LES FRERES MICHOT
TRADITIONAL CAJUN MUSIC
Michot Family musical heritage
The Michots descended from musicians from several lines. Their maternal 3rd great grandfather, Peter Friedrich Engstfeld, was an organist and composer in Germany who wrote and published several songs in the early 19th century. Their paternal great-grandmother Laura Normand Michot played diatonic accordion and sang, and all of her siblings played instruments and sang, as did all of her children. The Michots' paternal grandfather, their maternal grandmother, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides played musical instruments and sang, many professionally. For instance, Louis J. Michot Jr's first cousin, Forrest Michot Decuir, aka "Duke," had a music degree from LSU and played violin, piano, sax, clarinet, and piccolo; he played in the LSU band, contributed to the composition of the LSU Alma Mater, played in numerous bands and orchestras, and was a high school music teacher in Evangeline and Avoyelles Parishes. Cousin Duke and LJM Sr would often play piano duets at the Michot home in PIlette when Les Freres were growing up. Other cousins who often played the piano or other instruments at the Pilette home included Pete Nicolosi, Mary Margaret Guillotte Comeaux, Larry Logan, Ethel Savoy, Jacqui Michot, Warren Michot, Billy MIchot, Henry Decuir, Ricky Domas, Marilyn Domas, Sean Keating, Mike Guidry, and Kurt Boudreaux.
The Michots' parents both sang and played piano; their father (LJM) also played accordion and guitar. The family had a piano at home when the brothers were growing up and all of the children spent time on the piano teaching themselves to play and figuring out songs. They also taught each other how to play the bass side (chords) or the melody side for piano duets that they had learned from their mother and father, playing songs such as Chopsticks, Down at Papa Joe’s, Heart and Soul, and I’ve Never Been to Africa. Papa Michot would often play guitar, accordion, or piano and the children would also pick up those instruments and try to figure out some songs on them. When the brothers were in elementary school, they participated in choirs at school and learned the basics of reading music; they sang Latin church songs written by Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and others, in three or four part harmonies. Rick was in the Immaculata Seminary Choir whereas Tommy, David, and Tim sang at Mass in the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist in Lafayette as members of the Cathedral Boys’ Choir, aka The Bishop’s Choir, along with classmate Zachary Richard and others. Mike played trumpet in the Cathedral Concert Band and was in the all-state honor band. When Ann and Rick were in high school in the 1960s they both acquired guitars and started playing folk music with their classmates and friends. Around that time Tommy started playing harmonica and he would play and sing folk songs with Rick and Ann. In college and beyond, into the 1970s, the brothers continued playing folk songs and various types of music together. Before long the brothers started gravitating more toward Cajun music and switched instruments, Rick from guitar to violin and Tommy from harmonica to accordion. Soon the older brothers were joined by Bobby, first on triangle then on guitar, Yvonne on guitar, David on bass and then guitar, Mike on triangle and then on bass, and Tim on triangle then guitar. Finally, in the 1980s, the band Les Freres Michot was born.
Papa Michot's brothers Billy and Warren played trumpet and banjo, and their sister, Aunt Jacqui Michot Ceballos had a degree in music from the University of Louisiana where she studied piano and voice, played viola in the school symphony orchestra, and sang in the opera. Jacqui later started her own opera company in Bogota, Colombia, the world's first woman-owned opera company. In the generation of Les Freres, at least three first cousins on the Michot side play music professionally: Billy Michot Jr (son of Billy Michot Sr: jazz guitar and piano, student of Ellis Marsallis and graduate of the Juilliard School of Music), Garland B. Elliott (son of Mary Lois Michot Elliott: guitar, piano, organ; classic rock and roll, "Right Turn at 40"); and Douglas Ceballos (son of Jacqui Michot Ceballos: guitar, vocals, blues, rock, solo albums, Latin Music, "The Four Skins").
Among the nieces and nephews of Les Freres, at least four sets of brothers and one niece from different Michot siblings play professionally in bands around the Lafayette area and beyond: Andre and Louis Michot (sons of Tommy: Lost Bayou Ramblers (Grammy winners 2018, 2024; three Grammy nominations), Soul Creole, Michot's Melody Makers, Louis Michot and Swamp Magic, River's Bend Ramblers); Jesse and Daniel Reaux (sons of Yvonne Michot Reaux: The Rayo Brothers, Aeronautical Pioneer, Swampland String Band); Sean and Chris Keating (sons of Ann Michot Breaux: Ismonic); Patrick Michot (son of Rick: Oilspill, Duskseeker); Effie Michot, daughter of David Michot: Pepper and Michot Cajun Band). Jim Keating, son of Ann Michot Breaux, obtained his degree in music from the University of Louisiana, where he sang opera, and is now the music director at a Catholic Church in Lansing, Michigan.
The following musicians, who have recorded on various labels, are cousins of the Michots: Gabriel Davoust Berard (related via the Marin-Berard line), Delma Lachney (related on the Michot-Normand-Bonnette line), Blind Uncle Gaspard (related on the Michot-Normand-Gaspard line), Marion Marcotte (related via the Michot-Normand-Marcotte line), Dennis McGee (related via the Michot-Normand-Marcotte line), Zachary Richard (related via the Marin-Broussard line), Dewey Balfa and Les Freres Balfa (related via the Marin-Veillon line), Courtney Granger (related via the Michot-Normand-Marcotte-Gaspard line and via the Marin-Veillon line), Bois Sec Ardoin (related via the Smith-Tidwell-Davis line), Michael Doucet (related via the Marin-Berard-Broussard line), Bruce Daigrepont (related via the Michot-Normand-Bonnette line), Al Berard (related via the Marin-Berard-Broussard line), Nancy Tabb Marcantel (related via the Michot-Normand-Marcotte line), Elvis Aaron Presley (related via the Smith-Salmons line), Dolly Parton (related via the Smith-Best line), Johnny Cash (related via the Smith-Tidwell-Davis line), June Carter Cash (related via the Smith-Tidwell line), Jimi Hendrix (related via the Smith-Salmons line), Beyonce' Giselle Knowles-Carter (related via the Marin-Olivier de Vezin and Broussard lines).
Photos below:
top left: Louis J. Michot Jr. playing accordion, ca. 1960.
top right (or middle): Louis J. Michot Jr. playing guitar, 2011
bottom: Rick and Tommy playing guitar and harmonica on a camping trip in Arkansas, 1969.
