Mission: To foster enjoyment, appreciation, and understanding of the history of Cajun and Creole music!
"As is always the case, the art of a vital people speaks eloquently for those who create and recreate it." --Ralph Rinzler
Established
May 26, 2002. Latest update January 23, 2010.
Neal Pomea (Pommier)
npomea@gmail.com
610 Eldrid Drive
Silver Spring, Maryland
20904
Various Artists: 1920s-30s , 1940s-50s, 1950s-60s New Selections!
Featuring! Nathan Abshire, Ambrose Thibodeaux, New Selections! Lawrence Walker, Balfa Brothers Octa Clark & Hector Duhon, Austin Pitre & Milton Molitor , Ray Abshire , Cory McCauley, Aldus Roger & the Lafayette Playboys, Denus McGee & Sady Courville , Mamou Hour Cajun Band , Joe Falcon & Cleoma Breaux, Varise Conner Tribute with David Greely & the Conner Family, Amédé Breaux, Moise Robin, Revon Reed's Mamou Social Club, Chris Miller & Bayou Roots, Ganey Arsement, Clément Brothers, Robert Jardell, Jesse Lege New!
Special!
Johnny Richard and James Thibodeaux with Columbus Frugé: Valse de LeBoeuf New! |
Johnny Richard and James Thibodeaux with Columbus Frugé: Arnaudville Two Step New! |
Description: Rare Private Recordings! Nathan Abshire plays accordion and sings the old Joe Falcon song, A Cowboy Rider, as well as Tramp Dessus la Rue. Guitarist Preston Manuel sings Bayou Chêne. Sady Courville plays fiddle, introduces Tramp Dessus la Rue, and pitches the Mothers Day specials of the Mamou merchants. What a voice! The man in charge is Revon Reed, from the floor of Fred Tate's Lounge for the KEUN Mamou Cajun Hour, a live broadcast which aired from 9-11 AM on Saturdays, station 1490. Sounds to me the way I used to hear them in the mid to late 1970s! This goes out with many thanks to the Reed family.
Be sure to hunt for Cajun music on YouTube! You might find this rare video of Nathan playing with Sady and Pres on his signature song, Ma Négresse (Pine Grove Blues). Don't miss 5:25 on! "The natives are getting restless!"
| Le Cowboy Rider | Tramp Dessus la Rue |
| Bayou Chêne |
Recommended: Arhoolie cd 373, French Blues, documents Nathan's early 1950s recordings for the Khoury label from Lake Charles. For late 50s, early 60s, Nathan recorded with J.D. Miller from Crowley and his music was re-released on Flyright CD 19, Nathan Abshire and the Pinegrove Boys. Swallow Records from Ville Platte put out recordings from the 1960s and 70s on CD 6061, The Best of Nathan Abshire. La Louisianne Records from Lafayette leased its 2 lps of Nathan's recordings from the 1970s to Ace Records of Great Britain, available as Nathan Abshire: The Great Cajun Accordionist . Good luck finding those! Great compilations featuring Nathan include Arhooolie CD 416, Cajun Fais Do-Do, and Les Haricots Sont Pas Salés on Cinq Planetes from France.
Ambrose Thibodeaux New Selections!
Description: The Authentic Sounds of Cajun French Music and Folk Songs of Acadiana, out of print and hard to find lp Bee-136, produced by Elton "Bee" Cormier
accordion: Ambrose Thibodeaux; fiddle: Leon Doucet, Ken David; guitar: Reggie Matte (vocal on Eunice Waltz), Gervais Quibodeaux (vocal on Jolie Fille), Robert Sonnier, Mark Latiolais; triangle: Elmer Thibodeaux, Joe Bradford
Respectfully known as "Uncle" Ambrose, this musician was a fixture on KLFY TV Channel 10 from Lafayette, Louisiana in the 1960s and 70s on the early morning show Passe Partout, right after the French rosary to start off the day. He certainly played the older songs in a tempo with dancers in mind. Simple and beautiful! In his live performances he would signal the approaching end of a tune with characteristic good humor, hitting the wrong chord and putting an abrupt stop to things. We owe a lot to Ambrose Thibodeaux for keeping some old, forgotten songs alive and for composing his own in the older style. He was a mainstay on Revon Reed and Sady Courville's Mamou Cajun Hour radio broadcasts Saturday mornings on KEUN 1490 AM direct from Fred's Lounge in Mamou, playing triangle and accordion and also participating as a fine dancer. Known for his easy, solid sense of time on his two steps, he had a fine sense of drama as well, building tension! No step skipped! What's the rush? Douçement!
These selections are dedicated to Pete Bergeron. Pic from 1977 Festivals Acadiens in Lafayette, Louisiana, with Bessyl Duhon on fiddle, Bee Cormier on guitar, and Leola Thibodeaux on triangle.
Recommended: La Louisianne Records in Lafayette, Louisiana may still have a few copies of the four lps that Uncle Ambrose recorded for their label. They are all landmark Cajun albums, so get them all if you can! Don't be confused by their remarkably similar titles: Authentic French Acadian Music, More Authentic Acadian French Music, Authentic Cajun French Music, and That Acadian French Sound. Mais monde!
| Le 'tit Nègre à Tante Dolie | Eunice Waltz |
| Church Point Two Step | Jolie Fille |
| Lafayette Two Step | Elton Waltz |
| Grand Mamou New! | How Come New! |
| Dear Alice New! | Ridge Road Waltz New! |
Lawrence Walker
Description: Live dancehall recordings from the 1960s that appeared on the long out of print and rare Flyright lp 3502, Jambalaya on the Bayou Volume 1. Special thanks to Dave Sax for making this available!
accordion and vocals: Lawrence Walker; fiddle: Lionel Leleux; with steel guitar, rhythm guitar, and drums
Lawrence Walker has been described by Barry Ancelet as too late to count as one of the original Cajun musicians recording in the 1920s and 30s, although he did indeed record that long ago, and yet too early to participate in the renaissance of Cajun music that occurred in the 1960s and beyond. He was certainly one of the most respected and influential Cajun music recording artists and dancehall performers immediately following World War II and into the 1960s. He set a high standard for musicianship and emotional vocals along with showmanship with his accordion. Some of the songs he recorded remain among the most beloved Cajun songs of all time, including Chère Alice, Reno Waltz, Mamou Two Step, Unlucky Waltz, Bosco Stomp, Both for the Same, and so on!
