"Lawtell Two Step" - Vincent & Cagley

"Vincent & Cagley" was the duo title for guitarist Crawford Vincent and Will Kegley. Together, they recorded two songs for Khoury's subsidiary Lyric label in 1952, one being the old Cajun string band tune "Two Step de Lawtell".  It's record producer George Khoury's only brand label with the red color and gold Lyric logo.   Khoury's Lyric label and later, his self entitled label, was one of the earliest post-war recording labels in south Louisiana and one of the few that gave Cajun musicians their recording "break". Vincent recalls,

Mr. George started out a lot of Cajun bands, I mean like Lawrence Walker, Nathan Abshire, even Jimmy 'C.' Newman.  I recorded for him two songs, I never did do well, they didn't make no hit.  But I was still proud I made 'em, because, you know, it's a souvenir for my grandchildren.  But Mr. Khoury he started a whole bunch of guys.  You see he's had Marie Falcon, Shuk Richard, he's had Will Kegley--that song we made, me and Will Kegley, he put that out.5  

Hé jolie ‘tite fille,

Pourquoi mais j’sus comme ça?

Oh, ‘tit cœur,

N’importe à ton "bon-à-rien". 

Hé jolie ‘tite fille,

Pour toi, comment ça s’fait?*

Tout le temp, ‘tit monde,

Mais oui, dans les misères.

Leo Soileau and Crawford Vincent

Crawford, who had played for years under different groups, mainly with Leo Soileau, teamed up with Nathan Abshire's old fiddle player, Will Kegley for the classic song, "Lawtell Two Step" (#605).  Crawford's earliest memories were learning to play music:

My sister gave me a fiddle when I was nine, and I got an ol' barber down there on the Mermentau River to tune it. I played fiddle the first time when I was nine---well, harmonica when I was eight. You could pack that in the cotton field. You just play 'em, and then when they get kind of dirty you boil 'em in hot water. Anybody can play a harmonica, but they don't master it. I played it pretty well, but I never did play it in a band. I played guitar, fiddle, and drums with the western-swing band.4   

Hey, pretty little girl,

Why, well, am I like that?

Oh, little sweetheart,

Doesn't matter to your "good-for-nothing".

Hey, pretty little girl,

For you, how do you do this?

All the time, my little everything,

Well, yeah, in misery. 

Benny Fruge

By 1951, Crawford employed pianist Cecil Farrell "Benny" Fruge.  Benny learned to play piano from his father Hubert who was known a locally known piano tuner.  Benny picked up the craft at the age of five and began memorizing what he played.  This helped him to develop a keen ear for music.   He began playing with small bands such as Papa Cairo, Jimmy Newman, Chuck Guillory and Happy Fats, while he was still a high school student.  Accommodating teachers arranged his senior high school classes for the afternoon to enable him to continue his musical activities.2,3   


Benny occasionally toured with Lefty Frizzell and played in the Rampart Street Six jazz band until 1954.2  By the late 50s, Fruge had moved to Baton Rouge working at Werleins music store, tuning pianos and teaching piano.  In 1980, he opened his own piano store, Fruge’s Piano Company.1  

1. https://rabenhorst.com/obituary/c-farrellbennyfruge/
2. Daily World (Opelousas, Louisiana) 16 Nov 1967
3. Basile Weekly (Basile, Louisiana) 17 May 1990
4. They Called It the War Effort: Oral Histories from World War II Orange, Texas By Louis Fairchild
5. Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995).  Liner notes.
6. Lyrics by Stephane F and Smith S

Release Info:
A Chere Petite Blun | Khoury's/Lyric 605-A
B Lawtell Two Step | Khoury's/Lyric 605-B

Find:

Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)

"La Cote Farouche De La Vie" - Marie Falcon & Clopha "Shuk" Richard

What many people aren't aware of is that acclaimed Cajun accordionist Joe Falcon had a large musical family, which included his niece Marie Solange Falcon.   Marie, backed by Clopha "Shuk" Richard's band, had a short lived recording career in 1952.   An admirer of her aunt Cleoma Breaux Falcon, she had no problem jumping into the music business.   She had played with many musicians and lived in Cajun dance-halls playing music for years.  George Khoury had her record a very popular country song that year, in French, called "Le Côte Farouche De La Vie" (#621).  The song is fitting for the wild and boisterous female guitarist and vocalist.

