'Coz' celebrates birthday with Liberty playdate

By Claudette Olivier
claudette.olivier@eunicetoday.com

An Italian-for-Cajun trade put noted local musician Steven “Coz” Fontenot’s first fiddle in his hands.
“My oldest brother Lawrence lived in Alabama, and I was working there, helping him do some remodeling work,” Fontenot said. “I told him I’d like to learn to play the fiddle before I kicked the bucket. He got me a fiddle for Christmas, and I told him it was too expensive.”
“He owned a pizza place, and he told me, ‘I traded three $5 pizzas for the fiddle, so it only cost me $15.’”
Fontenot was born in Mamou 59 years ago this past Tuesday, and he celebrated the occasion in true musician style by singing Cajun French music and playing his instruments at Eunice’s Cajun version of the Grand Ole Opry, the Liberty Theater. Saturday night will mark the seventh time the Eunice resident has played the venue.
“My favorite memory of being a musician was playing the Liberty for my mom’s 70th birthday,” Fontenot said. “All of my family was still living.”
Last night, Fontenot was joined on stage by Ashton Aucoin, the 6-year-old son of Louie and Shannon Aucoin. The young singer is the great- grandson of Cyprien Landreneau, one of the founders of Cajun music.
Fontenot was bitten by the musical bug as a small child.
“Ever since I can remember, I listened to Cajun music on the radio on Saturday mornings with my dad, Ariel Fontenot,” Fontenot said. “He was bedridden, and that’s how we would spend our quality time together.”
“The Mamou Two-Step was the last song that always played on that morning show, and I always turned it off before the song ended. Because of that, I never learned to play that song.”
While his late father serves as his biggest inspiration, the late, great Adam Hebert, a fellow Cajun musician from Lafayette, is Fontenot’s biggest idol.
“The first album I ever had was of all of his songs,” Fontenot said. “I played at his 80th birthday celebration. I spoke to him after I played, and he was crying. He said I sounded like him when he was a younger man.”
“I cried, too.”
Fontenot picked up his first instrument, the harmonica, at age four, and by the age of 10, he was winning awards for his playing.
“I played in the Rice Festival harmonica contest when I was 10,” he said. “I was scared as hell. All I could see were people all the way down the boulevard.”
“It didn’t take him long to learn how to play that harmonica, maybe about two or three months, but for the while, he would make screeching noises all over the house,” said his sister Sybil Israel, laughing.
Fontenot continued playing the smaller instrument throughout his teenage years, and in his mid-twenties, he added the accordion to his musical arsenal.
“I had played the harmonica for so long, and playing the accordion is almost the same thing except you have to squeeze instead of breathe,” he said. “I would almost run out of breath playing the accordion because I was breathing like I was still playing the harmonica.”
At age 48, Fontenot picked up the fiddle, and without even knowing how to read sheet music, he learned to play the instrument overnight.
In his years as a musician, Fontenot opened the former Coz’s Blue Goose bar and sang at funerals, including his own brother’s, and benefits. He even traveled to Myrtle Beach, S.C. to play Myrtle-Gras.
“I was the only Cajun Band that played that year,” he said. “I played five times that day.”
“I love seeing people enjoy themselves and loving the music. You don’t have to be Cajun to play Cajun music. You just have to love the culture.”
The musician hopes that more locals will learn to share out-of-towners’ -- or “welcomed as Cajuns” as he calls them -- interest in the Cajun culture and heritage.
“I wish more local people would take more initiative and learn and uphold the tradition of Cajun music,” Fontenot said. “Those welcomed as Cajuns move here, love our music and play it.”
“It would be a great inspiration to me if more of our young people took interest.”
With his 59th birthday behind him, Fontenot plans to put out his next album long before his 60th birthday arrives.
“I’ve already recorded two albums, and I plan to do another one soon,” he said. “I want to thank all the radio stations that play my music. The best feeling as a musician is to hear yourself on the radio.”