Hadley Castille

Hadley J. Castille (March 3, 1933 – October 25, 2012) was a prominent Cajun fiddler.

Early life Castille was born to a Cajun French speaking family. His father was named François Castille. He learned to play the fiddle from his Uncle Cyprien Castille at around the age of 9. After moving around for a while, he ended up in Pecaniere – a small community near Leonville, LA. Here, he first heard "Jole Blon" by Harry Choates during a trip to the Silver Slipper, a grocery store and bar. The song inspired him to take up a new style of playing. In the early 1950s, he started playing at Roy's Bar in Port Barre, LA and local house parties. Also, they played on the KSLO "Amateur Hour" segments on Saturday mornings.

Festival du Voyageur In the early 1980s, Castille was invited to perform at Le Festival du Voyageur, Western Canada's largest winter festival. This experience caused him to relearn old Cajun tunes and focus on sharpening his skills. He received an honorable discharge from the United States Army having served during the Korean War. Refrait Swallow 6191 (2005) Hadley's Dream (Le Reve' a Hadley) Acadiana Sounds