Dunice Theriot

Cajun musician, born December 23, 1944 in Henderson, Louisiana; died March 27, 1990. Founder and owner of Sportsman Records. He started playing music at the age of seven, and learned to play the Cajun accordion two years later. He began playing music professionally at sixteen years of age, initially appearing with his father's band. He played accordion, harmonica, piano, drums, and fiddle, and was also a vocalist and songwriter. He organized his own band in 1953 and worked with notable Cajun artists Rufus Thibodeaux and Warren Storm. He recorded on thirty-two 45 rpm records and two albums, on the Sportsman, Swallow, Lanor, and Flyright labels between 1963 and 1990. One of his recordings was selected by KRVS (National Public Radio affiliate at the University of Southwestern Louisiana) as the "Best Cajun Song" of 1984-85. He received the Golden Career Award from the Breaux Bridge Historical Society in 1985.