NATCHITOCHES – A traditional crafts person, five musicians and an art historian were inducted into the Louisiana Folklife Center’s Hall of Master Folk Artists during an induction ceremony held at Northwestern State University as part of the 45th Annual Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival. Inductees included cultural authority and traditional crafter Christy Castille, who also served as honorary Festival Chair, zydeco musician Chubby Carrier, folk musicians Smithfield Fair and John Litzenberg and art historian Tom Whitehead. Dr. Shane Rasmussen, director of the Louisiana Folklife Center at NSU, led the induction ceremony.
Castille became interested in tatting after seeing her great grandmother’s shuttle tatting and handwork. She was able to attend a workshop over 40 years ago while in her early teens and learned this timeless craft. With the simple double knot created with thread and a shuttle, Castille is able to bring to life beautiful pieces she can share with others. Many of the tatted items she makes are inspired by vintage patterns. Castille likes to be challenged and shuttle tats with fibers that would not have been used in the 1800s. She feels that her greatest accomplishment is merging her heritage tatting with the Acadian Brown Cotton grown by Jerry and Mary Alice Hale. Now demonstrating tatting and teaches workshops throughout the state, she believes in passing on our heritage from generation to generation.
A third-generation zydeco musician, Carrier began his music career in Louisiana dancehalls playing accordion and drums in his father’s zydeco band from the age of 12. Carrier played drums with Terrance Simien from 1986 to 1989, and then formed his own band, Chubby Carrier and the Zydeco Swamp Band. The band has released a total of 11 albums since 1989. Carrier has performed at the Chicago Blues Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and the Utrecht Blues Festival in Amsterdam, and has played with Santana, B.B. King, Travis Tritt and Buddy Guy. Carrier’s most recent album, “Zydeco Junkie,” was the 2010 Grammy winner for best zydeco or Cajun.
Litzenberg is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter with over 50 years of experience on stages across the U.S. Starting at age nine with fiddle, clarinet, piano and guitar, he played with school ensembles as well as various relatives. Music was a big part of Litzenberg family life; holidays were filled with song, with grandma, dad, uncles, cousins, brothers and sisters all joining in. In his early teens, Litzenberg learned upright and electric bass, absorbing classical, folk, jazz and rock. After several years playing original music with bands in Los Angeles, he took a deep dive into folk and blues music, sharing the stage with such legends as Peewee Creighton. Litzenberg then attended Berklee College of Music, but relocated to Memphis, where he focused on writing poetry and acoustic music. After a stint with a folk country band in Seattle, he moved to New Orleans in 1999. Katrina forced his family north to Natchitoches, where he found a new home working with local saxophone great Hardrick Rivers and has played the Natchitoches-NSU Folk Festival and other local events almost every year since. Between his two bands the Snake Doctors and Cane Mutiny, Litzenberg plays a true gumbo of American music: country, Cajun, bluegrass, folk, rock and the blues.
Smithfield Fair was founded by Alexandria singer/guitarist Dudley-Brian Smith in 1973 to focus on roots-oriented original songs in a vocal and acoustic instrument setting. He was soon joined by his brothers Bob on acoustic bass and Joel on acoustic guitar. The Smith brothers’ first release, “A Place In Your Heart,” was on Floyd Soileau’s One Way Records in 1977. After establishing the Alexandria-based independent label Rapides Records, the harmonizing brothers released two albums. Upon Joel’s temporary departure in 1983 to travel in Europe, singer/songwriter Jan Dedon Smith of a Baton Rouge musical family joined on vocals, accordion, guitar and piano. In 1989 after more albums and concert tours (including with Louisiana’s LeRoux and Zachary Richard), and with the return of Joel Smith, the group changed its name from Charmer to Smithfield Fair to celebrate its mutual Scottish heritage. They signed with Centaur World Records and achieved international distribution and recognition. Joel Smith departed again in 1990 and over the following 20+ years, the group played 40-45 weekends a year throughout North America and Scotland. Performing with a who’s who of Scottish and Celtic luminaries, they became known as one of North America’s foremost presenters of Scottish traditional music and original songs written in traditional styles. They have now returned to a broader roots-based genre. They have just released their 36th album, adding to their rich collection of both vocal and instrumental recordings. Their song “Sweet Sugar Cane” has been used for many years as the theme for the American Sugar Cane League. The current and longest-standing line-up is Dudley-Brian Smith (vocals, acoustic guitars, mandolin, harmonica, recorder), Jan Smith (vocals, accordion, piano, acoustic guitars) and Bob Smith (vocals, acoustic bass, percussion), and the group takes pride in being Louisiana’s longest continuously performing roots-oriented singer/songwriter ensemble.
An art historian par excellence, Whitehead’s friendship with folk artist Clementine Hunter has resulted in his being at the forefront in keeping alive her memory. Immediately seeing the quality of Hunter’s talent, he collected her work from the beginning, sometimes buying her pieces while the paint was not yet dry. Not only is his book, “Clementine Hunter: Her Life and Art,’ co-written with Art Shiver, the definitive work on Hunter, but his numerous presentations given far and wide have educated the arts and culture community about Hunter and her place in the history of Southern folk art. Whitehead has worked closely with the FBI to expose forgeries of Hunter’s work. He has also authored a book on Cherokee Plantation on Cane River in Natchitoches.
There are now 142 members in the Hall of Master Folk Artists, which was started in 1981. This year’s festival theme was “Crafting Louisiana.” The festival is held annually in air-conditioned Prather Coliseum on the Northwestern State University campus. Next year’s festival, to be held in July 2026, will recognize many artists young and old who are keeping tradition alive in Louisiana, and will include performers such as Chris Breaux and Six String Rodeo, James Linden Hogg, Kevin Naquin and the Ossun Playboys and the Wayne “Blue” Burns Band, as well as the annual Louisiana State Fiddle Championship. For more information, call the Louisiana Folklife Center at (318) 357-4332, email folklife@louisiana.edu, or online at http://louisianafolklife.nsula.edu/.
Support for the festival was provided by grants from the Cane River National Heritage Area, Inc., the City of Natchitoches, the Louisiana Division of the Arts Decentralized Arts Fund Program, the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, the Louisiana Office of Tourism, the Natchitoches Historic District Development Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Foundation, the Shreveport Regional Arts Council and the State of Louisiana.
Much needed support also came from generous sponsorships from Atmos Energy, Bank of Montgomery, C&H Precision Machining, City Bank, Cleco, Evans Family, LLC, Exchange Bank, the Family Doctors of Natchitoches, the Harrington Law Firm, Natchitoches Wood Preserving Company and Young Estate, LLC.
The views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in the program did not necessarily represent those of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
