Chris Miller was born in 1966, to Vurtis "Pop" Miller and Cathie Cox Miller of the farming community of Woodlawn, near the town of Lacassine, Louisiana. Vurtis served in the U.S. Army and upon his return, he picked up with where he left off, farming rice, soybean and raised cattle. Like many Cajun farmers, Vurtis worked hard but found time to enjoy listening to Cajun music and cooking. He also liked playing an acoustic guitar from time to time. Chris was raised along with two sisters, Anne and Julie. Like many children raised on a farm, they were typically expected to pitch in to do their share of the work, anytime they weren't attending school. Chris rarely left his Dad's side in the field or the garage and by the time he was 8 or 9 years old was already driving trucks and operating tractors on the farm. Chris and his boy cousins spent a good portion of their young lives learning the value of hard work on the farm. "It was all family labor in the fields" Chris said. And like for many, music was a nice reprieve from the rigors of a hard days labor. Chris was interested in music from the time he was born. His parents recall that he made a habit of waking early so that he could hear the 'French Music" on television station KLFY'S morning show "Passe Partout", which was broadcast out of Lafayette, Louisiana. Chris grew up in an area enriched with music and had many family members that played including Uncle's Otis Miller who played guitar and sang and Nolan Miller, who played accordion, fiddle, and guitar. On weekends they would have family gatherings and enjoy cooking and playing music. Noticing Chris's continued interest, his parents, Vurtis and Cathie encouraged their young son by purchasing a piano and then his Mom drove him to Jennings for piano lessons. After initially learning boogie, swamp pop, and country music, he found himself gravitating more towards Cajun Music and began to devote himself more to that genre. He taught himself how to play guitar from a book that a young Aunt of his had loaned him. Then Chris started observing his father's guitar playing a little closer. He also was able to observe his Uncle Nolan, Uncle Otis, and his Aunt he called "Nonnie" all play their guitars. Chris says, "Dad was pleasantly surprised the first time I showed him I could play". Chris proceeded to teach himself how to play the accordion, and the fiddle. And man did he ever ! His musical influences were traditional Cajun musicians Raul and Reoul Leblanc, Harris Leger, and the Vanicor brothers, Milton and Ellis. Another special influence was the late Charlie Ortego, an early manufacturer of handmade Cajun accordions under the name brand "Master". Chris states that Charlie encouraged him early on in his accordion playing career and was one of the main influences for Chris to major in music in college. Leetel Hanks, another fellow musician, CFMA Lake Charles Chapter Hall of Famer, and a popular barber from the Lake area for many years, was also a great influence who provided many in Cajun music with archives of live radio performances and had a unique collection of wood carvings of Cajun musicians. Early bands featuring Chris on the accordion was Joe Simon and the La. Cajuns which featured Leo Abshire (fiddle), Clayton Suire (guitar), Mervin Faul (steel), and Joe Simon (drums). Then he played with Donald Lejeune and the Rambling Cajuns which included Davis Guillory on drums and vocals. In 1999, Chris helped form the Louisiana Kingfish, which was successful in Louisiana, Texas, and attended the 2001 Montreal Jazz Festival in Canada. In 2000, the Louisiana Kingfish released the CD "Life in a One-Horse Town", which influenced Louisiana music. The band featured Chris on the accordion, Dave Savario (guitar), Rob Broussard (bass), and Dale Dougay (drums). Also featured were a trio of scrub board players called the "Fish Heads". They were Chad Bertrand along with twin brothers Richy and Robbie Dubois. They toured the eastern and midwestern U.S., along with France with Hadley Castille. He also played with Rodney Lejeune and the Texas Playboys a the Texas Folklife Festival in San Antonio. In 2004, he formed another band, Bayou Roots. The original line-up consisted of himself on accordion and vocals, along with several very multi-talented musicians such as seasoned bass player Tim Broussard (CFMA Hall of Famer & much sought after by big name Country music stars like Mark