Sidney Brown was born in the Point Noir community near Church Point, Louisiana in 1906, to parents Joseph and Hermina Matte Brown. At a young age he learned to play the accordion by stealing his father’s accordion out of his buggy and would hide and sit in the cotton fields and play it. When his dad saw he had great interest, he bought him an old accordion. By the age of thirteen, he was playing at house dances in the nearby area. By the late 1930’s, Sidney was living in Ville Platte and working in the oil field as a roughneck. He then moved to Lake Charles around 1940, to seek employment. He first worked as a chauffeur before finding employment with Lake Charles Sash & Door, a job that would require skills as a woodworker and finish carpenter. Those skills would come into good use as Sidney started experimenting with accordion making as early as the late 1930’s, developing a high degree of proficiency by the late 1940’s. By the advent of WWII, the favored accordions by Cajun musicians were the German made instruments, especially the Monarch and Sterling brands. But these instruments were no longer available in the United States as both those factories were destroyed in the conflict. After the war many of Germany's remaining accordion makers were isolated behind the iron curtain in East Germany. The only new instruments available to Cajun musicians were generally inferior and not loud enough to hear over the electric guitar, steel guitar, and drums of a full band. Sidney took advantage and seized this opportunity to make his accordions available to the public. He was eventually recognized as the first person to build a high quality Cajun accordion after WWII. He tuned by ear, and with the help of fiddler Eddie Duhon, they were noted to tune them accurately. He began to meet the post war demand for the new hand crafted Cajun accordions, which were basically copies of the popular pre-war German models Monarch, Sterling and Eagle. He also worked on those old German models that made there way into Louisiana musicians hands. He also worked on the popular Hohner’s. His luthier skills made a huge impact on Cajun music and his reputation as an established repairman made its way to many notable players, who would call on him. Following WWII, Sidney formed the Traveler Playboys. There is not a lot of information on the bands original line-up, but there is a photo of Sidney with Will Kegley on fiddle and Wallace Ogea on guitar that was around the early 1950's. The band played on KPLC radio on a weekly thirty minute broadcast. From 1952 through 1959, Sidney played with a group called Musical 4 + 1 and the Hillbilly Ramblers, besides his own bookings. The Musical 4 + 1 included Sidney on accordion, Cleadis Mott, Charles Delaney, or Micky Peshoff on guitars, Eddie Duhon on fiddle and either Cliff Newman or Crawford Vincent on drums. Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, Cajun music was in its heyday in Lake Charles and Southwest Louisiana and Sidney was in the thick of it with his accordion playing. Brown and the Traveler Playboys recorded songs for Eddie Shuler’s Goldband record label. Sidney played with many notable musicians from southwest Louisiana and East Texas and played at many notable dancehalls and clubs. Unfortunately by 1960, Sidney lost his eye sight in one eye due to diabetes and in 1963, he was forced to quit performing due to a heart condition. He would spend his remaining years concentrating on his accordion building. He produced about 50 instruments in all. The list of notable musicians who would play his accordions include Jo-El Sonnier, Boozoo Chavis, Dudley Rozas, and a young Marc Savoy, who would become a legendary builder himself by making the (Acadian) brand , which are considered by many as the premier accordions. Many of those instruments are still used or owned today. One of his accordions is on display at the Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville. Brown passed away on August 6, 1981 and is buried in Eunice. He left behind his wife Felicia Dupre Brown, kids and grandkids. He was inducted into the CFMA Hall of Fame in 1990. Thanks to those who contributed to this biography, especially Tim Savoy, Wade Falcon, Ron Yule, Lyle Ferbache, Jo-el Sonnier, Juan Ella Fontenot daughter of Harrison Fontenot for the photo. Composed by Neal P Granger