Vous serait pas lire mes lettres, se j'ai écrit les 

Tu me demandes de pas ta appelez de sur "phone", 

Il y a quelque chose de vous dit, oui, asteur chere, 

Je l'ai écrit dans les mots dans c'ette chanson. 

Savais pas bon dieu a fait des anges "honky-tonk", 

J'aurais tu connu que m'a jamais faites une femme, 

T'as quitte, oui, le seul l'amour qui t'aimé, chere, 

T'en aller sur la borde la vie farouche. 

Les lumière du le place du soir t'a attiré,

A la place éyoù vin et whisky flux,

Bien, êtes-vous d'être le bébé d'un autre de Pointe d'Eglise,

Oublier l'amour des yeux que t'as jamais connais. 

Savais pas bon dieu a fait des anges "honky-tonk", 

J'aurais tu connu que m'a jamais faites une femme, 

T'as quitte, oui, le seul l'amour qui t'aimé, chere, 

T'en aller sur la borde la vie farouche. 

Eddie Richard, Jay Dartez,

Clopha "Shugg" Richard on accordion,
Marie Solange Falcon on guitar,

Jack Brock (MC)

It is a Cajun rendition of Hank Thompson's 1952 "The Wild Side Of Life". It carries one of the most distinctive melodies of early country music, used in "Thrills That I Can't Forget" recorded by Welby Toomey and Edgar Boaz in 1925.2  The song's roots go back to when William Warren was a boy and A.P Carter of the Carter Family was collecting old traditional folk songs for the Carter Family to record.  One of those songs was "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes," which was a hit for the Carter Family in 1929.  In 1934, Marie's aunt, Cleoma Breaux, was a huge fan of the Carters and had used the melody for her "Mes Yeux Bleu". Influenced by her aunt, Marie sung the song in Lake Charles backed up by Shuk Richard on accordion, Will Kegley on fiddle and Crawford Vincent on drums.    

You would not read my letters, if I wrote them,

You asked me not to call your phone,

This is something you said, yes, right now, dear,

I wrote the words in this song.

Didn't know the good Lord made honky-tonk angels,

I should have known that you never made a woman,

You're leaving, yeah, the one that loved you, dear,

You're going to the wild side of life.

The lights of the night have lured you,

At a place where the wine and whiskey flows,

Well, you are the baby of another from Church Point,

Forget the lovely eyes you've ever known.

Didn't know the good Lord made honky-tonk angels,

I should have known that you never made a woman,

You're leaving, yeah, the one that loved you, dear,

You're going to the wild side of life.

J.D. Miller, showing his #1 hit
"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels"

Roy Acuff heard the same tune but with different lyrics from a band called The Black Shirts. Acuff recorded the song as "The Great Speckled Bird," a song inspired by the 12th chapter and 9th verse of the Book of Jeremiah. In 1952, Jimmy Heap and his band the Melody Masters first recorded the song on the Imperial label. The band's piano player, Arlie Carter, is credited as the song's co-writer.  Heap said in a 1971 interview with Ray Campi that the Melody Masters' version sold about 10,000 copies before Hank Thompson picked it up as the "B" side of his single "Crying In The Deep Blue Sea."