Recommended: Arhoolie cd 427, Cajun Honky Tonk, includes some of Walker's best sides recorded in the late 40s/early 50s for the Khoury label of Lake Charles. Additional Khoury sides and others appear on two hard to find lps: on La Louisianne LL-126, A Tribute to the Late Great Lawrence Walker (Master of the French Accordion), and Swallow lp 6051, Lawrence Walker: A Legend at Last. Good luck finding those!
| Another Nail in My Coffin | Let's Do The Cajun Twist |
Balfa Brothers
Octa Clark and Hector Duhon Octa Clark was one of the finest accordion players in Cajun music history. None finer, ever! He was a contemporary of Joe Falcon and Amédé Breaux and started off in the 1920s, but for personal reasons he turned down many offers to record over the years, so his name as a Cajun music pioneer is not as familiar as it should be. Still he was well known and influential locally in Louisiana. Together with fiddler Hector Duhon, his longtime musical partner and neighbor from Judice, Louisiana, he was re-enlisted to present the old-time music during the "Cajun Renaissance" period of the 1970s at many festivals in Louisiana and elsewhere, inspiring generations of young musicians! Hector Duhon played his fiddle in unison with the accordion rather than taking leads, which is something of a forgotten fiddle style. His son Bessyl accompanied them on guitar when they were the first Cajun musicians to perform at the prestigious University of Chicago Folk Festival in 1972. The Jamboree Waltz was an original composition by Clark as a theme song for a live radio program featuring him with Hector Duhon's Dixie Ramblers from Madame Webb's Neighborhood Club in Lafayette, Louisiana in the late 1950s. In 1993 Clark used the same arrangement of this song and updated the lyrics to coincide with the Breaux Bridge Crawfish Festival and released the selection as the Crawfish Waltz on CD. Recommended: Old Time Cajun Music, Arhoolie CD 9018, the album length release by Clark and Duhon with Mike Doucet on rhythm guitar. Then there is the rare 1993 CD You Cant' Go Wrong if You Play it Right, c/o Glen Clark, Fieldspan, 606 Burlington Circle, Broussard, Louisiana, 70518, gclark@fieldspan.com. A majority of the songs posted here are original compositions and arrangements of Octa Clark and all publishing and copyrights are held by Fieldspan Music BMI, and are NOT in the public domain. Please contact Fieldspan for further uses, recording licenses and information on attributing them to Mr. Octa Clark. Special thanks to Fieldspan Music for permission to post them here!
Austin Pitre & Milton Molitor Pitre sings and plays fiddle on La Danse de Mardi Gras, accordion on Wedding March. Molitor sings and plays accordion on Iota Two Step and Maxie Waltz, with Pitre buzzing on fiddle. Maxie Waltz sounds like a variant of Grand Bois! The lyrics here to Danse de Mardi Gras are interesting but should not be considered definitive. In fact, it is one of the strengths of this song that so many versions occur! I like this version a lot for its call to lend a hand to help the poor. Va donc, donnez, mais, la main -z- avec les pauvres, les Mardi Gras. Va donc, mettez la main –z- avec les pauvres, les Mardi Gras. Va donc, mettez la main avec les pauvres, les Mardi Gras. Les Mardi Gras prendraient de ta main, mais, une 'tite poule jinga. Recommended: Folksongs of the Louisiana Acadians, Arhoolie CD 359. Most, but not all, of the songs from Prestige lp 25015 appear on the Arhoolie CD.
1920s-30s The 1920s and 30s were
a period of unequalled recording of the musical heritage of our country!
The phonograph was finding its way into many homes, and people wanted
to hear local music. With nothing more than the scant, vague promise
that a furniture store, for example, could sell a few hundred copies
of a local musician's songs, recording companies like Victor, Vocalion,
Brunswick, Columbia, Bluebird, and Paramount sent engineers and recording
equipment to outposts like New Orleans, San Antonio, Memphis, and Atlanta,
or a bus ticket north to headquarters in Camden, New Jersey, Chicago,
Richmond, Indiana, Grafton, Wisconsin, etc., and Cajun musicians were
among the bunch to record alongside commercial artists like Jimmie Rodgers,
jazz greats like Johnny Dodds, ragtime guitarists like Blind Blake,
ladies of the blues like Bessie Smith, etc. And the Library of Congress
had a mandate to go everywhere and record the story of the music people
made when it looked to some like the world was going to end in the Great
Depression, dust storms at home, and a world war brewing abroad! It
was in that kind of setting that the recordings above were made, and
they constitute a windfall. A fortunate, unique record of cultural history,
with songs of joy and pride and common woes. A time of great music whose
influence we cannot forget. Alright already, back to the roots! Included:
Wayne Perry's astonishing fiddle! Segura Brothers tearing it up on
accordion and vocal, from a December 16, 1928 session in New Orleans!
