Founder of the Louisiana-based label Valcour Records, Joel Savoy is a master builder of Cajun accordions under his father’s Acadian brand in Eunice. He is a two-time GRAMMY-winning recording engineer and record producer as well as a ten-time GRAMMY nominee.
Joel is a versatile fiddler and guitarist and he has played and taught music around the world for the last 30 years. He has worked with the best in southwest Louisiana as well as with folks like John Fogerty, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Earle, and T-Bone Burnett, although most often he’s seen with his brother Wilson and their parents in the Savoy Family Cajun Band.
In 2006 Joel founded the traditional Faquetaique Courir de Mardi Gras in his community outside of Eunice, Louisiana. Open to all who wish to participate, this celebration is known for its traditional values and for providing a deeply spiritual cultural experience.
Joel served seven years as Artistic Director of the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend, Washington, and as program manager for the National Council for Traditional Arts program National Treasures. In 2026 he was recognized as “Musician of the Year” in Saint Landry Parish and he was named “Fiddler of the Year” by the Cajun French Music Awards in 2008 and 2012 . In 2017 he was an ICON Award honoree in Lafayette, Louisiana, for his contributions to the area's art, business and culture, and in 2020 he was curator for the esteemed Louisiana Crossroads concert series at the Acadiana Center for the Arts in Downtown Lafayette. He also served as a governor on the board of the Memphis Chapter of the Recording Academy for three years and as the chapter Vice President for a year. He has appeared on the big screen in The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, All the King's Men, HBO's Tremé and Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and Parts Unknown.
