Canray Fontenot

about

Canray Fontenot (October 16, 1922 – July 29, 1995) was an American Creole fiddler and songwriter. His birth date and place seem to vary by source, he was either born on October 16 or 23, 1922 in l'Anse aux Vaches, or on October 16, 1918 in l'Anse des Rougeaux, both located in Louisiana, USA. Canray Fontenot was probably born in L'Anse aux Vaches, near Basile, Louisiana. His family was from nearby Duralde. Fontenot, who grew up working on a family farm, inherited his musical skills from his parents, who played accordion. His father Adam, known as "Nonc Adam", played with Amédé Ardoin. Canray first played a cigar-box fiddle that had strings taken off the screen door of his home. His bow was made from the branches of pear trees and sewing thread. Canray stated: "So, we took some cigar boxes... In those days, cigar boxes were made of wood. So, we worked at it and finally made ourselves a fiddle. For our strings, we had no real strings ... we took strands off the screen door. We made fiddles out of that stuff, and then we started practicing." He visited a neighbor "to see how he tuned his fiddle. He would sound a string, and then I would try mine, but I couldn't go as high as his fiddle; every time I tried to match his pitch, I'd break a string.... But then when he would break a string, I would take the longest end. Then my fiddle sounded pretty good. And that's how I learned. It's just a matter of having music on your mind." By 1934, Fontenot had begun performing with Amédé A

top songs

albums

Louisiana Hot Sauce Creole Style

Louisiana Hot Sauce, Creole Style

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J'ai Ete Au Bal - Vol 1

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Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés

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The Rough Guide To Zydeco

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Oxford American Southern Music CD No. 5

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Louisiana Cajun and Creole Music: The Newport Field Recordings

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15 Louisiana Zydeco Classics

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Canray Fontenot Louisiana Hot Sauce, Creole Style

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J'ai Ete Au Bal - Vol. 1

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J'ai Ete Au Bal, Vol.1

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This Ain't No Mouse Music!: A Soundtrack

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