Louisiana recording producer and songwriter J.D. Miller heard Hank's song on his car radio and immediately wrote lyrics for a female response to the song. He submitted his lyrics to Decca Records, which contacted Kitty Wells about recording it. Ms. Wells, semi-retired at the time, was not all that interested in the song, but her husband convinced her to record it anyway since she would be paid a session fee for stepping into the studio. Her song "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," became a number one hit in 1952, and stayed there for six weeks.1

1. http://www.texasescapes.com/ClayCoppedge/A-Classic-Walk-on-The-Wild-Side.htm
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Side_of_Life
3. Lyrics by Jerry M

Release Info:
La Cote Farouche De La Vic | Khoury's KH-621-A
Jole Brun | Khoury's KH-621-B

Find:

Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)
Bayou Two-Step - Cajun Hits From Louisiana 1929-1962 (Jasmine, 2015)

"Creole Hop" - Joe Manuel

Creole Hop!  It was a rendition of the famous Cleoma Breaux tune "Ils La Volet Mon Trancas".   Joe, familiar with the tune from the years playing it as "Hackberry Hop" with Leo Soileau, sang the song in 1947 with Harry Choates as "Hackberry Hop" for Jimmy Mercer's Cajun Classics.  Two years later, he recorded it himself for the Joe Leibowitz's DeLuxe label, entitling it "Creole Hop" (#6039), naming if after the small town in Cameron Parish where many of the Manuels lived.

Hé le Hip et Taïau, ouais, qu’a volé mon traineau, chérie,

Quand ç’a vu j’étais chaud, ouais, ç’a r’venu mon traineau,

C’est les filles de Créole, ouais, qu’a volé traineau, chérie,

Quand ç’a vu j’étais chaud, ouais, ils ont r’venu mon traineau.

Hé le Hip et Taïau, ouais, qu’a volé mon gilet, p’tite fille,

Quand ç’a vu j’étais chaud, ouais, ils ont r’venu mon gilet,

C’est les filles de Créole, ouais, qu’a volé gilet, ouais,

Quand ç’a vu j’étais chaud, p’tite fille, ils ont r’venu mon gilet.

Crowley Daily Signal
Oct 11, 1949

Every Friday afternoon, he ran a radio show on KSIG called T-Joe Manuel & Radio Stars featuring the best western string band tunes of the time.  His group consisted of probably Eddie Caldwell on guitar, Abe Manuel on fiddle, Dusty Rhodes on steel guitar, and Crawford Vincent on drums.  It was essentially the same setup and lineup that Abe had on his recording of "Hippy Ti Yo". 

Hey, the Hip and Taïau, yeh, that stole my sled, darling,

When they saw I was hot, yeh, they returned my sled, darling,

It's the girls of Creole, yeh, that stole my sled, darling,

When they saw I was hot, yeh, they returned my sled.

Hey, the Hip and Taïau, yeh, that stole my vest, little girl,

When they saw I was hot, yeh, they returned my vest,

It's the Creole girls, yeh, that stole my vest, yeh,

When they saw I was hot, little girl, they returned my vest.

Daily World
May 20, 1949

1. Lyrics by Jordy A

Release Info:

D 946 Cherie Ba Sate | 6039-A DeLuxe
D 947 Creole Hop | 6039-B DeLuxe

"Chere Vere Naig" - Clopha "Shuk" Richard & Marie Falcon

Shuk Richard's Louisiana Aces was another popular band on radio and live appearances when this 1951 session took place.  Clopha “Shuk” (Shug) Richard was born in Rayne and it is believed that he learned to play the Cajun accordion by ear with his initial lessons coming from his mother, Ozia Breaux Richard. After working in the rice fields on farms near Rayne, he moved to Lake Charles in the 1920s.2  Marie Falcon was the band's added attraction and one of the very few female artists to appear during the era.  She came from Cajun music's first family, with the recordings of Joe and Cleoma Falcon. Two of Joe's nieces, Marie and Helen, became musicians.1    

Cher vieux nègre, après n’emmener pour te voir,

(A venir te)* de m'voir avant d'mourir,

Aussi loin avec moi aujourd'hui,

Moi, je peux p'us m’empêcher, ouais, d'pleurer.

