Ed and Be Deshotels were identical twin brothers and traditional Cajun musicians born in 1920 in the Mamou Prairie region of Louisiana and raised in L’Anse Grise.  Ed played the fiddle and Be played the guitar.  They performed widely around Mamou and Ville Platte.

Both brothers were very good singers and learned to harmonize the old French ballads.  They were inseparable until WWII, when both brothers enlisted in the Navy, but did not serve together. Upon returning from war, Ed and Be reunited and began playing music together again in 1950.

 Dr. Harry Oster, a folklorist and musicologist with the Louisiana Folklore Society discovered the twins and convinced them to record on his record label where they laid down the first recording of “La Danse de Mardi Gras” which was later re-recorded by the Balfa Brothers and became the official Mardi Gras anthem of Mamou. 

In 1972, Ed and Be branched out and formed their own band, The Cajun Troubadours.  The duo would write and record their first 45 rpm single with Floyd Soileau’s record label, Swallow.  “Regard, Mais Touche Pas” was on the A side and “Sept Jours Sur L’Eau” on the B side.  In 1973 they recorded the album Chantant de la Vie des Cajuns. The album consisted of 14 songs. The brothers returned to Swallow to record a second, self-titled album, The Cajun Troubadours.

Be passed away in 1988 and was posthumously inducted into the CFMA Hall of Fame in 2022.  Ed passed away in 2003 and was posthumously inducted into the CFMA Hall of Fame in 2024.

We are proud to honor the Deshotels Brothers’ dedication and legacy at Le Grand Hoorah 2026!