Haunting, uncommonly tender folk music from fiddler Delma Lachney,
vocalist Blind Uncle Gaspard, and accordion player John Bertrand. Douglas Bellard, a black fiddler,
was the playing partner of the great Amédé Ardoin before Ardoin decided to go
with fiddler Dennis McGee, a white man who could offer him more protection when
playing before crowds in those racially segregated days. Rumors and myths abound...Here
Douglas is accompanied by Kirby Riley, accordion. These songs by Bellard and
Riley are extremely rare! They are the basis of songs done by people like Austin
Pitre, Bois Sec and Canray, Iry Lejeune, and others. Angelas
LeJeune was one of the most influential of the early Cajun accordion
players. His repertoire passed down to his younger cousin Iry LeJeune,
who made big hits with his reworkings of tunes by Angelas and Amédé
Ardoin in the late 1940s, early 1950s. One listen to the Vieille Valse
de la Louisiane, especially the bridge or "turn," will show what a
powerful player he was. Brilliant! His Valse de la Veuve (aka La Fille
de la Veuve) is the same tune as Jolie Blonde but with a different
story. It looks like in the 20s and 30s, the "standards" were still
"under construction," with lots of songs having multiple titles and
alternate lyrics. See Recording
Activity in New Orleans in the 'Twenties for an interesting rundown of the
diversity captured at just one of the outposts recording music at that time.
Lomax made a field trip to southwest
Louisiana in 1934, where he recorded Wayne Perry. He also recorded Edier Segura's
playful tune, Joe Feraille, sung with a fiddle accompaniment, c'est tout! It
seems petit Joe Feraille is a hustler who trades his wife for a barrel of pecans,
only to have her return to him soon after the bargain for a repeat con on another
poor soul. He trades her again for corn, peanuts next time, and so on. C'est
ca il a dit dans la chanson! Oscar "Slim"
Doucet, the accordion player, does two songs here with a man named Chester
Hawkins on guitar: Waxia (Wauksha) Special (reprised in splendid fashion
by Les Freres Michot on their new CD La Roue qui Pend!); and Chere Yeux
Noirs, not to be confused with 'Tit Yeux Noirs by Lawrence Walker. Guidry Brothers do La Valse du Mariage (also
reprised by Les Freres Michot!). Leroy "Happy Fats"
LeBlanc of the Rayne community led a little string band called the Rayne Bo Ramblers through
Les Filles de St. Martin, an early version of the popular Choupique
Two Step associated with Nathan Abshire. Columbus "Boy" Fruge
from Arnaudville was a contemporary and friend of Moise Robin. He
recorded four songs: the famous Saute Crapaud (Jump Toad), not included
here due to sound quality, and the three included here. The Point
Claire Blues turns out to be an early version of a song I had
previously
associated with Nathan Abshire, The Lemonade Song. One step, not two, by
the great, great Amédé Ardoin, a black accordion player regarded as
one of the fathers of the Creole music style, the roots of Zydeco! What
intensity! Cleoma Falcon with her
brother Clifford Breaux are heard on a couple of "American" tunes, J'Suis
Partis sur le Grand Chemin Tres Disatisfé (Going Down the Road Feeling
Bad), and Continuez Sonner (Keep Knocking but You Can't Come In)! It
just goes to show how Cajun music in the 20s and 30s was a real melting
pot of styles and influences. For such an isolated group as the Cajuns,
their musicians sure were tuned in to the popular music of the day.
Clifford sings jazz-like scat on Continuez Sonner! But you could still
hear really old sounds dating far back even while these modern influences
were at work. And when Cajun musicians took from the popular culture
of the day, you could be sure they'd put their own stamp on it and give
it a unique twist, making it their own. By the mid- to late
1930s a new wave made its way into Cajun music with a string band sound
influenced by country and Western Swing music coming in from the influx
of Texans, etc. coming to Louisiana for its first big oil boom! Early
adopters represented here include Dudley and James Fawvor, J.B. Fuselier
(Miller's Merrymakers), and Leo Soileau. The lovely Creole Waltz
done by the Fawvors has the lyrics associated later with Tout Les Deux
Pour la Meme (Both for the Same) by Lawrence Walker. You can hear a
great version of this tune on the Varise Conner cd mentioned up above.
You are Little and You are Cute is of course the well-loved T'es Petite
et T'es Mignonne. J.B.
Fuselier contributed some of the standards of the Cajun music
repertoire. He was the first to record Chere Tout Toute under that
title, though Angelas LeJeune also uses the tune in one of his
recordings. He was the first to record the Lake Arthur Stomp under that
title. Authorship of the Lake Arthur Stomp is ascribed to the
remarkable fiddler Varise Conner, whose music is featured in a tribute
earlier on this Web site. Parts of the tune also appear in the
recordings of Dennis McGee. Fusilier moved to Lake Arthur so that he
could play with Varise Conner, and they played dances during some of
the leanest days of the Depression. J.B. played both fiddle and
accordion. On a side note, it was J.B. Fuselier accompanying Iry
LeJeune home from a dance when the two had a flat tire and pulled off
the road to fix it. A passing car struck and killed Iry and put J.B. in
the hospital! Varise Conner remembers his friendship with Fuselier in a
touching interview on the Louisiana Folk Masters cd. Also, Miller' s
Merrymakers were led by a guitarist named Beethoven Miller and another
guitarist named Preston Manuel. Manuel is featured on this Web site
with the KEUN Mamou Hour Cajun Band and also appears with Ambrose
Thibodeaux. Small world! The
great fiddler Leo Soileau along with Maius (Mayeus?) Lafleur, later Moise Robin,
on accordion is thought to be the second Cajun musician to record, just
weeks following Joe Falcon and Cleoma Breaux. Those recordings are
legendary! Here we feature some of his later recordings with his string
bands the Rhythm Boys and the Four Aces. Frankie and Johnny,
popularized by Jimmie Rodgers, gets an instrumental treatment with a
lot of attitude! Hear the shouts of his band members telling him to
"make it hot, Leo!" Louisiana Blues and La Bonne Valse epitomize
Soileau's soulful, mournful sound. Then Bing Crosby's Little Dutch Mill
and the sentimental Beautiful Mary show how pop tunes wove their way
into the music. Soileau retired from music in the 1940s with the demise
of the string band sound. The Hackberry Ramblers
were formed in the string band environment of the 1930s by Luderin Darbonne on fiddle
and Edwin Duhon on guitar and various instruments, and an amazing vocalist
named Lennis Sonnier. They were the first to record the song Jolie Blonde
under that title, and they had an a remarkable run of popularity. They
were the first Cajun band to play the bandstand standing up, first to
use amplification in their dances. They ran their Model T Ford battery
during the dance with cable into the hall to electrify the fais do-do! Pic of Wayne
Perry, Indian Bayou, LA, recorded by John Lomax for Library of Congress.
