Cajun & Creole Week 2025

Jane Vidrine – Advisor

Jane Vidrine is a musician and music educator from Lafayette, Louisiana. She’s a founding member of the Grammy nominated Magnolia Sisters Cajun Band. She also plays in the family Cajun band with her husband, John Vidrine and son, Jo. And Jane stays musically in touch with her Missouri old-time music roots. “Teaching adults who are interested in delving deep into the traditional music I love is a true privilege that brings me so much joy.” Jane has taught guitar, fiddle, and vocals several times for Cajun & Creole Week at the Augusta Heritage Center.

Mark Ardoin

Mark Ardoin is a Louisiana-born accordionist and proud descendant of Creole music pioneer Amédé Ardoin. A native of Allen Parish, Mark began playing the accordion at just 3 years old, inspired by the deep musical roots of his family. He plays the same style of one-row accordion used by his great-great-uncle Amede and other Ardoin relatives, continuing a nearly century-old tradition of Cajun and Creole music.

Known for his heartfelt performances sung in Cajun French, Mark often shares the stage with other seasoned Louisiana musicians and his young daughter Adleigh, who plays both washboard and accordion. Whether performing classic waltzes, blues, or songs handed down through generations, Mark Ardoin brings authenticity and energy to every stage — keeping his family’s influential legacy alive for modern audiences.

Amelia Biere

Originally from a small town in Wisconsin, Amelia was exposed to many forms of traditional music at an early age. She grew up listening to her dad sing, play guitar, piano, and fiddle. Fate took her to Minneapolis for college, where there were regular Cajun dances. She got hooked! Mentored by a few of the stalwart musicians of the Twin City music scene, Amelia started learning French, playing and singing.  Two bands resulted: Ana and the Bel-tones and Millie and the Mill City Heavyweights. In 2014, Amelia decided to move to the source of it all – Lafayette, LA. There she has been soaking it all in, ever expanding her love for the culture. In addition to playing cajun music, she plays old-time guitar and loves to dance. When not playing music, she is a wedding florist.

Jimmy Breaux

Jimmy Breaux is acknowledged to be one of the best Cajun accordionists of the modern era. The accordion player for the Grammy Award-winning group Beausoleil for over 25 years, he is in the fourth generation of his family to play Cajun music. His great-grandfather was Auguste Breaux and his great aunt, Cléoma Falcon Breaux, sang and played on the first Cajun recording, “Allons à Lafayette.” His grandfather, Amédée Breaux, made the first recording of “Jolie Blonde.” Jimmy’s first solo album, Un ‘Tit Peu Plus Cajun, was recorded in 1991 and is mainly a collection of traditional tunes. His second, Le Chemin Que T’as Pris, was chosen as the best album of 1997 by the Cajun French Music Association. Jimmy Breaux and Friends: Live at Festivals Acadiens was released in 2008. Since retiring from Beausoleil he has enjoyed playing around home with a variety of great musicians.

Greg Brown

Greg Brown is a Louisiana-based chef and gardener whose passion for Cajun flavor and homegrown ingredients led to the creation of Pop’s Midnight Heat, a family-run hot sauce business rooted in tradition and community. Raised in Richie, Louisiana, Brown was inspired by the gardens of his grandfather, father, and a close neighbor—mentors who helped cultivate his lifelong love of gardening.

That love evolved into a culinary venture as Brown began growing a variety of peppers—including habaneros, jalapeños, banana peppers, and scotch bonnets—in his backyard garden. These peppers form the foundation of his small-batch, handcrafted hot sauces, which include flavors like Midnight Heat (jalapeño), Midnight Fire (habanero), and Midnight Blaze (scotch bonnet). Carefully harvested only at peak ripeness, Brown’s peppers are vacuum-packed and slow-cooked to create bold, distinctive sauces now enjoyed far beyond Louisiana.

In addition to his culinary pursuits, Brown works full-time as a senior environmentalist at Boardwalk Pipeline and spends his downtime hunting, gardening, and sharing his vibrant Cajun flavors with family, friends, and fans around the country.

Michelle Brown

I was born and raised in rural South Louisiana on a farm and I learned to cook at an early age. My mom was a homemaker and cooked 3 meals everyday. I watched and learned from her the ways of Cajun cooking. My culture is known for our great food and where there is food there are many friends. We talk about our next meal while we are eating the one we just prepared. I also like to bake and some of my pastries are served fresh at the local coffee shop downtown Eunice, LA. I am a retired school bus operator of 25 years service to rural schools in Acadia Parish. In my spare time I do sewing and alterations for the public. My passion for sewing began at the age of 9 and is a joyful hobby. Both of my girls wore wedding gowns designed by them and I fashioned the gowns to their unique specifications! I have since taken on quilting and old fashioned tatting. My husband Greg and I have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. Our 2 youngest children Megan Brown Constantin and Briggs Brown are both involved in Cajun music and preservation of our Cajun culture and heritage.

I am looking forward to making new friends thru my Cajun cooking demonstration here at Augusta.

Luke Huval

Luke has been immersed in the world of Cajun music and culture for as long as he can remember. Between his parents Terry and Annette, and their love and passion for every facet of Cajun culture, it was hard not to get hooked in one way or another. Luke started learning to sing and play guitar from a young age, and soon after began playing music with other young talents Zach Fuselier and Cameron Dupuy. Nowadays you can find him playing Cajun and country fiddle with a number of groups, and playing accordion with his own group, the Luke Huval Band.

