The Magnolia Sisters formed in Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1995, evolving out of a decade-long musical collaboration between founders Ann Savoy and Jane Vidrine, who set out to give a woman's voice to Cajun music while preserving its soulful, gutsy feeling. Savoy, a native of Virginia, plays accordion, guitar, fiddle, and bass, is married to Cajun accordion maker and musician Marc Savoy, and is the author of the definitive book Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People. She has also recorded the Grammy-nominated album Adieu False Heart alongside pop icon Linda Ronstadt. Vidrine, who settled in Lafayette after working for the National Park Service as a folk arts coordinator, has also served as curator of a Cajun museum.
Over the years, the Magnolia Sisters' rotating lineup has included Tina Pilione, Lisa Trahan Reed, Anya Burgess, and Christine Balfa, daughter of legendary Cajun fiddler Dewey Balfa and a member of Balfa Toujours. The band plays the full range of Cajun and Creole musical styles, from dancehall favorites to primitive Creole to front porch ballads, drawing on Louisiana's rich folk archive alongside their own original compositions.
Two of the Magnolia Sisters' albums have earned Grammy Award nominations, and the band has toured extensively across Europe and the United States. Their 2009 album, Stripped Down, released on Arhoolie Records, showcased the group's balance of rollicking dance music and haunting, ancient ballads. The Magnolia Sisters continue to perform today, and their influence runs directly through a new generation of Louisiana women in Cajun music, including Les Femmes Farouches, a New Orleans quartet who cite the Magnolia Sisters as a direct inspiration.
