Walter Mouton and the Scott Playboys

We've been talking to Walter Mouton on the phone a few times in the last week, squaring away arrangements, and he's always one of our favorite guys to talk with. Walter Mouton and the Scott Playboys are a GrassRoots mainstay. They're an authentic Cajun band from Southwestern Louisiana who will be joining us for the (I believe) 16th time this year. Last year was a sad year for the band, as their longtime fiddle player, Mr. U.J. Meaux, passed away just a couple of weeks before the festival. They played anyway, with Kevin Wimmer of the Red Stick Ramblers sitting in on fiddle, and it was particularly special.

Mr. Walter (as he's called) is considered one of the finest accordion players in Southwest Louisiana. He's a real musician's musician, and if you go to La Poussiere, a club in Breaux Bridge where Walter has been playing Saturday night dances nearly every week for 30 years, you'll often see well-known accordion players sitting near the front, watching every move that Mr. Walter makes.

For a number of reasons, all of which I'm sure he'd be glad to explain to you if you ask, Mr. Walter has never really recorded any CDs. A couple of live tracks appear on the soundtrack to the amazing documentary on Louisiana music, J'Ai Ete au Bal.

He's a really fascinating guy, and his band are the sweetest bunch... catch them if you get a chance - they're the real deal!