Ann Savoy

Ann Savoy
Savoy performing at the Liberty Theater in Eunice, Louisiana, November 2012
Background information
Birth name	Ann Allen
Born	(1952-01-20) January 20, 1952 (age 72) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Origin	Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
Genres	Cajun, folk
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, actress
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, accordion, fiddle
Years active	1980–present
Labels	Vanguard, Arhoolie, Rounder, Memphis

Website	annsavoy.com

Ann Savoy (/sɑːˈvwɑː/ sah-VWAH; née Allen; born January 20, 1952)^[1]^[2] is a musician, author, and record producer.

Biography

Savoy was born in St. Louis, Missouri and raised in Richmond, Virginia.^[2] She resides with her husband Marc Savoy and family in Eunice, Southern Louisiana.^[3]

As a musician, she performs with her husband accordionist Marc Savoy and fiddler Michael Doucet in the Savoy Doucet Cajun Band. She also has an all-woman band The Magnolia Sisters. She also performs with husband Marc and their sons, Joel and Wilson, in the Savoy Family Band. Most recently, she has put together a Django Reinhardt-style swing band called Ann Savoy and her Sleepless Knights.^[3]

Savoy appeared as a musician in the film Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and was the associate music director of the film All The King's Men, working on this project with T Bone Burnett. She has appeared in many documentaries on the subject of Cajun music including a Les Blank film, entitled Marc and Ann.^{[citation needed]}

As a record producer she produced, among others, the Grammy Award nominated tribute to Cajun music, Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music, featuring singers Linda Ronstadt, John Fogerty, Nick Lowe, herself, and other noted musicians.^[3]

She is the editor and compiler of Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People, which chronicles the history of Cajun and Zydeco music. Volume one was published in 1984,^[4] and volume two was released in 2021.^[5] Savoy had put the project on hold while she raised four children and pursued a music career, but the downtime forced by the COVID-19 pandemic plus the encouragement of her grown children allowed her to complete volume two in 2020.^[6] Volume one garnered the American Folklore Society's Botkin Book Award, and the documentary film J'etais au bal was based in part on the book.^[7]

She has recorded a number of albums. As The Zozo Sisters, she recorded with Linda Ronstadt the Grammy Award-nominated and Billboard-charting CD Adieu False Heart. That album is notable for being Savoy's first time recording in English.^[8]

Discography

Ann Savoy and Her Sleepless Knights

If Dreams Come True (2007) Memphis Records
Black Coffee (2009) Memphis Records

With Savoy Doucet Cajun Band

Home Music with Spirits (1981) Arhoolie Records
Savoy-Doucet Cajun Band (1984) Arhoolie Records
With Spirits (1987) Arhoolie Records
J'ai Ete au Bal: I Went to the Dance various artists (1989) Arhoolie Records
J'ai Ete au Bal: I Went to the Dance video (DVD); various artists (1989) Arhoolie Records
Two Step D'Amadé (1993) Arhoolie Records
Les Harias: Home Music (1993) Arhoolie Records
Live! (1994) Arhoolie Records
Cajun Country video (DVD); various artists (1995) Shanachie
Aly Meets The Cajuns video (DVD); Aly Bain and others (1998) Whirlie Records
Sam's Big Rooster (2000) Arhoolie Records
Best of the Savoy Doucet Cajun Band (2002) Arhoolie Records

Magnolia Sisters

Prends Courage (1995) Arhoolie Records
Chers Amis (2000) Rounder Records
Après Faire Le Boogie Woogie (2004) Rounder
Stripped Down (2009) Arhoolie Records

Savoy Family Band

Savoy Family Album (2003) Arhoolie Records
Turn Loose But Don't Let Go (2008) Arhoolie Records
Live at the 2013 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (2013) New Orleans Jazz Fest

With others

The Rough Guide to Cajun & Zydeco Various Artists (1999) World Music Network
Evangeline Made: A Tribute to Cajun Music Various artists, including and produced by Ann Savoy (2002) Vanguard Records
Adieu False Heart with Linda Ronstadt as the Zozo Sisters (2006) Vanguard Records
Allons Boire un Coup: A Collection of Cajun and Creole Drinking Songs Ann and Joel Savoy; Ann Savoy and Jane Vidrine – various artists (2006) Valcour Records^[9]
I Wanna Sing Right: Rediscovering Lomax in the Evangeline Country four-EP set – various artists (2015) Valcour Records^[9]
Fais Do Do: Louisiana Lullabies Ann Savoy and Jane Vidrine (2019) Valcour Records^[9]

References

^ "Ann Savoy". Discogs. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
^ ^a ^b Harris, Craig. "Ann Savoy biography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Wirt, John (September 5, 2008). "Savoy a key component of La. music". The Advocate. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
^ Savoy, Ann Allen, ed. (1984). Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People. Vol. 1. Eunice, Louisiana: Bluebird Press. ISBN 9780930169015. OCLC 12422720.
^ Savoy, Ann Allen, ed. (2021). Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People. Vol. 2. Eunice, Louisiana: Bluebird Press. ISBN 9780930169022. OCLC 1267976066.
^ Wirt, John (November 27, 2020). "Out of the box: Ann Savoy finally wraps up sequel to her 1984 classic Cajun music book". The Advocate. Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ Cross, Dominick (October 10, 2019). "Ann Savoy helped blaze a trail for women in Cajun music". The Acadiana Advocate. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
^ Caffery, Joshua Clegg (July 26, 2006). "Songbird Sisters: South Louisiana's Ann Savoy teams up with pop icon Linda Ronstadt for their new CD, Adieu False Heart". The Independent. Lafayette, LA. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Valcour Records". Valcour Records. Retrieved November 21, 2019.