Look how he holds his bow! Is he into it? (Source: LOC American Memory) 1940s-50s New Selections! The great Harry Choates is surely
in everyone's Cajun Music Hall of Fame. He made an important contribution to
local pride with his wildly popular version of the crossover hit, Jolie Blon,
to the point that some people still call it the Cajun national anthem! A short
but brilliant life, some would say wasted, he was a casualty in his twenties
of a raucous, honky tonk life style, but boy was he fun when he was on! His
signature cry Eh Ha Ha! epitomized the music of the 1940s and early 50s at its
most joyous. Hear Oh Mignonne, a swing reworking of Leo Soileau and Mayeuse
Lafleur's Ton Papa M'a Jete Dehors from the 20s! You might think the fiddling
on C'est Pas La Peine (What's the Use?) sounds suspiciously like Nashville,
but no, it's the other way around! He and fiddlers like Chuck Guillory and Rufus
Thibodeaux influenced the Nashville sound immensely. Brilliant! Valse de Hadacol is
one of our theme songs around here. The lyrics are in the form of a
testimonial from a satisfied customer thanking Nonc Dudley, i.e. Dudley
J. LeBlanc, the maker of this "miracle" tonic. Mon petit garçon a plus des crises Si t’as des douleurs mais tout partout "Pendant longtemps j’ai miséré transcription
by Christian Landry, Daniel Blanchard, and Neal Pomea Lee
Sonnier of Crowley was the first Cajun to record with the accordion
following World War II. He was recorded by J.D. Miller in 1946. The
"post-War" accordion sound really took off with the Houston-based Opera
label release of Iry LeJeune with the Oklahoma Tornadoes, Love Bridge
Waltz. If anybody has information on the name of this tune please
contact me by e-mail. From there on a slew of accordion players
recorded, including Austin Pitre, Nathan Abshire, Lawrence Walker,
Lionel Cormier, etc., and a boom was on for dancehall music. The rest,
they say, is history!
Recommended: Arhoolie cd 427, Cajun Honky Tonk, includes great 78s recorded in the late 40s/early 50s for the Khoury label of Lake Charles and other regional record labels. Included: Nathan Abshire, Lawrence Walker, Harry Choates, Floyd LeBlanc, the Musical Four Plus One, Elise Deshotels and his Louisiana Rhythmaires (featuring vocals by Dewey Balfa and accordion by Maurice Barzas!), Shuk Richard with vocals by Marie Falcon, etc. Maurice Barzas and the Mamou Playboys was one of the earliest bands featuring the accordion after World War II. Their long lasting gig at Snooks' Lounge in Ville Platte (something like every Saturday night for 35 years!) featured Two Step de Ville Platte as theme song. You can get two CDs of the wonderful music of Maurice Barzas and the Mamou Playboys through Tina Pilione of the Savoy Music Center in Eunice, Louisiana. The live tape recordings that form the basis of these CDs were made in the 1970s and 1980s, but the music and atmosphere captured in the recordings certainly well represent the post-World War II milieu. For ordering information see http://www.tinapilione.com/. Also, Bear Family Records has a landmark collection of the music of Harry Choates entitled Devil in the Bayou: The Gold Star Recordings. Reissue producers Andrew Brown and Dave Sax have given us our fullest picture yet of the life and times of this unforgettable musician. We owe them our sincere thanks!!
Dewey Balfa fiddle demo: Pretty Little Christine, Rosina, Perrodin Two Step, Liberty/Saute Crapaud New!
J'ai Passé devant ta Porte
Le Hackberry Hop
Valse de Platin
Port Arthur Waltz
Valse de Reno
Madeleine
J'aimerais te Pardonner
Jolie Blonde
Dewey Balfa and group at Wheatland Festival, Remus, Michigan: Fiddlesticks, Les Rêves d'un Veuf , Mon P'tit Mouchoir, Acadian Two Step New!
accordion and vocals: Octa Clark; fiddle: Hector Duhon, Bessyl Duhon, David Greely, Rick Michot; guitar: Bessyl Duhon, Steve Riley
Description: Cajun Folk Music, lp Prestige International 25015 (long out of print), recorded 1956-1959, with Pitre on accordion, vocals, fiddle; Molitor on accordion and vocals; and Lurlin LeJeune on guitar. Thanks to Jack Bond for making these rare recordings available.
Et eux-autres, ça passe une fois par an pour l'avoir, la charité.
Donnez-moi quand même, une 'tite poule jinga pour un gombo.
Et eux-autres est gone dans tous les prés, 'près essayer gagner leur vie.
