Their Music

The Magnolia Sisters is a band of women who can play many styles of French music from southwest Louisiana. From dancehall Cajun to primitive Creole, from house music to front porch ballads, we are an ideal band for concerts or rockin' dance parties.  Part of the body of the Magnolia Sisters music has been gleaned from a long-buried wealth of Cajun jewels found in the Sisters’ extensive music archives. Though these older songs are some of the most unusual aspects of our sound, we also love to play Cajun standards in a hardcore dancehall style and primitive Creole numbers that they learned from Creole masters like Canray Fontenot and Preston Frank. We take beautiful and long-lost songs from old collections and sweep off the cobwebs to bring them back in all their richness.

One thing that makes the Sisters music so appealing is our shared ability as multi-instrumentalists; each band member plays several different instruments. In our shows we move between twin fiddle tunes, heavy bass Creole hits, dancehall standards and accapella songs.  This makes a musical evening with Magnolia Sisters a fun and enriching experience.

Their first CD, Prends Courage, was released in 1995 on Arhoolie Records. Their second release, Chers Amis was on Rounder records in 2000. Both of these recordings include Cajun standards, riotous swingband numbers, blues, acapella ballads, fiddle duets, some slightly altered to reflect a woman's viewpoint.

Most recently, the sisters have released their third album, Aprés Faire le Boogie Woogie, with the inclusion of new band member Anya Schoenegge.The music performed on each of these CDs include rare pieces, outside of the repertoire normally heard in today's dancehall and festival venues.

The sister's are proud to introduce:
Lapin, Lapin - Cajun Creole Songs for Children

Researched and arranged by Ann Savoy and Jane Vidrine, the performances on Lapin Lapin are true to the roots of the music, showing influences from calypso, old-time stringband, Carribean, New Orleans Creole, and straight up Cajun dancehall styles. The CD contains over 30 authentic historic Cajun and Creole children's songs.

“We were inspired by the scratchy field recordings of unaccompanied solo singers and the brown pages of old song books to bring some of these songs back to life,” says Ann Savoy.

“These rare old songs are an excellent resource for French and Social Studies teachers to include Louisiana French language and culture in their lessons,” adds Jane Vidrine.

An 18 page booklet including the French lyrics and translations accompanies the CD, along with an area here on this site that will both educate and entertain children, families and teachers alike.

Feel free to explore the various lesson plans available for this program >

Purchase their music online:
• Lapin Lapin • Apres Faire Le Boogie Woogie
• Chers Amis • Prends Courage