Moi-même, j'connais quoi tu viens pour te faire soigner,

Moi, je peux p'us m’empêcher, ouais, d'pleurer

Prends courage, à ton vieux nègre pour te voir, 

(Venir te)* pour une autre fois, donc, moi, j'connais.

Aussi loin avec moi, aujourd'hui,

Aujourd'hui, m’empêcher, ouais, d'pleurer,

Comment j'vais venir, moi, te revoir, jolie cœur,

(Venir te pour)* une autre fois que avant d'mourir.

Eddie Richard, Jay Dartez,
Shuk Richard on accordion,
Marie Solange Falcon on guitar,
Jack Brock (MC)

Together, Marie and Shuk Richard recorded "Chere Vere Naig" (#622) corruption of the French phrase, "chère vieux nègre") as an ode to Cleoma's melody "La Valse Crowley".   The song is a high intensity waltz made more effective as Eddie Duhon 'seconds' her vocal on fiddle.1    The group rounded out with Crawford Vincent on drums and Shuk on accordion.  Marie handles the vocals on all four songs from the session. She strums her guitar stridently and sings at the top of her voice as loud as any male Cajun singer.  However, these sessions made very little impact on her as a musician.  Author John Broven remembers:

I once interviewed Marie... I kept trying to convince her that she was breaking new ground as a Cajun woman singer but she wouldn't have it, treating it all matter-of-factly.1  

My dear old friend, take me to see you,

(Come and) see me before I die,

So far away from me, today,

I can not stop myself, yeah, from crying.

I, myself, I know that you're coming to be cared by me,

I can not stop myself, yeah, from crying,

Have courage, your old friend sees you,

(Coming) another time, therefore, I know.

So far away from me, today,

Today, stop me, yeah, from crying,

How will I come see you again, pretty sweetheart?

(Coming) another time, before I die.

1. Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Vol. 2. Liner notes.
2. Cajun Dancehall Heyday by Ron Yule
3. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:
-A Madame Entelle Two Step | Khoury's KH-622-A
-B Chere Vere Naig | Khoury's KH-622-B

Find:
Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings Vol. 2 (Arhoolie, 2013)

"Chere Petite Blun" - Vincent & Cagley

Fiddle player and Cajun drummer, Crawford Vincent, came from a musical family.  His grandfather, Theozime Vincent, who had come from France, was known to play dances in the Gueydan area as early as the 1870s.   Crawford not only learned from his grandfather, but also from a local fiddler named J.B. Fuselier.  However, Crawford's biggest influence came from listening to and playing with the Hackberry Ramblers.1

Will Kegley grew up in a sharecropper family where he and the Clement family grew up together. Accordion player Terry Clement believes this is where Will learned how to play the fiddle.   By the late 1930s, Will and a guitar player from Jennnings named Ernest Thibodeaux.    Will Kegley's biggest connection to the music was when he helped find Nathan Abshire to lead the Pine Grove Boys.   

Crawford Vincent

Oh 'tit monde, tout ça, mais, t'es après faire, 

Si loin, 'tite fille, de moi de toi,

Oh, tout le temps, après 'garder, ouais, pour toi, 

Ça on appelle ma chère,  jolie petite brune.

Oh tout le temps, de t'voir, mais, aussi loin, 

Avec un autre, 'tite fille qui m'aimait pas. 

Oh, de t'voir, avec un autre, avec un monde,

(Je te) promets, 'tit monde, ça fait de la peine.

Crawford and Will were popular musicians that played often together in other groups such as in Shuk Richard's Louisiana Aces.1  They duo came together in 1952 to recording for George Khoury's new record lable Lyric where they waxed "Chere Petite Blun" (#605), adding Cecil Farrell "Benny" Fruge on piano.  Sadly, the rest of the musicians during the session is unknown. Khoury's lack of attention to detail produced a title with the word "brun" misspelled along side Kegley's name written as "Cagley".

Will Kegley

Oh, my everything, all that, well, you've done,

So far away, little girl, I am from you,

Oh, all the time, looking, yeah, for you, 

We call my dear, pretty little brunette.

