B and K Music

By Nancy Correro
The Times of SWLA

B and K Music, Kinder, La.

B and K Music was started by Ken Smith and Buford Smith in 1978 in their home. Their business grew out of necessity and a love of music.

Ken Smith is a third generation fiddle player. He started playing at age 10. His father, Buford Smith, is a guitarist.

“I grew-up playing in house jam sessions. There were a lot of jam sessions at my grand parent’s house. Some of my relatives that played fiddle were alive at that time and I picked it up,” Ken Smith said.

Ken Smith, World Champion Fiddler

Smith was introduced to a style of music called “Texas fiddle competition music.”

Once he learned that style of playing Smith and his father went all over Texas and through to Alabama competing in fiddle contests. He won several contests across the United States after that and won the state championship in Louisiana five times—all between the ages of twelve and eighteen.

“It was a gift, something I inherited and I pursued it. I gave up everything else in my life that most kids do—basketball, baseball, football—and practiced about four to five hours a day,” said Smith.

Over the years Smith and his father learned to repair their own instruments. There were no repair people in this area at the time.

In order to have an instrument repaired, one would have to go to Houston or New Orleans. According to Smith, there was nowhere to get supplies.

“We opened up a little company in 1978 out of our home. We were able to get a distributor to furnish and supply us in tools like strings and accessories,” said Smith.

When Smith turned twenty-one, he told his father he would like to open a retail store in Kinder and that is what they did.

Bufford Smith, Guitarist and co-owner.

“We starved to death for about ten years,” Smith said, laughing, “1981 was a real bad recession here and I opened up then, but the store became successful around 1989, 90. We dealt in musical instruments and fiddle or violin repairs,” said Smith.

B and K Music has always sold European violins. There are pictures of some of the lovely European violins on their website: www.bandkmusic.biz.

“We probably keep over 100 European violins in stock. I have connections in Europe and we have them flown in. We do necessary repairs if needed and if not we just set them up for the type of music that is played in this part of the country,” said Smith. “Plus, McNeese has a classical program; Lake Charles and Lafayette have a symphony.”

This is a folk oriented musical instrument and repairs store, and they also keep a large selection of instruments which is not very common in most music stores.

B and K Music also has amps, pa systems, DJ equipment, mixers, and processors. They do installations for churches, nightclubs, and design audio equipment for courtrooms.

“I built my reputation on being a successful contest player and I think that is what made the store unique is we combined fiddle players and violin players. If you wanted to buy a classical violin you had to go to a classical violin shop and that would have been in a major city,” Smith said. “It used to be two completely different worlds: fiddle people and violin people.”

Smith’s success is what made the store unique and it’s a hard form of music to play, but there are young people today that are playing Texas style contest music.

“It’s evolved into a really extremely hard form of music and there are some very reputable judges with state competitions and national competitions and world competitions,” Smith said.
To get a better understanding of this type of music one can think of a hoedown, breakdown, rags, as in ragtime or waltzes and hornpipes, jigs, and reels.

“Those were all the forms of music and over the years they have become more polished and more parts have been added to them and the technique of playing them has gotten more precise,” Smith said.

Ken Smith and his father still actively play. Smith is a freelancing musician with different bands. Ken Smith is full of surprises. He nonchalantly and humbly mentioned he had been nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992.

“I was nominated – I had a recording with Rounder Records in 1992 and it was nominated for a Grammy. All of those things put together combined with good service made the store a success,” Smith said.

The Grammy nomination was a collaborative effort put together by a record company out of Boston, MA. They picked out three personalities from Louisiana. When Rounder Records called, they had Cajun artist D.L. Menard who plays guitar and sings and another artist, Eddie LeJeune who is a Cajun accordion player.

“They picked those two fellows and then they called me and picked me as a fiddle player and they said they would like us to get together and cut a record.

Rounder Records saw something in the three individuals and wanted to combine the three personalities. They called the group Le Trio Cadien, which, by the way, the CD of the same name is available on Amazon.com.

“They flew us to a recording studio in Boston and we stayed there for four days. It was a very relaxed atmosphere. They let us do some of our own producing and let us utilize some of our own ideas in putting this album together. They released it in 1991 and we were nominated in 1992 for the Grammy. That led to about 15 European tours that we did from around 1992 to 1995,” Smith said.

Smith plays gigs every weekend. In fact, they played at Festival Acadian. He plays gigs with some popular Cajun bands.

When asked about music lessons, Smith said that he did that for fifteen years at the store and had some very successful students.

