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Archive Files of Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco Musicians |
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Elton 'Bee' Cormier, Barry Cormier, and Matthew Cormier |
Click for high resolution photos posted on Flickr. |
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Note: Matt Cormier died Aug.
25, 2007, as the result of a work injury. He was a truly talented
musician who played both accordion and fiddle and sang French vocals. It
is tragic to lose someone at such a young age who had such promise
carrying on the family legacy of Cajun music. This page offers a few photographs of Elton "Bee" Cormier, his son, Barry, and his grandson, Matthew. Bee Cormier, whose band, The Church Point Playboys, was formed in 1949 when he was still in high school, has been a major force in the preservation of Cajun music. As Dan Willging explained in an article in Acadiana Profile Magazine, beginning in 1962 Cormier decided to bring young musicians into his band to give them a start. Each would play with the Church Point Playboys for a few years before going out on their own: Jimmy Venable, Felton LeJeune, Reggie Matte, who was 14 when he joined the Playboys in 1965, Terry Cormier, and Jason Frey, among others. |
Cormier never billed himself as the band's leader but instead gave that spot to the band's young accordion players. In 1992, he discontinued the band for health reasons, but in 1997, he gathered together a number of musicians who had been members of the band over the years and recorded The Reunion of the Church Point Playboys at his home studio in Church Point and released it on his Bee Records label.
The album features his son, Barry, on drums and lead vocals. Barry Cormier, who is one of the great Cajun vocalists around today, performs with a number of different bands.
Barry's son, Matthew, is another gifted Cajun musician who played bass guitar on the second album released by La Bande Feufollet and who is also an accomplished accordion player.
The top photo on this page of Elton "Bee" Cormier was taken during Cajun Day in November 2001 at the Saddle Tramp Riding Club in Church Point. The photo of Barry Cormier in the right column was taken at the same event. He is also shown in the left column performing with the Opelousas Cajuns during Community Day in April 2002 on the LSUE campus. The other photos were taken at the Liberty Theater in Eunice during early 2001, when Elton "Bee" Cormier, his son, Barry, and his grandson, Matthew, performed together. The bottom photo taken at the Liberty shows Felton LeJeune joined by Bee Cormier, the musician who first gave him an opportunity to perform some 40 years ago.
Posted 8-15-02.
All photographs and text by David Simpson.