Edwin Duhon, co-founder of The Hackberry Ramblers, passed away on Sunday, February 26, 2006. He was 95. In 1933, Duhon formed The Hackberry Ramblers along with fiddler Luderin Darbone, who survives him. Initially, Duhon played acoustic guitar; he went on to play electric guitar, piano, upright bass, harmonica, and accordion, at various times, focusing solely on the accordion in the mid-1990s. Duhon’s last performance was in November, 2005, at the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton Rouge. Although quite ill, he gave it one hundred percent, as always.

In 2002, Edwin Duhon and Luderin Darbone were co-recipients of a National Heritage Fellowship, awarded by the Folk Arts Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts.

DOCUMENTARY ON THE HACKBERRY RAMBLERS WINS A MAJOR AWARD AT SAVANNAH FILM FESTIVAL

On October 30, 2004, Make ‘Em Dance: The Hackberry Ramblers’ Story received The 2004 Savannah Film Festival HBO Films Producer Award. Make ‘Em Dance was co-produced by John Whitehead and Ben Sandmel, and directed by John Whitehead. The award, which is the top honor bestowed at the Savannah Film Festival, was presented by the festival’s Executive Director, Danny Filson.

The films in consideration were juried by a distinguished panel of five judges: Bill Dawes, an actor whose roles in New York theater premieres include Lord Alfred Douglas in Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde and whose credits include a dozen independent films; Abe Gurko, playwright, actor and creator of ABE-NYC Events, an event-planning venture; Sophia Karteris, vice president of programming for the regional entertainment network Turner Broadcasting System Inc.; Michael Mailer, president of Bigel/Mailer Films, a New York-based company specializing in star-driven films that bridge the gap between Hollywood and independent productions; and Nancy Spears, director of marketing for Warner Home Video, the world’s largest distributor of video entertainment.

The Awards ceremony capped off eight days of film fervor in Savannah, with over 60 screenings, numerous panels and workshops, and appearances by such luminaries as actors Kathleen Turner and Peter O’Toole, director Norman Jewison, and critic Roger Ebert. Established in 1998, the festival is presented by The Savannah College of Art and Design, and has quickly gained stature as a prestigious event in cinematic circles.

Future screenings of Make ‘Em Dance are forthcoming.

In other Hackberry Ramblers news, co-founders Luderin Darbone and Edwin Duhon will jointly receive a Living Legend Award from the Acadian Museum in Erath, Louisiana, in a ceremony at 4:00 on Saturday, December 11, 2004.