When the store got extremely busy and they were rewarded contracts that they were bidding on like church and club installs, it was taking a lot of my time after work and that was the time he was giving lessons.

“I may do it again when I’m older and get tired of climbing through attics,” Smith said.
Some of Smith’s touring consisted of federally granted programs here in the United States that wanted Cajun music.

“I met a lot of people on my travels and I had offers from advanced students asking me for master lessons. So that is something I can look forward to in the future,” Smith said.

B and K Music is located at 320 N. 10th Street in Kinder. Phone: 337-738-2686.

Lyon’s Music Company: Music With A Personal Touch

By Chaney Ferguson
Editor, The Times of SWLA





When Sam Lyons worked for Gulf State Utilities in the ‘70s, he decided to pursue his passion on the side. He started teaching guitar lessons.
“As a young boy I took piano lessons, and when I was in my late teens I started playing the guitar,” said Lyons.

Using a small portable building as a workspace, Lyon’s decided to branch out and open his own store.

In 1975, Lyons and his wife, Pat, began to sell guitars.

“We had maybe 4 to 6 guitars on the wall when we first started.”

At the time there were many guitars out there for people to purchase. Students would come for lessons with an inexpensive guitar that wouldn’t stay tuned. As a result they couldn’t learn as well.

“We wanted to put something in their hands they could actually learn on; something that would stay in tune. There are a lot of guitars that have just strings on it, but as far as trying to learn on it you will not be successful,” said Lyons.

When Lyon’s Music opened they were selling beginners guitars for around$35/$45.
“They were cheaper then, but now you can buy a guitar anywhere, even in the department stores.”

Lyons says that guitars in department stores are actually completely different than the ones found in music stores.

Sam & Pat Lyons, Owners
“The manufacturer actually makes something for them to sell, but it’s not the same quality. Then the same company will make better guitars that sell in music stores. It’s a different grade guitar altogether,” said Lyons.

After displaying about a half a dozen student guitars, the business began to expand.
The store is now the place to buy guitars, electric guitars, amplifiers, and drums.
“Pretty much everything but keyboards. We never really sold keyboards,” said Lyons.

Over the years, Lyons started carrying school band instruments.

“The band directors will do their fitting and test their students to see what they play best and then tell them what they play. Then they will let them shop for whatever they’re looking for. We sell all the instruments that the band uses. Saxophone, clarinet, flute, trumpet, and trombone. And percussion and bells,” said Lyons.

“We take time with our customers and don’t try to rush anything. We work with them. If someone is buying a horn, we take the time to tell them how to clean it and take care of it so they aren’t always bringing it in for repairs,” said Pat Lyons.

If this is a student’s first time to play a horn, Lyons says, it is important to go over the basics with them when they are purchasing the instrument. They’re shown what to do and what not to do, to keep the instrument in good condition.

In his younger years, when Lyons was first getting started with the guitar, he participated in a few bands.

“Like all young guys we would play in a few different bands over the years. Nothing famous.”

The band consisted of Lyons and one of his best friends with other members coming and going.
“We would play rock and roll and country at different local venues. We did street dances, several things for the city of Sulphur, and we would play at the roller rink on some weekends,“ said Lyons.

When Rob Robin was still a DJ, the group played for him a few times at the roller rink in Lake Charles.

“We were always changing members and changing the name of the band.”

Some of Lyons’ musical inspirations were The Beatles, Eric Clapton and Chet Atkins.
“The Beatles were one of the groups I really listened to because they were not only great singers, but they were great musicians. Chet Atkins could pretty much do anything he wanted to on a guitar.”

When Lyons married at 21, he stopped playing in the band, but he never stopped playing the guitar.

“I play guitar for myself and when my wife and her family get together, some of her brothers play as well. Of course I will play in the store when customers come in just to show them how the guitar works, especially with the electric guitars. I show them how the knobs work,” said Lyons.
Lyons’ son, Jason, grew up in the store and even though he never took to playing, he has a knack for repairs.

“My son does repairs on the guitars and band instruments. He does anything string-wise. Banjos, mandolins, and violins. He can repair just about anything.”

The whole family is involved at Lyons Music Company, and their mission is to satisfy the customer.

“We will bend over backward to satisfy and I think that is lost in many stores, but the owners aren’t up front working anymore.”

Stop by Lyons Music Company where you can have all your questions answered with a personal touch.

Located at 337 Beglis Pkwy in Sulphur. For information call, 337-625-7915 or drop by. Store Hours: Monday-Friday 10am-6pm and Saturday 10am-2pm.