Ca vient –z- une fois par an, gaspillé, faut s'obligé.
Et eux-autres, ils ont la crève de faim, et ça passe une fois par an.
Crier, c'est obligé, de donner pour -z- eux manger.
Mais eux-autres, une fois tu y eux as arrangé,
Parce qu'il sont si misérable.
Va donc, mettez la main –z- avec les Mardi Gras. (Transcription by Daniel Blanchard)
La Danse de Mardi Gras
Iota
Two Step
Wedding March
Maxie Waltz
Description: 78s recorded from the collections of Joe Bussard, Ron
Brown, and others...; Early American Cajun Music, Yazoo cd 2042
Description: Early local recordings after World War II, from regional
labels like Feature, Fais Do-Do, Folkstar, Opera, etc. Special thanks
to Lyle Ferbrache of Brentwood, California for his generous contributions to preserving and
documenting this little known era of Cajun music! More essay to come.
Ma vieille a plus des rhumatismes
Sont plus malades at all at all
Depuis ils ont pris le Hadacol
Sois garanti, tu prends quelques doses
Tes yeux sont claires, tes joues sont roses
Prends quelques bouteilles et je te promets
Tu vas jongler pour courtiser
J’ai fait serment dessus la Bible
Me sentir mieux. C’est pas possible!
Moi qui te dis je peux remercier
Le Hadacol à Nonc Dudley
Dans tes jambes et dans ton cou
Si t’as besoin des vitamins
Le Hadacol peut le mettre within
Si les docteurs t’ont décomptés
Y a une sauce pour t’as cassé
Y a une chance pour ta santé
Le Hadacol peut te le donner
Viens faire serment dessus la Bible
Te sentir mieux. C’est pas possible!
Moi qui dis qui a remercié
Le Hadacol à Nonc Dudley
Sus juste du lait et du pain grillé
Asteur c'est bien, je me bourre des huitres,"
Say Nonc Ignace a L'Anse la Butte
"J’ai pris le tonique à Nonc Dudley
C'est ça ça pris pour m’engraisser
Asteur ma vieille me trouve si mieux
Elle me prend pareil qu’un amoureux."
J’ai fait serment dessus la Bible
Me sentir mieux. C’est pas possible!
Moi qui dis je peux remercier
Le Hadacol à Nonc Dudley!
1950s-60s New Selections!
Description: Proud jukebox standards of the 1950s and 1960s with various artists. Love the way Sidney Brown ended his recordings with Bingo! Domino!
My daddy told me that a long time ago. To him, there never was a time when things progressed so much as in the 1950s, the 60s. Pense, donc! Merci Bon Dieu! Electricity in the house and some kitchen appliances you never had before! The parish paved the road. To go to school you could take the school bus, the transfer, not a horse and wagon anymore. You could haul the rice to the mill in Kaplan, Rayne, or Crowley and get a good price. No easy street or gravy train, just better than Depression days and lonesome years in the War. Lots of "Cadiens" in southwest Louisiana felt that way! I did. The music told a story. It was proud, it was new, it laughed at us how we were in the old days, all at the same time. Natural, a renaissance to be proud again of being French in America!
Ray Abshire
& Friends
Description: From the
2003 Festivals Acadiens, Lafayette, Louisiana; and from the Liberty Theater, Eunice, Louisiana in September, 2005.
accordion and vocal:
Ray Abshire; fiddle and vocal: Courtney Granger; fiddle: Kevin Wimmer;
guitar: André Michot; upright bass: Louie Michot; announcer: Barry Ancelet
(Festivals Acadien)
Ray with R.C. Vanicor, steel guitar; Errol Guilbeau, guitar; Vernon
Bergeron, drums; Courtney Granger, fiddle; Barry Ancelet, announcer
(Liberty Theater)
Special thanks to Ray Abshire for sharing his great music! These soundboard recordings are from his memorable performance at the 2003 Festivals Acadiens in Lafayette, Louisiana and from a September 2005 performance at the Liberty Theater.
French Two Step and Valse a Rodney were featured here for a long time. Now we turn to two more: Rabbit Stole the Pumpkin (that was the name on the old recording by John Bertrand, but you will recognize this as J'etais au Bal), and Fe Fe Ponchaux (original on this Web site above by Joe Falcon). Announcer Barry Ancelet gives a moving introduction, recalling Ray's times in the 1960s and 70s with the Balfa Brothers and the earliest days of the Cajun music renaissance when the Festivals Acadiens was only a one night Tribute to Cajun Music!
Creole Stomp, Lacassine Special, and the Cajuns' Waltz feature the modern dancehall lineup with steel guitar and drums. Great stuff!
Recommended: For
Old Times Sake and Arrete
Pas la Musique. They are surely two of the best traditional Cajun music recordings to come out in recent years. Don't miss them!
| Rabbit Stole the Pumpkin | Fe Fe Ponchaux |
| Band Intro at Liberty Theater New! | Lacassine Special |
| Creole Stomp | The Cajuns' Waltz |
Cory McCauley & His Evangeline Aces
Description: Play That Thing, Yeah Jack!, Fais Do Do 5061-2, 1999
accordion and vocal: Cory McCauley;
guitar and vocal: Lisa McCauley; drums: Vernon Bergeron; fiddle: Jason Frey,
Clint Ward, or Bernard Veillon
Madame Entelle was what Shuk Richard called Petite ou la Grosse, aka Donnez Moi La, Madame Edouard. Outstanding all around! "Quoi tu croit? C'est tout la meme prix." Yo Yo is an old one by Pee Wee Broussard! Pointe aux Tigres and Evangeline Aces Special are original.
Lulu's back in town! Hold that tiger...
