"Lafayette (Allon à Luafette)" - Joe Falcon

The dawn of commercial Cajun recording began in the late 1920s.   In 1928, Columbia had just acquired Okeh records two years earlier. They were very interested in recording southern "hillbilly" music on location.  Frank Buckley Walker, a talent scout for Columbia Records’ Country Music Division during the 1920s and 1930s, helped master the technique of field recordings. Specializing in southern roots music, Walker set up remote recording studios in cities such as Atlanta, New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas, Little Rock and Johnson City searching for amateur musical talent. 

During the spring of 1928, a native of New Orleans and friend of Frank's executives, George Burr lived and worked in Joe's hometown of Rayne.  He knew the locals, Joe's music, and that people would buy these records if he had some.  George contacted one of the executives of Columbia and found out they would be recording in New Orleans.  Burr arranged an audition with Columbia, in New Orleans, by guaranteeing that, should the group be accepted, he would buy 250 records to sell in dance-halls in and around Crowley, in Acadia Parish.  According to Walker,

I brought down a little group. I think his name was Joe Falcon. I brought him down to New Orleans, and we recorded just to have something different. We put it on the market, and it had tremendous sales.

Taken soon after the recording in New Orleans, 1928.
Barnett Studio, Crowley, LA

Burr drove the Falcons and a singer, Leon Meche, to the Columbia audition in New Orleans. They headed to New Orleans, arriving at the Godchaux Building, not far from the Columbia Phonograph Company on Canal Street. But when they got there, Columbia didn't think the duo would be enough to make a record.  As Falcon recalled years later “When [Burr] went to talk to them, they asked where the band was. Burr pointed to me and Cleoma and Meche.” Columbia’s A&R man (artists and repertoire) told Burr that the company was only interested in large orchestras that played foxtrots and similar dance tunes.  George immediately explained Joe's music was popular back home and wrote a check for double his original order to 500 records.  Still doubting their abilities, they asked to hear a tune.   As they prepared themselves, Joe's friend and vocalist, Leon Meche, was getting ready however, he got stage fright and backed out.   

He looked at me and said 'You better sing it yourself, I might make a mistake'. So I took over.

Godchaux Building on Canal Street

So, Joe and Cleoma played "Allon a Lafayette" on his German diatonic accordion which his dad bought for him in Lafayette and Cleoma played a guitar.  The sound took the executives by surprise.  

They came over to where we recorded and they said 'Lord but that's more music out of two instruments than we ever heard in our lives.  We don't understand nothing, but it's a sweet sound.  Pardner, get ready, we're going for good now.  We are going to make it!'

Allons à Lafayette, c'est pour changer ton nom,

On va t’appeler Madame, Madame Canaille Comeaux,

Petite, t’es trop mignonne pour faire ta criminelle,

Comment tu crois que moi j'peux faire, mais, mon tout seul,

Mais toi, mon jolie coeur, 'garde-donc, mais, quoi t’as fait,

Si loin, comme moi j'suis d'toi, mais, ça m'fait pitié.

Allons à Lafayette, c'est pour changer ton nom,

On va t’appeler Madame, Madame Canaille Comeaux,

Petite, t’es trop mignonne pour faire ta criminelle,

Comment tu crois que moi j'peux faire, mais, mon tout seul,

Mais, oui, mais, c'est de m'voir, si loin de toi, mignonne,

Tu peux me crever l'coeur, jolie, mais, jolie fille.

Allons à Lafayette, c'est pour changer ton nom,

On va t’appeler Madame, Madame Canaille Comeaux,

Petite, t’es trop mignonne pour faire ta criminelle,

Observe-moi bien, mignonne, tu vas voir par toi même,

Que moi, je n'merite pas, tout ça, mais, t'apres faire,

T'apres m'quitter ton negre, avec pour, mais, t'en aller.

Advertisement in Port Arthur News,
August 24, 1928

The duo recorded two songs, the first being "Lafayette (Allon à Luafette)" (#15275).  The tune is based on a song Joe had heard as a little boy called "Jeunes Gens Campagnard". The record sold well in the region and kicked off an entire genre of music which is still going strong. Afterwards, more recording companies chose to begin recording Cajun music. 

Let's go to Lafayette, in order to change your name,

We'll call you Mrs., Mrs. Canaille Comeaux,

Little one, you are too cute to be this bad,

How do you think that I'll handle this, well, all alone?

Well, you, my pretty sweetheart, so look, well, what you've done,

So far, like I am from you, well, it makes me pitiful.

Let's go to Lafayette, in order to change your name,

We'll call you Mrs., Mrs. Canaille Comeaux,

Little one, you are too cute to be this bad,

How do you think that I'll handle this, well, all alone?

Well, yeah, well, seeing me so far from you, cutie,

You can break my heart, pretty, well, pretty girl,

Let's go to Lafayette, in order to change your name,

We'll call you Mrs., Mrs. Canaille Comeaux,

Little one, you are too cute to be this bad,

Pay attention well, cutie, you'll see for yourself,

That I don't deserve all of that, well, you've done,

You've left me, your old man, well, to go away.

Like many of the Columbia recordings of Cajun music, it would be co-issued on the Okeh label in the early 30s.  From that moment on, fans of Joe and Cleoma would purchase multiple copies of Lafayette, due to ruining them from playing them so much.   Their song would kick off an entire genre of music for generations of people to follow.  In late 1946, Harry Choates resurrected the tune and officially entitled it "Allons A Lafayette" on his Gold Star recording.

In 2010, the song "Allons a Lafayette" came in at #3 in Robert Dimery's book "1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download".4  In 2013, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

1. LSU Libraries Special Collections. POST (LAUREN CHESTER) PAPERS. Stack: 7:11-19. Box: 8. Sound Recordings: Audio Tapes. Side 1: Post interview with Joe Falcon / Side 2: Lecture on Imperial Valley. Joe Falcon, Acadian musician (1963)
2. Broven, John.  "South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous", p15-17.
3. Seeger, Mike (1962). "Frank Buckley Walker. Columbia Records Old-Time Music Talent Scout"
4. 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die: And 10,001 You Must Download Hardcover – November 2, 2010 by Robert Dimery

Find:
The Cajuns: Songs, Waltzes, & Two-Steps (Folkways, 1971)

Sony Music 100 Years: Soundtrack for a Century (1999)
Cajun Origins (Catfish, 2001)
Les Cajuns Best Of 2002 Les Triomphes De La Country Volume 12 (Habana, 2002)
Cajun Louisiane 1928-1939 (Fremeaux, 2003)
Cajun Early Recordings (JSP, 2004)
Cajun Capers: Cajun Music 1928-1954 (Proper, 2005)
The Beginner's Guide to Cajun Music (Primo, 2008)
The Best Of Cajun & Zydeco (Not Now, 2010)
J'ai Ete Au Bal - Vol. 1 (I Went To The Dance) (Arhoolie, 2011)