Oh, all the time, seeing you, well, so far away,

With another, little girl, who doesn't like me,

Oh, seeing you with another, everywhere,

(I) promise you, little everything, it hurts.

However, in tragic turn of events, Will's reputation would be cemented as a rough musician. In June of 1954, while playing with the Pine Grove Boys, he stabbed steel guitar player Atlas Fruge in a fit of rage over the jealously surrounding his wife Oziet.   He was sentenced to Angola for 18 months but only served a year.   Afterwards, he filled in with other bands such as Andrew Cormier's Rambling Aces.1  

1. Cajun Dancehall Heyday by Ron Yule
2. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:
A Chere Petite Blun | Khoury's/Lyric 605-A
B Lawtell Two Step | Khoury's/Lyric 605-B

Find:
Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings Vol. 2 (Arhoolie, 2013)

"Jole Brun" - Clopha "Shuk" Richard & Marie Falcon

"Jole Blon" made it's national debut in 1946 with the honky-tonk recording by Harry Choates for Gold Star records.   He used the slow Amedie Breaux recording but sped it up with a full band sound and changed the key.   For the next several years, musicians began covering the tune, even re-titling the tune and changing the lyrics to appeal to an ever increasing Cajun music audience.  George Khoury's attempt at recording the tune in 1952 as "Jole Brun" (#621) with Marie Solange Falcon and Shuk Richard's band didn't make a lasting impression.

Mais, Jolie brun, 'gardez-donc, quoi t'as fait,

T’as abandonné ton pauvre vieux nègre, pour t'en aller, 

Pour t'en aller, chérie, aussi loin de moi,

Comment tu crois, moi, je vas faire, moi, tout seul?

Mais, jolie brune, tu croyais qu’il y avait juste toi,

Il y avait juste toi dedans le pays pour moi à aimer,

Il y a pas juste toi dans le pays pour aimer,

Mais, il y a juste toi mon cœur peut désirer.

Louisiana Aces, KLOU, 1947
Eddie Duhon, Jay Dartez,

Clopha "Shugg" Richard on accordion,
Marie Solange Falcon on guitar,

Jack Brock (MC)

Marie Solange Falcon, a vocalist and guitarist, was living with her husband and two children near the Richards in Lake Charles in the early 1940s. It was at this time they met, and it is believed he formed the Louisiana Aces with various local musicians. In 1947 the group included Shuk, Marie, Louis Arceneaux on fiddle, and Earl Demary on guitar, and by 1948, Eddie Duhon was added on fiddle and Jay Dartez on steel guitar. They were known to play on Lake Charles radio station KLOU.  After Crawford Vincent and Will Kegley joined the group, they recorded  "Jole Brun" (pretty brunette) in 1952.  The Jolly Boys of Lafayette featuring the Fabacher brothers were the first to use this alternate title in 1937 with their version called "Jolie (Brunette)".  Even Harry Choates himself  tried to capitalize on the popular melody by also releasing his own song entitled "Jole Brun" that same year.  

Well, pretty brunette, so look at what you've done,

You have abandoned your poor old man, you went away,

You went away, dearie, so far from me,

How do you think I will do this all by myself?

Well, pretty brunette, you thought there was just you,

That there was just you in the country for me to love,

There isn't just you in the country to love,

Well, there is just you that my heart desires.

1. Cajun Dancehall Heyday by Ron Yule
2. Lyrics by Jordy A

Release Info:
A Le Cote Farouche De La Vic | Khoury's KH-621-A
B Jole Brun | Khoury's KH-621-B

Find:

Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)

Cajun Capers: Cajun Music 1928-1954 (Proper, 2005)

"Madame Saustin" - Sandy Austin

When Cajun music was brought back to life after WWII, the old classics served as perfect catalysts for emerging artists.  For example, several of Joe Falcon recordings were copied by musical performers after the war.   One of his early tunes "La Valse de Madame Sosten" ended up being covered by dance hall Cajun musicians such as Lawrence Walker and string band Cajun musicians such as Sandy Austin and his Kajans.