Kelli Jones

Kelli has been playing fiddle since the age of fifteen and started out playing old time music in North Carolina, where she is from. In 2006 she moved to Lafayette, Louisiana to study dance at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and learn Cajun fiddle as well. She has been living in Lafayette since, soaking up the culture and touring the world with Lafayette’s own powerhouse psychedelic Cajun band, Feufollet and her fellow band mates Drew Simon and Megan Constantin. She has also traveled beyond Louisiana to perform and teach at festivals throughout the United States and Canada, including Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camp, Augusta Heritage Center Cajun & Creole week, the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, and Centrum’s Voiceworks.

Jesse Lége

For more than 40 years Jesse Lege, originally from Guydan LA, has been bringing traditional Cajun dance hall music from the dusty back roads of southwest Louisiana, coast to coast and around the world, playing everywhere from local neighborhood dance halls to the largest international festivals.

Today, Lege is one of the most-admired Cajun accordionists and vocalists from Southwest Louisiana. He has garnered numerous Cajun French Music Association awards in many categories, including original song for “Memoires Dans Mon Coeur”. In addition to his rich accordion style and soulful singing, his knowledge and vast repertoire that includes many of the earliest recorded and shared Cajun songs is treasured by everyone from other Cajun musicians to the first-time listener.

Blake Miller

Grandson of well known accordion builder Larry Miller, Blake has been surrounded by Cajun music and culture his entire life. Hailing from the small town of Iota Louisiana, Blake, a fluent french speaker and songwriter, managed to acquire a degree in Francophone studier from The University Of Louisiana at Lafayette and in the mean time founded the popular young Cajun band The Pine Leaf Boys and became a member of the premiere Louisiana roots Band The Red Stick Ramblers. He has also served stints in just about every other cajun/creole band of note including Balfa Toujours, Les Malfecteurs and Cedric Watson & Bijou Creole bringing his strong cultural identity and accomplished musicianship to the world. Now plays with the world traveled Revelers for the past 10 years singing and playing his own songs on fiddle and accordion.

John Vidrine

John has remained deeply immersed in the Culture and Music he was born into in around Mamou Louisiana. John has taught Cajun music on accordion at the Augusta Heritage program for several years, as well as performed with his wife Jane and son Jo, on the Augusta stages. John started learning to play music as a youngster watching and listening to old timers who played at the venues and porches of his hometown and in later years performing those tunes with friends and the family band across the US and in Europe by invitation. The key to playing this music is to be able to hear the melody line and feel the meter intensely. Being able to sing the lyrics or dance to the tune helps tremendously.

Jo Vidrine

Growing up in Southwest Louisiana has instilled a sense of pride in my geographic place. I’ve taken the foundations that my parents and elders have created and incorporated the values that my home provides into my everyday life today. I’ve found myself collecting many different hobbies and passions through my years and have always made an effort to share what I do with other people. Through Photograph, cooking, and performing Cajun music I’ve had the chance to see so many different places and experience culture in many aspects. Through my following of these passions, I’ve been fortunate to meet many people and expand my personal culture while sharing it with others who find themselves interested. Through my music, I’m able to connect with the community in movement and an audible telling of the past and present of our indigenous music here in Cajun country. Through food, I am able to give people a taste of Louisiana’s best fares and educate others on how it’s made and why the food came to be. Through my Photography I hope to transport people to a place in time and on the map, to give others a look into the Eyes of the people who make Louisiana such a unique and wonderful place.

Randy Vidrine

Randy Vidrine was born and raised in Ville Platte, Louisiana, in a family that spoke predominantly French. In high school he began playing guitar in a “ French” band, as it was known in those days. They did not call the music they were playing “Cajun” until a few years later. After going off to college and starting a family, he was introduced to Cory McCauley, and he began to get more serious about playing traditional Cajun music. McCauley Reed Vidrine recorded one album on vinyl before splitting up. Randy continued to play on guitar and vocals with Mitch Reed on fiddle. This duo played together for many years, touring and recording CDs with Tasso, Mamou Prairie Band, Charivari, and The Lafayette Rhythm Devils. The Rhythm Devils continue today, although Mitch has since departed from the band. Charivari recorded CDs for Rounder Records, including I Want to Dance With You, and A Trip to the Holiday. The band toured across the entire United States and countries such as England, Portugal, and others. Many of these tours included music and vocal workshops on Cajun music. Randy’s vocals have been described as “high and lonesome” and are all done in the French dialect of the Prairie Cajuns that live in the area where Randy was raised. In 2012 Randy was inducted into the Wall of Fame at the world famous Fred’s Lounge in Mamou, LA, where he still plays monthly with The Lafayette Rhythm Devils and with Jamie Berzas and Cajun Tradition. When not playing with The Lafayette Rhythm Devils or Cajun Tradition, Randy can usually be seen playing trio gigs with Jimmy Breaux and occasionally with his old bandmate, Mitch Reed.

Nancy Weston

Nancy Weston has immersed herself in Cajun music, culture and history for over 25 years. As a former educator, Nancy has made presentations on Cajun culture and music. For nine years she published a monthly Cajun events calendar and has been on staff at Augusta Heritage Center’s Cajun Week for over a decade. She plays guitar, accordion, ‘tee fer and sings. She has been in the northeastern bands Bayou Midnight, Jolie Belles du Bayou, Back Porch Rockers and Bayou Brew. Nancy has been recognized by the C.F.M.A. (Cajun French Music Association) as performing authentic traditional Cajun music in a non-Cajun region and for contributing toward preserving Louisiana’s Cajun music heritage.