Chesnutt, Tracy Bryd and Sammy Kershaw), guitarist and vocalist Steve Dougay, drummers Dale Dougay and Danny Peet, fiddler Clint Ward and electric guitarist Ray Ellender. Others to appear with the group through the later years were David Greely, Donovan Bourque, Cody Lafleur, Chad Cormier, Seth Spell, Carl Stutes, and Jimmy Breaux. When watching the band perform at a gig, it is not uncommon to see Chris himself play not just his main instrument, the accordion, but several songs on the fiddle, a few on the harmonica, a few on piano or keyboard, and a set or two on the drums. What is uncommon is how well he plays every instrument with upmost precision. In 2006, Chris and Bayou Roots received multiple awards including "Band of the Year", "Recording of the Year" and "People's Choice" by the CFMA Le Cajun Awards show held in Lafayette, Louisiana for the self titled CD, Chris Miller and Bayou Roots. The CD is still considered by some in the music industry as a creative masterpiece. The beauty of it is Chris himself produced the CD himself. He co-mixed it with Max Fontenot. He goes on to mention several other musicians that had prior influence to the CD, such as Ganey Arsement, John Dale Hebert, Bob Thibodeaux and accordion builders Charlie Ortego and Ken Guillory (La Louisianne). Chris wrote a majority of the lyrics of the songs with the exception of a few classics that were mixed in. Songs with titles such as Bayou Roots Special, La valse d'espoir (The Waltz of Hope), Ton 'tit bec est doux (Your Little Mouth is Sweet), Please Stay Dance, One-step de Bashoot LeBlanc, The Leavin's Always Easier, and Zydedo Breakdown. Chris would win "Accordionist of the Year" in 2006, 2012, and 2017 by the CFMA Lake Charles Chapter. In 2017, Bayou Roots would pick up five CFMA Le Cajun Awards including "Recording of the Year" honors for the titled CD "The End is Near", subsequently also seeing the bands extremely talented fiddle player, David Greely (Steve Riley & Mamou Playboys) pick up "Fiddler of the Year" honor, "Accordion Player of the Year' going to Chris, and "Band of the Year". Chris also composed the lyrics to some of the songs on the CD such as Le bout s'approche (The End is Near), Bell City Bounce, Opelousas Waltz (a reflection of listening to old AM radio on KVPI out of Ville Platte while working on the farm)., Sayso (a tribute to a childhood neighbor friend nick-named "Sayso' Senegal), Le Reel de Grosse Isle, Ma jolie petite blonde ( lyrics dedicated to his daughter at her wedding, to the tune of the original Jolie Blonde), Mazarka de thcoc, (Blackbird Mazurka), Grand Lac Charles (an ode to visiting Lake Charles), and Viens Avec Moi aka "Woodlawn Waltz" (a tribute to the farming community Chris grew up in). The CD also features Deux boites a Kaplan (Two boxes in Kaplan), which is a song that features himself playing an accordion in the key of F and Tim Broussard playing an accordion in the key of C. The track is in memory of musician Dallas Roy, who played an iconic rendition of the tune in the past. Other traditional songs are also covered such as 99 Year Waltz, a 2004 recording which featured Milton Vanicor, Orsy Vanicor, Jeanette Aguillard, and Jim Marcantel. There is also La Polka a Odie (Odile Falcon), then two songs originally by Iry Lejeune, Lacassine Special and La Valse Duralde. Also the traditional song The Crowley Two-Step is covered. One of the most intriguing is his cover of Jimmie C Newman's Cry, Cry, Darling, that Chris choses to do in Cajun French instead of English and the melody into a Cajun waltz. It came to Chris after Jimmy's death. The musicians on this recording were Chris (Vocals, accordion, acoustic guitar, drums, and harmony fiddle) David Greely (fiddle) who also did vocal's on Lacassine Special, Laine Thibodeaux (steel), Tim Broussard (bass, duet accordion), Camryn Miller Clements (vocal on Sayso and La Polka a Odie Flacon), Ray Ellender (electric guitar on Sayso), Ty Ellender (drums on La quene de tortue and Grand Lac Charles), and Matt Moss (bass on Sayso). Chris, in a statement says he was really trying to reflect all those elements of his childhood on this CD. Not just geographically, but also about certain people and their stories. The original concept of the CD started out with Chris and David Greely doing a very organic recording with just voice, fiddle and accordion. The two originally laid down the tracks live at Lake Charles