Albums

Balfa Toujours

“Still and Always Cajun”

Quick Intro

Balfa Toujours (“Balfa Forever”) is a dynamic Cajun band founded in 1992 by Christine Balfa, daughter of legendary fiddler Dewey Balfa. Formed to carry forward the Balfa Brothers’ legacy, the group blends traditional Cajun sounds with fresh energy, expressive vocals, and danceable rhythms. With deep family ties and a rotating cast of virtuoso musicians, Balfa Toujours has become one of the most respected Cajun ensembles of the modern era.

In-Depth Profile

Christine Balfa grew up immersed in Cajun music, playing triangle alongside her father Dewey and uncles in the Balfa Brothers. After Dewey’s death in 1992, she formed Balfa Toujours to preserve and evolve the family’s musical heritage. The band’s name—meaning “still and always”—reflects their commitment to keeping Cajun culture alive.

Early members included Christine’s husband Dirk Powell (accordion, fiddle), Kevin Wimmer (fiddle), Courtney Granger (bass, vocals), and Nelda Balfa. Over the years, the lineup has featured Jean-Jacques Aucoin (accordion), Blake Miller (fiddle), Shane Guidry (bass), and Jimmy Breaux (drums), among others. Their sound combines fiddle, accordion, guitar, triangle, and French vocals, rooted in tradition but open to innovation.

Balfa Toujours has toured extensively across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, performing at folk festivals, cultural events, and educational workshops. They’ve collaborated with artists like Bois Sec Ardoin and contributed to compilations such as The Rough Guide to Cajun Dance and Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens.

Christine also founded Louisiana Folk Roots, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Cajun and Creole culture through music education and community engagement.

Signature Tracks

  • “Pop, Tu Me Parles Toujours” — a heartfelt tribute to Dewey Balfa
  • “Allons Danser” — joyful collaboration with Bois Sec Ardoin
  • “La Pointe” — a rhythmic showcase of fiddle and accordion interplay

Notable Accomplishments & Awards

  • CFMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year: Christine Balfa (2001)
  • CFMA’s Female Vocalist of the Year: Christine Balfa (1997)
  • Acadian Museum’s Living Legends Inductee: Nelda Balfa (2000)
  • Recorded for Swallow Records, Rounder Records, and Valcour Records
  • Performed at major folk festivals across North America and Europe
  • Featured on The Rough Guide to Cajun Dance and Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens
  • Christine Balfa founded Louisiana Folk Roots to promote Cajun culture

Bonus Notes

  • Christine Balfa began playing triangle as a toddler under Dewey’s guidance
  • Dirk Powell learned accordion while dating Christine—practicing while driving!
  • Band members include descendants and students of the original Balfa Brothers

Discography Highlights

  • Pop, Tu Me Parles Toujours (Swallow Records, 1993)
  • À Vieille Terre Haute (Swallow Records, 1995)
  • Deux Voyages (Rounder Records, 1996)
  • Allons Danser with Bois Sec Ardoin (Rounder Records, 1998)
  • La Pointe (Rounder Records, 1998)
  • Live at Whiskey River Landing (Rounder Records, 2000)
  • New Cajun Tradition (Ace Records, 1995)

Album Reviews

La Pointe Art Menius Music — Written by Art Menius (July 2016)

“Unlike the majority of Louisiana French recordings, La Pointe proves more for listening than for dancing with ten songs and but four instrumentals.”

Unlike the majority of Louisiana French recordings, La Pointe proves more for listening than for dancing with ten songs and but four instrumentals. Indeed the French-challenged would do well to read the English translations of the lyrics. Having already established their reputation as a killer dance band, Balfa Toujours has produced a song-based album – recorded at home at La Pointe – of remarkable depth and subtlety. While others expand upon the tradition, Balfa Toujours lives up to its bold name by expanding within the tradition.

Records like La Pointe that mix the old and new so effortlessly appear infrequently in any genre. It offers a bridge to the older Cajun bands for those who have discovered the music in its more rocking incarnations and a delightful affirmation for all captivated by the spirit of roots Louisiana French music. Recommended without reservation or qualification.

Live at Whiskey River Landing
RootsWorld — Written by Dan Willging (July 2016)

“As Balfa Toujours plays harder and harder without restraint, likewise rises the intensity of their followers.”

As Balfa Toujours plays harder and harder without restraint, likewise rises the intensity of their followers. After each song, the crowd claps and cheers madly as exuberance runs rampant here. Oftentimes during the tunes, there’s screaming as if this were an amusement park roller coaster ride.

“La valse des pins” and “C’est Tout Perdu” pound you silly as if you were between the dips. Gale force two-steps like “Chez Geno” and “Platin Two-Step” uncannily resemble the adrenaline-rush speeding down the rails. Drummer Todd Aucoin pushes the beat wonderfully, but on three cuts, zydeco stallion Geno Delafose gets behind the traps to whip it mercilessly. Everyone seems to maintain but a gorgeous twin fiddle duet, “Le Reel Frugé,” and the swinging, bluesy “The Tow Truck Blues” enhanced by Kevin Wimmer’s slow bow drags are welcomed opportunities to ingest major quantities of oxygen back in your lungs.

But it’s not to say you can eat to the beat without appreciating the deep set list presented here. Besides the old and new originals, other selections tie into the Balfa family legacy like the gliding “Don’t Beak My Head” from Christine’s father Dewey and the frolicking fiddle tune of “Mon Vieux Wagon” from Uncle Will Bolfa. Dirk Powell shines on the melodic Hadley Fontenot staple, “Frank DuPuis a Pris Ma Femme.”