made. When he was very young he made a violin. It was elaborately carved and finished and he gave it to his father. He also made a guitar, but the accordion was his passion. Eventually, he would inspire other locals from the Ville Platte area to build accordions, such as Cecil J Fontenot (SWALLOW), Tim Reed (REED) and Bryan Lafleur (LANSE GRIS). Bryan also credits Harrison for inspiring him to play the accordion as well. In 1952, Harrison married his 1st wife, the former Juanita Dupre. They would go on to have 3 kids together. Sons, Jean Harlan , Francis Xavier and daughter Juan Ella. In the early 1960's a local physician heard Harrison playing at a local supper. He was so impressed with his musical abilities, he told Harrison that he would pay to have him record some personal records. Himself and Clint West (Guillory) went to meet a local record producer, the legendary Floyd Soileau of Flat Town Records and Floyd's Record Shop in Ville Platte. Floyd owned Swallow and JIN recording labels and was one of the very few producers of Cajun French and Swamp Pop and has been a key person in the preservation of the Cajun French Culture, Music and Language. Floyd was impressed upon hearing Harrison perform during a private session. Harrison's original band was known as the Cajun trio, comprised of Allen West on Guitar, Clint West on drums and Harrison Fontenot on accordion. Clint was also an excellent singer and eventually became a solo recording star in his own right in the swamp-pop genre. The 1st single the band recorded was a Cajunized version of Chubby Checker's hit "The Twist". It was titled "The Cajun Twist. It was recorded in 1962. Cajun radio DJs played it, the juke box operators bought copies for their juke boxes, a fan base bought records, and a recording career was born" according to Mr. Floyd Soileau. Floyd also is quoted, "He was like a Cajun version of the legendary country music legend Mel Tillis. He stuttered when he spoke but not when he sang." Because of his speech impediment he was doubted by many. He proved them wrong. The band recorded multiple records in the studio and eventually brought on another addition to the band, adding fiddle player Roy Fontenot. The band then was renamed "The Cajun Trio Plus One.". The band performed at area clubs such as Snook's Lounge, Fred's Lounge and Hicks Wagon Wheel Club. By this time, Harrison and the band was frequently back in the studio at Floyd's recording more records that became very popular not just locally but regionally. His songs could be heard on radio stations such as KBON out of Eunice, KVPI in Ville Platte, KEUN in Eunice. The songs can be heard on those same stations plus other radio and internet programs today in the Acadiana region and out of the state. They even had a following in England and other countries. Between the 1960's and 1980's more session players were used and band members were added or filled in on occasion. Musicians such as Elvin Bogard-guitar, Mike Tate-drums, Jessie Ray Fontenot, Terry "Gilroy" Guillory-guitar, Allen Ardion-fiddle, Warren Fontenot - rhythm guitar, Milton Pitre-Bass, Bob Miller-drums, Dowell Lafleur-guitar, George Ortego-fiddle, and Johnnie Lyons-drums. There were 26 songs recorded, ranging from selections designed to be funny in nature with melodies re-cast such as "Clotillia", a Cajunized version of the Oak Ridge Boys hit "Elvira", "Mamou Hillbillies" a Cajunized recast of the Beverly Hillbillies theme song, Tex Williams "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! Them Cigarettes!", becomes "Fume! Fume! Fume!". One of his most popular hits was the Christmas song "Jingle Bells". Of course the song was popular and played in many juke boxes and homes across Louisiana during Christmas season. He also showed a poignant side as evidenced by "Lonesome Soldier Waltz". Harrison and his band were in high demand to perform and though they did attend locations in Arkansas, Mississippi and elsewhere, they seldom ventured out of the state of Louisiana. The band featuring Harrison, Terry Guillory, Milton Pitre, Johnnie Lyons, and Warren Fontenot, known then as "Harry Fontenot and The Cajun Four",  performed at the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans at the Audubon Zoo, which also featured legendary fiddle player Dewy Balfa. But Harrison himself mainly liked playing locally, mostly at house parties and local area functions entertaining family and friends. He was an extremely popular entertainer and people loved him. People associated with Harrison knew him as very funny and friendly. He was humble by nature but had a larger than life presence. He most often never accepted money to play and often just wanted people to enjoy themselves and have a good time listening to his music. His sister, Shirley Meyer recollected a time when he took her along with him to Snooks Lounge. "He made it a habit to purposely not bring his accordion when he knew someone else was playing because he wasn't boastful and didn't want to risk the other band seeing it as a slight. But when they went in people, including the band members, begged him to play. He reluctantly borrowed a band member's accordion and as he proceeded to play the crowd went crazy and didn't want him to stop. He wound up playing for over an hour", Shirley recalls. It was not unusual to see Harrison hanging out with other popular musicians from the area and have impromptu jam sessions while cooking and perhaps sipping