COURSEY HARRELLS FERRY MILLERVILLE OLD JEFFERSON PA R K V I E W SHENANDOAH TIGER BEND WHITE OAK
ADVOCATE THE SOUTHEAST
T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
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W e d n e s d ay, M ay 6, 2026
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“I HOPE ONE DAY WE ARE THE ONES TO CHANGE IT,
to make it wine country for the South.” JOSHUA REASON, Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center enologist
PROVIDED PHOTO
Russell Cormier sings Belton Richard’s popular Christmas song ‘Tout mon veux pour Christmas, chère, c’est toi’ with Sheryl Cormier beside him on Dec. 7, 2019, at the Liberty Theater in Eunice.
A Cajun music queen is missing her king Sheryl and Russell Cormier, of Carencro, gave new meaning to a proverb attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt: “Behind every great man, there’s a great woman.” The Cormiers flipped the script with Sheryl in the spotlight as the Queen of Cajun Music, with Russell offering strong support. Herman Their greatFuselier ness changed on April 8 when Russell died after a long illness. The Cormiers were married 62 years, which included Sheryl’s 36 years as the first female professional Cajun accordionist. Born in 1945 in Grand Coteau, Sheryl was 7 years old when her father issued his commandment — leave his accordion alone. The bandstand was no place for a woman. But Sheryl didn’t listen. By her teen years, she was playing accordion in a group with her parents. She eventually became a hairstylist for 15 years, but the accordion kept calling. In 1990, Sheryl quit the beauty shop to start the Cajun Sounds band, which included Russell and son, Russell Jr., as the drummer. Through the years, the band recorded 45 songs, which brought tours as far as Canada and Europe. Winner of numerous awards, Sheryl was inducted into the Cajun Music Hall of Fame in 1997. Throughout Sheryl’s reign as Cajun music’s queen, Russell worked as a carpenter and bulldozer operator. He was also by Sheryl’s side as a vocalist, soundman and the band’s van driver. He enjoyed singing stardom on two French waltzes, “Mon Coeur at Mon Amour (My Heart and My Love)” and “La Bouteille (The Bottle).” With lyrics of a brokenhearted “couillon,” or fool, who turns to whiskey for comfort, “The Bottle” remains a dancehall favorite and one of the most covered Cajun hits. Russell left the bandstand after stomach and lung cancer, as well as a stroke, landed him in a nursing home. He died a little more than three weeks after his longtime queen turned 81. Tributes to Russell have filled social media, jam sessions and Cajun radio shows. Fiddler Gina Forsyth, who played with Sheryl’s all-female Cajun band, summed up the feelings of many. “I would listen to him sing with such soulfulness, in the van, on the way from the gig,” Forsyth wrote on Facebook. “I told him I thought he should sing more. He was hesitant at first, but I’m so glad he finally did. And man, he could sing!” Herman Fuselier is executive director of the St. Landry Parish Tourist Commission. A longtime journalist covering Louisiana music and culture, he lives in Opelousas. His “Zydeco Stomp” show airs at noon Saturdays on KRVS 88.7 FM.
STAFF PHOTOS BY MICHAEL JOHNSON
Southern University AgCenter enologist Joshua Reason inspects seedling clusters on a vine to see how close they are to flowering on April 13 in Baton Rouge. The task is to remove the male reproductive parts of the flower before it matures to prevent self-pollination.
Southern University grows wine grapes in Baton Rouge heat, humidity to launch wine label BY LAUREN CHERAMIE Staff writer
An acre and a half behind an unassuming building on Southern University’s campus, less than a mile from the Mississippi River, is home to one of Baton Rouge’s more unexpected sights. At first glance, it doesn’t look like much is going on, but the rows and rows of plants marked by wooden posts tell a different story. A step closer, and the grapes appear. At this time of year, the grapes are minuscule. They still need three to four months to grow until it’s time to harvest. Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center is growing wine grapes in Baton Rouge — in the kind of heat and humidity most people would assume grapes would hate. Yet these rows of vines are producing fruit, fueling research and supporting
Southern’s vineyard currently includes 18 hybrid varieties and 35 muscadine varieties of grapes. an ambitious goal: helping build a Louisiana wine industry. People who work in the vineyard often use the same word: beautiful. But beauty extends far beyond the surface. The Louisiana acreage may not look like Napa Valley, but maintaining the vineyard is its own kind of achievement.
“It’s a beautiful thing,” said enologist Joshua Reason, of growing grapes in Louisiana. Last year, the program launched its own wine label, the 801 Collection. Officials are now working through permits and certifications needed to sell to the public, a process expected to take a little more than a year. The program is now expanding the vineyard to include seven more acres and a winery building. Southern’s AgCenter established the vineyard on campus in 2020 to enhance the sustainability and profitability of grape and wine production in Louisiana. Faculty, staff and students use the vineyard for research, plant management, outreach, education and workforce training. The vineyard is part of the university’s viticulture and enology
ä See VINEYARD, page 2G
‘H EAR T LI KE AN EAG LE’
Zachary Richard releases ballad in honor of veterans Zachary Richard performs during the 2025 Festivals Acadiens et Creoles at Girard Park in Lafayette. STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK
BY JOANNA BROWN Staff writer
Festival International crowds were the first to hear a new song from Louisiana artist Zachary Richard last week. “Heart Like an Eagle: The Ballad of Barry Guidry” is a joint project by Richard and Lafayette veteran Barry Guidry, who is a quadriplegic and longtime
speaker and advocate for veteran causes. The pair met in physical therapy 15 years ago — Richard following a stroke, and Guidry after an accident that left him using a wheelchair. Richard said they were an “odd couple” joined by tough circumstances — and united in their drive to push forward.
ä See BALLAD, page 2G