Recommended: For my taste, this CD is one of the best Cajun releases of recent
years! Cory thought it was cool to put these songs here in the company
of this "Hall of Fame" collection, and he invites you to contact
him at evangelineaces@hotmail.com for CD purchase. He charges $16.61 per CD and that includes shipping
by first class mail and there is no handling fee. P.S. This is a better
mode of purchase than through your local record store or Amazon.com
because more of the profit goes to the artist this way. Bien merci a
Cory et son gang! Bonne chance a tout eusse.
| Evangeline Aces Special | Yo Yo Two Step |
| Madame Entelle | Two Step de Pointe aux Tigres |
Aldus Roger
& the Lafayette Playboys
Description: Has there ever been
a 5 piece Cajun band this good? Maybe. Heard 'em when a baby, heard 'em when
a man. Still smiling! KLFY TV Channel 10. Phillip Alleman on steel and vocals.
Man Abshire, drums. Popeye Broussard, Doc Guidry, or Louis Foreman, fiddle.
Charly lp GCL-110, re-release of Goldband Records material, 1989
Recommended: CD La Louisianne 1007 (great selections!)
| Diga Ding Ding Dong | Duson Waltz |
| Lafayette Playboys' Waltz New! | Hix Wagon Wheel Special New! |
Denus McGee
& Sady Courville
Description: Morning Star lp 16001 recording session, July 30, 1972 at the home of Joe Bussard,
Frederick, Maryland. Music and talk just as it happened! Comments by Denus
and Sady, Dick Spottswood, Joe Bussard, and the Morning Star folks, Rich Nevins
and Charlie Faurot. Contact Custom
Made Cassettes to order three 90 minute tapes of this historic session!
| Bouquis Manuel Breakdown | Crowley Two Step |
| Tolam Waltz | |
| Chère Mom | Let's Call It Happy Two Step |
| Lafayette | |
"Languages have dictionaries, Cajun music had Dennis McGee" -- Marc Savoy
Mamou Hour
Cajun Band New Selections!
Description: lp This is Mamou
Cajun Radio, Sonet Stereo SNTF 802, 1979
announcers: Revon Reed and Sady Courville; accordion and vocals: Roy Fusilier;
fiddle: Sady Courville; guitar: Preston Manuel; triangle: Joe Bradford. "... programme Français ici est amener à vous par les marchands qui fait la programme possible, icite à Grand Mamou, la place beaucoup connu comme 'Fred's Lounge,' Mamou Cajun Hour!" There
have been some good bands Saturday mornings chez Fred Tate, inside the roped
off area, but this is my favorite. Sady: "Ok Roy. Quoi on à pour eux autres?" Roy: "Everybody
on the floor! Tout l'monde sus l'plancher pour un bon temp!"
| Lafayette | Chère Tou Toute |
| Tous les Soirs | Love Bridge Waltz |
| Le Cajun Strip | Hathaway Two Step |
| La Valse à Famille | 'Tit Chemin Croche |
| Grand Mamou | La Pistauche à Tante Nana |
| Johnny Peut Pas Danser |
Joe Falcon
& Cleoma Breaux New Selections!
Description: Some rare
78s from the collections of Joe Bussard of Frederick, Maryland, and Lyle Ferbrache of Milpitas, California. Great
accordion, great singing from the husband and wife team of Joseph Falcon
and Cleoma Breaux of Rayne! These songs are from the late 20s, early
30s. They were some of the Cajun music sensations of those days, being
the first to record commercially. Waltz that Carried Me to My Grave
was side A, Lafayette (Allons a Lafayette) was side B. Joe was known
for how he could "turn" a song with the bridge or B part. And Cleoma
(sister of the fabled Breaux Brothers) may be Cajun music's best loved
female artist. Fee Fee Poncheaux? Non, mais ça scorch! Mon View d'Autrefois (My
Old Used to Be), too!
Cajun music historian Ron Brown of Athens, Tennessee points out that the recordings Cleoma and Joe made for Decca records in New York, New Orleans, and San Antonio in 1934, 1936, and 1937 (and their recordings for Bluebird) are among the most cherished! They recorded under Cleoma's name, under Joe's name, and as the Falcon Trio, with fiddlers Ulysse Falcon on some sessions or Mose Morgan on others. It's possible that Cleoma's brothers Clifford or Ophy of the Breaux Brothers appeared on some of them, as well.
I'm struck by how Cleoma seemed to like to sing "American" songs from the old time country and blues repertoires, sometimes in English. There are two versions of the same song here, one in English and one in French, with Raise Your Window High and Ouvrez Grand ma Fenetre. Lulu's Back in Town is her French version of a popular song of the day. Careless Love, It's a Sin to Tell a Lie, I Don't Want Your Greenback Dollar, and Just Because get "Cajunized" here. See the 1920s-30s section for her version of Going Down the Road Feeling Bad, and hear her accompany her brothers on Continuez de Sonner (Keep a Knockin but You Can't Come In)! Another thing that strikes me is how Joe's melodies appear again and again in the standard Cajun music repertoire under different names! Ma Valse Preferé, for example, sounds like Grand Mamou; La Valse Crowley like the Lafayette Playboys Waltz; Frisco like Vermilion Two Step; Pin Solitaire like the B.O. Sparkle; Mon Favori Waltz like Valse de Grand Bois; Au Revoir Cherie like Evangeline Special; Le Nuit Samedi like the Valse de Samedi au Soir; Ne Buvez Plus Jamais like J'etais au Bal; Valse de Baldwin like Chere Alice; etc. Joe's name doesn't always pop up in lists of all time top Cajun accordionists, but I will say this. He's not flashy but he sure keeps good time! I really like the tension he builds in a song's bridge.
