"[3] Canray Fontenot was born in L'Anse aux Vaches, near Basile, Louisiana;[3][4] his family was from nearby Duralde.

"[5] By 1934, Fontenot had begun performing with Amédé Ardoin, who wanted him to play on a recording session with him in New York; however, his parents would not allow him to travel.

[3] In the late 1930s, he formed a string band with George Lenard and Paul Frank, playing boogie woogie, western swing and jazz as well as traditional tunes, but after a few years Fontenot established a more lasting partnership with accordionist Alphonse "Bois Sec" Ardoin (a cousin of Amédé) from nearby Duralde.

In 1948 the pair formed the Duralde Ramblers, who became highly popular in south west Louisiana and made many radio broadcasts through the 1950s, notably on KEUN in Eunice.

His most well-known original songs are "Joe Pitre a Deux Femmes", "Les Barres de la Prison", and "Bonsoir Moreau", which have become standards in the Cajun and Zydeco music repertoires.

[6] Fontenot was never a professional musician; he was a rice farmer for many years, and also worked as a labourer in a feed store in the town of Welsh.

In later years he was featured in many documentaries on Cajun and Creole culture, including the 1989 film J'ai Ete au Bal as well as PBS's American Patchwork Don't Drop the Potato.