on a few beers. Musicians such as Maurice Berzas, Vorance Berzas, Marc Savoy, Chuck Guillory, Eston Bellow, The Balfa Brothers, among others. For several years Harrison worked at a paper mill in Elizabeth, Louisiana. It was around this time that Harrison discovered his 2nd greatest hobby and passion. Flying. He took up flying lessons and received his pilots license. He was encouraged by Ransom Vidrine, an eventual Senator to get his crop dusting license, which he did. He crop dusted for 40 years. Harrison later was recruited by then newly elected Senator Vidrine to become his personal pilot and flew him many times during the politicians tenure. He was a man of many interest and talents. He was also big-hearted. That became evident as Floyd Soileau shared a story about the time Harrison was crop dusting a field and an elderly woman apparently took exception to him flying low near where she lived as a tenant on a landowners property. After several passes she proceeded to shoot at him with a shotgun. She subsequently was arrested and was put in the local jail. Harrison that night couldn't sleep in good conscience thinking of that little old lady in jail so with his own money posted her bail. Another talent he developed ahead of his time was transferring eight millimeter films to VCR tapes. Modern technology at them time. He also experimented with photo album. He made a special stand to lay out the photos, zeroed his camera in on them and put on a record of Cajun French music on the background. The result was a favorite collage, creating an effect of a mini movie for family and loved ones. Family members say he had many inventions that resulted in making life easier. Eventually in his later years he was forced to give up his passion of flying due to health reasons. It was difficult for him to accept but found therapy in his small wood working shop. He would go on to build accordions for some of his immediate family members. He also gifted an accordion to one of his favorite musicians and good friend Maurice Berzas. In 2001, he was designated a Master Accordion Builder and Master Accordion player at the Mamou Cajun Music Festival. In 2008, Harrison was inducted into the famous Fred's Lounge Wall of Fame in Mamou, Louisiana. It is sponsored by radio station KVPI. Sadly on January 22nd, 2011 Cajun Music & Culture lost another great Icon when he passed away. He is now rejoicing with the reunion of the Love of his Life, singing and dancing partner, LaBertha Fontenot, along with many family members and friends that proceeded him. It was very evident during his time on earth that he loved his kids and family came 1st. Thanks to Harrison's unselfishness and his willingness to pass along his accordion building skills, his music playing techniques and playing spirit, many of the younger generations can continue to carry on the Cajun music tradition. Harrison's place in Cajun music history is forever entrenched! He was a remarkable man. A renaissance man, so too speak. NOTE: Congratulations to the family of Harrison Fontenot. This coming November, 2022  he will be inducted into the CFMA Lake Charles Chapter's Cajun Music Hall of Fame. A special thank you to those who were helpful in my research. Bonnes Nouvelles Magazine and several of their articles written by Mark Lane, Bobby Dardeau and Lisa McCauley. The Chicot Chatter article written by Susan Griffith, Mike Bordelon News Editor, The Eunice News Archives, Evangeline News Archives, Freds Lounge in Mamou, Louisiana, Former "Trio Band Member" Mr. Terry "Gilroy" Guillory,  KVPI radio station in Ville Platte, KBON radio in Eunice and KEUN radio in Eunice, Glenda Vidrine Miller, Richard Deshotels, Author John Brovin's book "South to Louisiana", Ancestry.com, CFMA Lake Charles Chapter's Cajun Music Hall of Fame (Especially Ms. Rhonda Istre) and a special thank you to Mr. Floyd Soileau and Mr. Cecil Fontenot of Flat Town records and Floyd's Records for their graciousness and support for Mr. Harrison.  Note: A special thank you to the surviving sisters of Mr. Harrison, Joann and Shirley for their input and support.  *Dedicated to the children of  Harrison . (Especially Juan Ella who was especially helpful and made this possible.)  Composed by Neal P Granger

                          Harrison and his Band the Cajun Trio Plus. A few years after the original line-up The                              Cajun Trio , which consisted of Harrison, Clint West and Allen West.

2008 World Famous Fred's Lounge Wall of Fame Inductee.

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26 recordings produced by Flat Town Records on the Swallow Record Label at Floyd's Record Shop and Studio. 

                          

Lower left corner of the photo is the picture of Harrison Fontenot on KVPI"S Wall of Fame located in Fred's Lounge in Mamou, Louisiana.

Harrison presents an accordion he made as a gift to one of his musical hero's and good friend, Maurice Berzas.

                          Handmade instruments by Harrison . Photo from daughter Juan Ella Fontenot.

Dewy Balfa on the fiddle with Harrison and his band on stage at the Audubon Zoo as part of the 1984 Worlds Fair activities in New Orleans, Louisiana.  Photo from The Family and Friends of Harrison Fontenot Facebook Page.

From left to right: Terry Guillory-electric stratocaster guitar, Johnny Lyons-drums, Warren Fontenot-electric telecaster guitar, Harrison Fontenot-accordion and Mike Tate-bass guitar.