Their vision for Louisiana music extends beyond simple preservation, and their roster of recordings drives the point home. At Valcour, Louisiana music is a breathing entity capable of change, ready to push forward into the future.-Cody Daigle, The Times of Acadiana
Valcour Records explores both traditional and innovative Louisiana sounds and packages them for the music fan’s listening pleasure. In doing so, we allow music lovers to discover the roots and progression of our culture and our music.
Three South Louisiana natives, Joel Savoy, Lucius Fontenot, and Phillip LaFargue, each with a keen interest in music and complementary skills to offer, formed Valcour Records to provide the artists we know and love with a platform to share their talent. Anyone who has had the pleasure of sitting in on a Cajun music jam or catching a good show at a South Louisiana bar or dancehall knows that the talent stash in our part of the world has evolved into one of the richest and most exciting phenomena in music.
While Valcour will soon start picking up acts from beyond our home state, supporting and developing the artists of Louisiana will always be a primary part of our mission.
Thank you for your interest. We look forward to bringing you plenty of great music for years to come. Keep your ears open.
-Valcour Records
Who are we?
Valcour Records Partners, from left to right: Lucius Fontenot, Joel Savoy, and Phillip LaFargue
Being a small shop, we all do a little bit of everything at Valcour, but here is some info about our backgrounds and specialties...
Joel Savoy | Artists and Repertoire, Musician, Producer
Son of Cajun music royalty Marc and Ann, Joel is one of the most requested fiddlers in SW Louisiana today. Growing up in Eunice, Louisiana, literally at the feet of Cajun heros like Dennis McGee, Dewey Balfa, Michael Doucet, and Wade Frugé (to name a few), Joel developed a strong sense of what makes Cajun Cajun and as a result, he has developed a fiddle style that is at once authentic and on the cutting edge. In performance he represents his culture with an authority that few people his age can and his playing leaves no doubt that Cajun music is still very much alive. Well versed in music and a quick learner, he can be found playing with just about every band in SWLA a some time or other, though most often he’s seen with his brother Wilson and their parents in the Savoy Family Band. In 2006 Joel co-founded Valcour Records which has since developed into the premier purveyor of Acadiana’s youthful music talent. He’s worked and played with T-Bone Burnett, Steve Buckingham, Allison Krauss, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Miller, Tim O’Brien, Darol Angor and many more. Joel also builds accordions with his father, makes electric guitars and hi-end tube amps and studio gear, and is an excellent recording engineer.
Phillip LaFargue II | Brand Manager, Designer
A native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Phillip earned his Bachelors degree in English Literature from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. In 2005, he completed his Masters of Communication Design at the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. Through the course of his career, he has worked as a design consultant in Atlanta, a Smart Growth advocate and campaigner in Washington, DC, and a healthcare facilities designer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Other clients Phillip has worked with include Marriott, Kimberly-Clark, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Mostly though, Phillip is a music-lover and has worked in the arts, radio and music promotions since his college days.
Currently, In addition to being co-founder, designer and brand manager at Valcour Records, Phillip is the Director of Communications at the non-profit Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX) in Baton Rouge. CPEX facilitates Smart Growth comprehensive planning and implementation initiatives throughout Louisiana through financial and technical assistance and community outreach and education. Phillip also sits on the Board of Directors for the Manship Theatre at the Shaw Center for the Arts in downtown Baton Rouge.
Lucius Fontenot | Director of Communications, Photographer
Raised in the French Louisiana town of Mamou, Lucius uses the arts to document, preserve, perpetuate and aid in the proliferation his Cajun and Creole culture, identity, language and music. His photography captures the traditions and landscapes of the Cajuns and Creoles.
In addition to being co-founder and Director of Communications at Valcour Records, Lucius is a board member of Louisiane-Acadie, Inc., a non-profit, umbrella, organization that helps to connect Louisiana, Acadien and Francophone organizations. He is also co-president of Les Jeunes Cadiens, a group of young Cajun, Creole and Francophone activists working to preserve and perpetuate Louisiana’s French language and culture. In 2008 Lucius organized and curated the international art exhibition, Moncton Rock - Acadiana Cri: Art & Music in the Acadien Cultural Capitals 1968-2008, funded by a grant from the Louisiana Endowment of the Humanities and the World Cultural Economic Forum.
