"Crap Shooter's Hop" - Joe Werner

One of Louisiana's string-based groups were Joe Werner and the Ramblers.  His simple sound accompanied with fiddle and harmonica was to capture the success he had with his previous recording of "Wondering". Even though RCA Bluebird listed his song as "Cajun", his lyrics are an English cover of an American tune. According to compiler Samuel Charters:

The source material seems to be white country ragtime, with melodic materials from several rag and black sources.  "Tain't Nobody's Business But Mine" and "Dill Pickles Rag" are suggested in the melody.1

Joe Werner

I'm rollin' them bones on Easy Street,

I'm tellin' you boys I'm hard to beat,

Shakin' those dice both night and day,

Tryin' to make them darn things pay.

Shake them up, shake them down,

Roll them easy upon the ground,

Come on dice, let me hear you rattle,

Turn right up and show me a natural.

Joe Werner was making his name stand out after jumping out on his own after recording with the Hackberry Ramblers.  He started his own Ramblers group, featuring either Doc Guidry or possibly Wayne Perry on fiddle.  During this 1938 session in New Orleans, Joe recorded several Cajun French tunes as well as English tunes.

1. The Cajuns: Songs, Waltzes & Two Steps.  Liner notes.

Find:
The Cajuns: Songs, Waltzes, & Two-Steps (Folkways, 1971)
Cajun Country, Vol. 2, More Hits from the Swamp (JSP, 2005) The Best Of Cajun & Zydeco (Not Now, 2010)