Music. But then it eventually evolved into more instruments and took on a different concept from then on. For the pure traditionalist, I'm sure they would have been more than pleased with the outcome but many are thankful they pursued what had eventually become a little more contemporary sounding, turning it into another musical masterpiece. Chris has a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Music Education from McNeese State University and has been the Choral Director at Barbe High School in Lake Charles for 32 years and was Director with the First Presbyterian Church for a long stint. He has directed many award-winning music groups during his tenure. He has also been a frequent collaborator with the Lake Charles Civic Ballet, where he has worked to combine Louisiana music with classical music. He has been teaching Intermediate Cajun Accordion at Augusta Heritage Center in Elkins, West Virginia for the last four years. Chris is currently the Choir Director of St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Lake Charles, where he incorporated the Cajun accordion into the liturgical music of the services. He and his bandmates have performed at venues in and around Lake Charles, Southwest Louisiana, and East Texas and still continue to be very popular. Places like Loggerheads Bar, which is located on the bank of the scenic Calcasieu River in Moss Bluff, Louisiana, Larry's French Market in Groves, Texas, The Liberty Theater in Eunice, Louisiana, Fred's Lounge in Mamou, Louisiana, Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Festivals Acadiens in Lafayette, Louisiana, CFMA Baton Rouge Chapter, among some of the venues. Chris also travels out of state from time to time to play at different festivals. In March of 2022, a group comprised of Chris, David Greely, Eric Mohring, John Terr, Charlie Terr, Ellen Keene and Gene Lousy attended the Cajun & Creole Music Dance weekend at the Folklore Village in Wisconsin to perform and teach. Throughout his career, Chris has enjoyed playing with some of the finest Cajun Musicians such as Doug Kershaw, Jerry Devillier, Joel Savoy, John Dale Hebert, Hadley Castille, Ellis Vanicor, Milton Vanicor, Orsy Vanicor , Kyle Huval, and many others. He has also taught several young students, most notably accordion players Sean Vidrine and Kaleb Trahan, who have both managed to make an impressive name for themselves in Cajun music. Chris continues to teach, entertain, and pay forward what he has learned of his Cajun music and culture. He manages to do all this in addition to being a family man first. He is married to Mrs. Avonna Busby Miller, originally of Eunice, and together they have four children, Caressa, Colten, Camryn, and Candice. As of the time of this article, also three grandchildren. The Cajun people of the Southwestern portion of Louisiana should be thankful for Chris, his past and present band members, for being one of very few Cajun bands left in the region that continue to keep the flames of Cajun music lit, as there aren't many left through the years that still perform on a regular basis. They deserve much wider exposure in this writer's opinion. In 2010, Chris was inducted into the CFMA Lake Charles Chapter's Cajun Music Hall of Fame, recognition for him being a successful independent song writer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, entertainer, and music producer. Still in 2022, Chris is currently gearing up to attend festivals in Oklahoma and West Virginia before coming home to play locally again. There are some very talented Cajun musicians around Southwestern Louisiana and Southeast Texas, but I would have to argue that their aren't many that are as well wounded and multi-talented as Chris Miller. We can't wait to see him and Bayou Roots perform soon. A special thank you to those who contributed to my research including Lake Charles American Press archives, Downtown Cajun Band website, Folklore Village Website, Eddie Leblanc, CFMA Lake Charles Chapter, Bayou Roots Website, and especially Chris himself for graciously allowing me an interview and providing with some of his personal photos.. Thanks to ULL Dupre Library for installing this blog into their registry. **** NOTE: Dedicated to Chris, his family, and his band members. Thank You for your many contribution's to Cajun music and culture. Especially here in the Southwest Louisiana region. Composed by Neal P Grangr