Please excuse the sound quality of some of these rare 78s.
Tribute to Varise Conner with David Greely & the Conner Family at 2004 Festivals Acadiens
Description: KRVS radio broadcast, September 19, 2004, of a remarkable
tribute to the great Lake Arthur fiddler Varise Conner in honor of his
historic appearance 30 years ago at Festivals Acadiens, Lafayette
Louisiana, and in honor of the release of cd, Louisiana
Folk Masters Series: Varise Conner
Wow! Of all the special performances and tributes over the years featured at Festivals Acadiens, this must rank among the sweetest! BEAUTIFUL loving tribute by David Greely, the Conner Family, and Barry Ancelet celebrating the 30th anniversary of the first Tribute to Cajun Music held in Louisiana, and the music of fiddler Varise Conner. Announcer Barry Ancelet remarks how Greely, from the Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys band, is there facing down four guitarists from the Conner family accompanying him. Magnificent job by all! You will want the Varise Conner cd after hearing this!
fiddle: David Greely; guitars: Milton Conner, Edgar Benoit, Mitchell Conner, George Conner
Amédé Breaux
Description: Feature
78s 1023 and 1024, circa 1951. Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell were kingpin in '51, but this could have left them crying in the dust!
| Jolie Blonde | Acadian Two Step |
| Criminal Waltz |
Moise Robin
Description: DOM cd 1078 from France. Sound recording by Gerard Dole. Music and lyrics by Moise Robin. Circa 1980.
Back to the early days! Moise Robin was 17 years old in 1929 when he accompanied the fiddler Leo Soileau to Richmond, Indiana to record for Paramount Records. One of their masterpieces was a song called Easy Rider. Another, Penitentiary Waltz. A standard, J'Veux m'Marier (mais les poules pends pas). Dole tracked him down to his home in Arnaudville, Louisiana, and captured these songs with commentary. He tells that the songs are two steps, waltzes, and slow drags. Slow drag -- that's a dance that sounds like the blues. The songs tell some interesting stories! Lovely songs! I especially like Sois Honnete avec Moi, La Valse a Carmelite. Bayou Benoit! They are sequential, so listen to them in the left column, then the right. More to come...I understand that there are more field recordings of Robin as an older man. I would love to hear them!
Mamou Social Club
Description: Revon Reed recorded these in Mamou in the early to mid 1960s. Apologies
for the poor sound quality. You may need to crank up your volume a bit.
Impressive cast of characters. Fiddlers Aubrey Deville, Wallace "Cheese" Read, Chuck Guillory. Guitarist Preston Manuel.
LA VALSE D'LA MANCHE performed by Wallace Cheese Read
Quand
moi j'étais petit
J'braillais pour une patate
A c't'heure moi j'suis grand
Moi j'braille pour ma bouteille
Oh! vilaine manière
Moi j'm'en vas manche à manche
Un grand vaurien dans les ch'mins
Z'avec la jug au plombeau
Quand
j'm'en vas, cher
Moi j'm'en vas z'un grand vaurien
Dans les manches, jolie fille
Oh ! cher grand soulard
Oh ! tous les propos
Que tu m'as fait y a pas longtemps
Moi je jongle à tou' les choses
Jour et nuit, cher bébé
Hey!
malheureuse
Moi j'm'en vas dedans les ch'mins
Moi j'm'en vas manche à manche
Avec la jug au plombeau
J'ai eu z'un bon temps
Moi j'connais, malheureuse
Mais moi j'm'en vas, yé yaille!
Avec z'un grand chagrin
transcription generously provided by Gerard Dole!
Recommended: Folksongs of the Louisiana Acadians, Arhoolie CD 359 and Cajun Fais Do Do, Arhoolie CD 416.
Chris
Miller & Bayou Roots
Description: A
2005 release on CD CPM 100-01. Ton Bec est Doux (Your Kiss is Sweet) is
a traditional waltz for which Chris wrote some original lyrics. And
Bashoot LeBlanc was a neighbor of his who played Cajun music on the
harmonica, something you don't hear so much of these days. Chris
dedicates this song to him and throws in a great harmonica line. Nice
groove for dancers! Thanks to the guys for permission to post these
here! Bonne chance a tout eusse! Steve Dougay: vocals, guitar, and
bass; Clint Ward: fiddle; Tim Broussard: bass; Dale Dougay: drums;
Marty Broussard: Dobro guitar; Chris Miller: vocal, accordion,
harmonica, fiddle
Recommended: Contact information at www.bayouroots.com.
| Ton 'Tit Bec est Doux | One Step à Bashoot LeBlanc |
Ganey Arsement
Description: 2006 release, Bayou State Media 0100. Ganey Arsement: accordion, guitar, bass; Clint Ward: fiddle
A very versatile Lake Charles musician, Ganey offers a fine accordion instrumental here dedicated to one of his mentors, August Broussard! Sounds like Love Bridge Waltz played in two step time. August Broussard was quite adept at converting waltzes to two steps and vice versa. On this tune, through the magic of technology, Ganey replicates something he and August used to do, i.e. it starts off with a C accordion, moves to a D accordion, then back and forth! Nice tempo on this one!
| Deux Pas Pour August Broussard |
Clément Brothers
Description: Terry Clément, accordion; Purvis Clément, fiddle; Grant Clément, guitar. Rare recordings of Diggy Liggy Lo and Valse de 'Tit Maurice from the collection of Ron Brown. Live recordings from the collection of Jack Bond. Many thanks to Ron, Jack, and the Cléments!
It is a pleasure to be able to share with you this music! You will hear three of their records from the 1950s: Valse de 'Tit Maurice, Diggy Liggy Lo, and French Blues. Hard to find material! Then you will hear some later recordings done in a more relaxed, non-studio atmosphere.
