Steve Riley was born in Mamou, Louisiana in 1969. He grew up there, a prairie town of Mamou where Cajun French is spoken on the street, the national holiday is Mardi Gras and a poor family is one without a fiddler or accordion player. Steve learned how to play the accordion and became Mamou’s favorite son.
He plays a single-row diatonic instrument made by his cousin, famed accordionist Marc Savoy. Steve concentrated on learning Savoy’s elanorate style and the music of the Balfa Brothers.
At age 15. Steve was a young prodigy, noticed by Dewey Balfa who invited Steve to join his band. Under Dewey’s guidance, Steve grew as a performer, learning hundreds of French-language songs and how to sing them in Balfa’s singular hurts-so-good style and learning fiddle as well.
In 1988, Steve and David Greely formed the Mamou Playboys which rapidly gained prominence on the international folk scene without sacrificing the support of Louisiana fans.
The group’s first album, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, came out in 1990, followed by ‘Tit Galop Pour Mamou (1991), Trace of Time (1993), Live! (1994), La Toussaint (1995), Friday at Last (1997), and Bayou Ruler (1998). In 2001, the band released Happytown.
Bon Rêve, released in 2003 marked a return to traditional Cajun music and was performed completely in French.
Throughout the years, Steve Riley added zydeco, swamp rock and roots country to his Cajun music mix.
In a land where accordion is king, Steve has inspired countless young men and women to follow him and keep Cajun music’s favorite instrument alive.
Discography:
Steve Riley & The Mamou Playboys (Rounder Records, 1990)
Tit Galop Pour Mamou (Rounder Records, 1992)
Trace of Time (Rounder Records, 1993)
Live! (Rounder Records, 1994)
La Toussaint (Rounder Records, 1995)
Friday at Last (Swallow Records, 1997)
Bayou Ruler (Rounder Records, 1998)
Happytown (Rounder Records, 2001)
Bon Rêve (Rounder Records, 2003)
Dominos (Rounder Records, 2005)
Best of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys (Rounder Records, 2008)
Grand Isle (Rounder Records, 2011)
Voyageurs (2015)
30 Years Live (Valcour Records, 2019)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.