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SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 15
BY SENATOR MORRISH
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend Milton Vanicor for his passion, devotion, and his nearly eighty-year
commitment to Cajun music.
WHEREAS, on the same day the armistice was signed ending World War I,
November 11, 1918, a third baby, Milton, was born to Jules and Hermina Vanicor in the tiny
community of Prairie Hayes, Louisiana, near the town of Church Point; and
WHEREAS, Milton Vanicor grew up helping his parents and siblings provide for the
family by subsistence farming as the family grew cotton as a cash crop; grain, primarily, to
feed their animals; and vegetables, primarily, to feed the family; and
WHEREAS, music, particularly traditional Cajun music, played at social gatherings
called bals de maison, was an integral part of the recreation provided for the inhabitants of
Prairie Hayes and surrounding areas and Milton Vanicor was privileged to hear and enjoy
the performances of such great Cajun musicians as Amadee Ardoin, an accordionist, and
Dennis McGee, a fiddler; and
WHEREAS, with money available for only the barest of necessities for the Vanicor
family, a fiddle for young Milton was out of the question, but he was determined to create
his own instrument; and
WHEREAS, using a plank from his father's barnyard, wire from his uncle who made
brooms, and a Prince Albert tobacco can, Milton Vanicor designed and fashioned his own
fiddle and his father produced a bow from a green tree branch and horse hair for string; and
WHEREAS, with pine sap serving as rosin for the bow, Milton Vanicor had a usable
fiddle and bow and he set about teaching himself to play the homemade instrument; and
WHEREAS, during the chaos of the Great Depression of the 1930's, Mr. Vanicor
came to attend these local bals de maison as a means to meet and socialize with other young
people his age and at one of these gatherings he saw a beautiful young Cajun girl, Odile
Bellard, who caught his eye and his attention; and
WHEREAS, following a brief courtship, Odile Bellard became Mrs. Milton Vanicor
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on January 30, 1937; and
WHEREAS, the Great Depression brought moves to Lake Charles, Louisiana, and,
finally, to Lacassine, Louisiana, for Odile and Milton Vanicor while they continued to farm
cotton and work for local rice farmers along their way; and
WHEREAS, World War II interrupted life for the young Vanicors, as with most
Americans of this time, and Milton was drafted into the United States Navy and served
aboard the USS Newberry in the Pacific Theater of the war, including participation in the
invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and in the occupation of Japan; and
WHEREAS, following his service with the occupation forces in Japan, and upon
receiving an honorable discharge from the U.S. Navy, Milton Vanicor returned to his
beloved wife, Odile, southwest Louisiana, the life of a farmer, and his music; and
WHEREAS, having longed to play his cherished Cajun music during his time serving
in the Pacific, but also knowing that there was no extra money for a fiddle, Milton and Odile
Vanicor felled a tree near their home and, after much scraping and carving, Milton Vanicor
once again had a fiddle to play and he spent many wintry evenings around the stove with
Odile, playing and dancing to the Cajun music they both loved; and
WHEREAS, Milton Vanicor eventually joined brothers Ellis and Ivy, nephew Orsy
Vanicor, and brother-in-law, Asa LeJeune, adding his fiddle music to their guitar and steel
guitar sounds; and
WHEREAS, in 1948, Iry LeJeune, Odile's first cousin and, despite the handicap of
being blind, a legendary accordionist and vocalist, came to live with the Vanicors which led
to the men forming the Lacassine Playboys band playing the traditional Cajun music and
acting as a back-up band for Iry and the Lacassine Playboys were quite successful and
Milton Vanicor played on such legendary Iry LeJeune recordings as Grand Nuit Special,
Bayou Pon Pon, and La Valse de Grande Chemin; and
WHEREAS, with the Lacassine Playboys and Iry LeJeune as vocalist, the band
entertained at dances across southwest Louisiana, enjoying a good bit of notoriety in the
area, but with the demands of playing music at late night dances colliding with the need to
support a family, Milton Vanicor turned from the music night life to focus on providing for
his family; and
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WHEREAS, shortly after Milton Vanicor retreated from the life of music as a first
priority, the brief period of exceptional success for the Lacassine Playboys came to a tragic
end with the death of Iry LeJeune, who was struck down while on the side of the road
helping to fix a flat on a foggy October night; and
WHEREAS, Milton Vanicor put away his fiddle except for family gatherings and
concentrated on life with Odile and their children and, following a catastrophic flood in
1953, Milton turned to learning carpentry and construction skills, in order to build homes
for the large number of returning veterans and their families; and
WHEREAS, before long, Milton Vanicor had founded his own construction business,
employing and educating members of his family in order that they could earn a living for
themselves and their families; and
WHEREAS, once the members of his family mastered the skills of construction,
Milton Vanicor provided his brothers, sons, nephews, and, eventually, his grandsons with
a way to earn a living, building homes in Jefferson Davis, Calcasieu, Cameron, and Allen
parishes in southwest Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, after years in the building business, Milton Vanicor retired from his
career in construction and he turned again to his love of Cajun music and playing the fiddle,
often playing again for Odile in the kitchen of their home; and
WHEREAS, a retired Milton Vanicor began playing his traditional Cajun music in
nursing homes to entertain the residents and their families and, soon, interest in his style of
music began to grow among new generations of young people, influencing both younger and
future musicians in the area; and
WHEREAS, after listening to Milton Vanicor's music, these young musicians began
integrating this traditional style into their repertoire, and, soon Vanicor was invited to play
at festivals and music camps such as the Balfa Cajun Music camp at Lake Fausse and at
Bayou Chicot State Park where he was a featured performer; and
WHEREAS, with the loss of his beloved Odile in 2008, Milton Vanicor filled the
void with music and began attending the Saturday morning jam sessions at Marc Savoy's
Savoy Music Club in Eunice, Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, in 2011 and 2012 Milton Vanicor was featured in Savoy's jammer
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entourage at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, known as Jazz Fest; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Vanicor played at festivals and he served for three years on the staff
at the Centrum American Fiddle Tunes Festival in Port Townsend, Washington, where he
played music and, also demonstrated how to make a roux and gumbo and at his first
appearance at the festival in 2012, Milton Vanicor was joined onstage by his daughter, Linda
Mercantel, and the Vanicors were a great hit with the crowds of fans; and
WHEREAS, following the appearance at Fiddle Tunes, Cajun music devotees were
clamoring for a Milton Vanicor album of this historic music and Chris Miller, 2012 winner
of the "Accordionist of the Year" award given by the Cajun French Music Association
(CFMA), was enlisted to assist in the making of the album; and
WHEREAS, Miller recorded the album at Milton Vanicor's home, complete with the
sounds of a train traveling along the nearby railroad tracks in the background of several
tracks on the album and at the age of ninety-five, Vanicor released his first ever album, Un
Souvenir de Milton Vanicor, in July 2013 to the delight of his many fans; and
WHEREAS, in October 2013, Milton Vanicor joined Miller and his band, Bayou
Roots, onstage at the Festivals Acadiens et Creoles in Lafayette for a live performance; and
WHEREAS, with the resurgence of his musical career in his nineties, Milton Vanicor
continues to entertain new generations of music lovers with his traditional Cajun music and
with his warm, friendly persona, still the young man who enlisted his father's assistance to
make his first violin and bow and the gentleman that Odile fell in love with nearly eighty
years ago.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend Milton Vanicor for his passion, devotion, and nearly eighty-year commitment to
Cajun music.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
Milton Vanicor.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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