In 2021, beloved Cajun fiddler Courtney Granger had a weary look that matched the old soul in his voice. Granger, 39, was in the final round of a lifelong fight with diabetes, which forced musical retirement and faint hope of a kidney transplant.

APO Records founder Chad Kassem never forgot the jaw-dropping moment of seeing Granger play as a teen. The fiddler remained on Kassem’s to-do list of recordings.

But Yvette Landry, a friend of both, knew that opportunity was fading. With Kassem’s blessings, she brought Granger to Dockside Studio in Maurice with another old soul in a young body, Creole musician Cedric Watson.

Still, Landry wondered if it was too late.

“When Courtney got there, you can tell he wasn’t feeling good,” said Landry. “I told him, ‘If you’re not feeling good, we can re

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