Lionel LeLeux was born on October 12th, 1912, in the farming community of LeLeux, in Vermilion Parish to farmers Pierre LeLeux and Elizabeth Istre LeLeux, who also owned a local grocery store called PB’s Grocery. The town was named after his grandfather, Ernest LeLeux. It was Ernest who owned a dancehall across the road from his house where Lionel really picked up the French music bug at a young age. A longtime barber by trade, Lionel developed a passion for fiddles, whether it was playing, repairing or making them. Many who knew and studied with him referred to him as “King of the Louisiana Fiddlemakers”. Lofty praise considering there were many great ones. Lionel began playing at an early age and one of his first influences was a local fiddler named Bascom Mouton. He played many Bals de Maison’s (house dances) starting out, many times with accordion player Nathan Abshire. By the 1930’s he was playing with Leo Soileau, Lawrence Walker, as well as Happy Fats and the Rayne-Bo Ramblers at dancehalls. He also played with greats such as Aldus Roger and Walter Mouton. Around 1927, he began repairing violins. 1935, he took an extended break from playing publicly after getting married and had started raising their young family . But by the 1940’s he began his passion to making violins, pursuing a skill that would preserve his legacy in Louisiana. Over the years he repaired violins from his home from the Midwest and Nashville, as well as locally. He taught his skills to several apprentices and constructed several bows as well. By the mid 1950’s, Lionel began playing with his son John (rhythm guitar) and musicians such as Joe Falcon, Don Montoucet, Marc Savoy, Eddie Lejuene, Angelas Lejuene, Varise Conner, to name a few. In 1974, he began playing at the Le Festival Acadiens. He then started playing with different groups and demonstrated his violin making skills at many other festivals and workshops throughout the U.S. and Europe. Trips also included the 1976 Festival of American Folklife at the Smithsonian and to Nova Scotia in 1978. His skills as a fiddle maker, repairman, as well as his playing were considered top notch and were a huge asset to Louisiana Cajun and Country music. He passed down his skills to many students through grants, studies, and workshops. Lionel passed away in 1996. He was inducted into the CFMA Lake Charles Chapter’s Cajun Music Hall of Fame in 2006 and a member of the CFMA National Hall of Fame in Eunice, Louisiana. Cajun music owes him a huge debt of gratitude for his contributions. Special thanks to the contributions by Ron Yule, Jody Fontenot, Jerry Devillier, Eunice News archives, Evangeline News archives, Opelousas Daily World. Composed by Neal P Granger
