Biography
David Greely, a native of Baton Rouge, spent his formative years distant from the Cajun homeland linked to his ancestry. Without direct immersion in the region’s traditional sounds, he applied his fiddle instead to gospel, country, and bluegrass. In 1985 he redirected his focus to the Cajun melodies of his forebears, absorbing them first through recordings and later through direct contact with players near Mamou, Louisiana. A 1992 Louisiana Folklife grant enabled the developing fiddler to apprentice with Dewey Balfa, one of the tradition’s leading figures. The experience introduced Greely to both the community’s repertoire and deeper aspects of its culture. In 1988 he co-founded the Mamou Playboys alongside Steve Riley, another former Balfa student. Greely continues to record with the Mamou Playboys while also issuing his own projects, among them the 1991 album La Taille des Ronces.
Albums