From Evangeline, Louisiana, this family has deep roots on the southwest prairies. Ancestors made their way to Louisiana from Marseille, France in the early 1800s, settling in the Grand Coteau area of the old Attakapas country before moving on to present day environs near Jennings. On fiddle and accordion, their father Laurent played the Louisiana French folk music that became the basis of what we know these days as Cajun music, passing on to his sons his considerable knowledge and talents.
The Clément Brothers band have been making wonderful Cajun music since the late 1940s! They were on the scene playing the same clubs in the same time period that so many of our "better known" heroes from the 50s dancehall circuit were active, such as Lawrence Walker, Austin Pitre, Iry LeJeune, Aldus Roger, etc. Their great friend and hero, Nathan Abshire, helped spark a revival of accordion music in the post-war years with a regular engagement at The Pinegrove Club, a dancehall situated just a short way down the road from the Clément home.
In a recent interview Terry told me he was writing a lot of songs in those days. He sang me a folk tune he learned from his father to which he made up some words about Holly Beach, the Cajuns' popular getaway along the Gulf Coast in Cameron parish. That song became a hit for Lawrence Walker called Les Bon Temps Rouler. You may also like to know that Terry wrote and made the first recording of a little song that became a national hit called Diggy Liggy Lo! Allons ecouter!
| Valse de 'Tit Maurice | Diggy Liggy Lo |
| French Blues | Valse d'Evangeline |
| Jolie Blonde | Mardi Gras Song |
| Belizaire | Valse Gabriel |
Robert Jardell
Description: Recorded over KRVS radio, Lafayette, Louisiana, from Eunice's historic Liberty Theater on the Rendez Vous des Cajuns program, May 1, 2004. Thanks to Robert and to sound engineer Jerry Devillier of the Liberty Theater for permission to share.
Edmond Guidry, drums; Jeb Huval, guitar; Blake Miller and Matt Cormier, fiddles. Host: Sir Barry Ancelet
| Theme Song | Band Intro |
| I Cried | Eunice Two Step |
| Jolie Blonde | Les Flammes d'Enfer |
| Mourir dans la Misere | Games People Play |
| Convict Waltz | Johnny Can't Dance |
| Valse de Reno | Veuves de la Coulée |
Jesse Lege All New!
Description: Recorded over KRVS radio, Lafayette, Louisiana, from Eunice's historic Liberty Theater on the Rendez Vous des Cajuns program, January 15 and April 10, 2005. Thanks to Jesse and to sound engineer Jerry Devillier of the Liberty Theater for permission to share. Intense vocals, inspired song selections! One of the hardest working musicians currently in traditional Louisiana French music.
Orsy Vanicor, steel guitar; Ed Poullard, fiddle; Cliff Newman, drums; Ganey Arsement, guitar; Jude Moreau, bass.
Story
Time:
How
Fido Died
Description: "My grandfather
told me that long time ago. One time he went on a trip. He had his neighbor
take him to the train depot. He hitch up his buggy. Three weeks later
he come back. Neighbor was right there take him back. Ask his neighbor
'How's everything at home?' Neighbors says "It's fair. It's alright.
Oh, Fido died!" Hear how it all started with his dog Fido and that candle,
that miserable little candle. Note: to those who don't know French,
a voile is a veil. An old time funeral veil.
Buck and Bry
Description: "It was the last time before I broke my leg. I rode a horse. Buck! His name was Buck. That horse come from Texas. No cowboy Texas could stay on his back. So they bring him to me. They bring him to me and I put the saddle early in the morning.." Hear what happens when he can't get off the bucking horse and his wife sends him to the store!
Pascal and His Egrets
Description: "So Pascal him, he had a bunch of egret. Instead of chicken he had some egret. ....And he'd let his egret instead of his pig go out at night in Olide's field. Olide had about twelve acres sweet potato. Those smart egret, Pascal had trained them." -See what happens when Pascal gets all his egret and revenge himself!
Swallow and La Louisianne Samples!
Description: You can now hear samples of great, hard to find material from Swallow and La Louisianne Records. First up? Ambrose Thibodeaux, the Touchet Family, and Joe Bonsall. Please use the contact information at the top of the sample page if you wish to check on availability.
New! Iry Lejeune: Wailin' the Blues Cajun Style!
Description: Get your buzz about Iry LeJeune from this new book by master fiddler Ron Yule with Ervin Lejeune. Foreword by Ryan Brasseaux, with a chapter on Iry's accordion style by Chris Miller, and lyrics in both English and French. The book has what I consider to be the most thorough and engaging portrait yet of Iry and his music, his times, and his legacy. I believe it is destined to become an essential for anyone interested in Iry and his place in Cajun music and culture. It's short, 143 pages, with about 80 pages of main text and the rest as appendices. Includes many photographs never seen before, shots of the labels for all his songs, and a frank interview with Eddie Shuler who recorded him for the Goldband label.
I learned many facts that I never knew before, such as things about his disability, his attendance at the Louisiana School for the Blind, his visits and his busking in New Orleans, his exposure to cosmopolitan influences in New Orleans, his travels with Virgil Bozman's Oklahoma Tornadoes across the South including Nashville, his dogged determination to be heard and recorded, his experiments with home recording and desire to release his own record label, and the milieu in which Iry lived. Interesting facts about Iry's life intersecting with the lives of so many other well known figures in Cajun music history, including Amédé Breaux, Nathan Abshire, Will Kegley, Ernest Fruge, J.B. Fusilier, and many others.
See the Web site for contact information or write to ronyule@gmail.com.
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