Oh, Madame Sosthène, mais, donnez-moi Alida,

La seule moi j'aime tant, mais, depuis l'âge de quatorze ans,

Quand même tu ne veux pas, faudra toujours toi tu viens,

Mon toujours été ton vieux nègre, à pas longtemps, pour ça t'as fais.

Corpus Christi Times
Jun 15, 1951

"Sandy Austin" was actually Abe Manuel Sr., a stage name he started using in 1950.  After he and his brother Joe stopped playing with Harry Choates, they would travel to places around east Texas billed as "Sandy Austin and His Kajans" or "Sandy Austin and His Texans" at places like "The Riviera" club in Corpus Christi.  Meanwhile, his brother could be found across town, billed as "Joe Austin: The Fiddlin' Frenchman and All the Cajuns".  Steel guitarist Carrol Broussard, who played with Manuel during much of this period, recalls:

He used the name Sandy Austin while he was in Corpus Christi.  When his brother Joe joined him, they went under the names Sandy and Joe Austin.  When they left the area they didn't use the name anymore.... No one ever said why they called themselves that.1  

Carrol Broussard, Curly "Pee Wee" Maples, Abe Manuel,
George Duhon, Joe Manuel, Benny Fruge
Corpus Christi, Tx,
Dec 1950

However, years later, western swing researcher, Andrew Brown, tracked down Abe and found out the truth:

There were five Abe Manuels in Lake Charles.  And man, I was getting everybody's bills.  My credit wasn't all that good, but it wasn't that bad, either.  I just said, "Look, I've got to get off of the name Abe Manuel.  Call me something else."   And somebody jumped up and said "Sandy Austin".  I don't know how in the hell they wound up with "Sandy Austin".2   

Oh, Mrs. Sostene, well, give me Alida,

The only one I like so much, well, since the age of 14,

Even though you do not want me to, I'll come visit,

I'll always be your old man, it wasn't long ago, that you've done this.

Recorded at the Corpus Christi Radio KWBU Studio during their long-term booking at a club in the area, O.T. Records co-producers, Virgil Bozeman and Bob Tanner, had already worked with Choates in San Antonio and had scheduled this early 1951 session with Abe's band to record "Madame Saustin" (#113).2  Abe's had his brother Joe on guitar and Lake Charles natives, George Duhon and Crawford Vincent, on bass and drums.  Tanner and Bozeman had Abe backed up by the "king of the steel willie", Skillet Garner, on steel guitar.   

By 1951, he was performing with Adolph Hofner and his Pearl Wrangles in central Texas and later, traveled the country with Lefty Frizzell before returning to Lake Charles in late 1953.2  By the mid 1950s, he had formed the Louisiana Hillbillies.

1. Louisiana Fiddlers By Ron Yule
2. Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Vol. 2. Liner notes.

Release Info:
OT 5 (113A) Scrambled Eggs | O.T. A-113
OT 6 (113B) Madame Saustain | O.T. B-113

"Cherie Ba Sate (Little Sweetheart)" - Joe Manuel

Between 1946 and 1948, Harry Choates and his Melody Boys recorded dozens of tunes.  But after the break-up of his original group, the Manuel brothers, Joe and Abe, ventured out and formed their own groups with similar style.  Joe Manuel was born into a musical family north of Basile. Although his father, Adam, was an accordion player, Joe played Cajun music often without an accordion throughout his career. In the late 1940s, Abe and Joe Manuel who had performed with Leo Soileau and Harry Choates played more contemporary requests and styles dictated by the listeners and dancers.  Joe's band appeared on the radio on stations like KWSL in Lake Charles.  Following his tenure with Choates, he teamed with his brother Abe in the Rockola Playboys and as Sandy and Joe Austin in Corpus Christi, Texas.  But by 1949, he had his own group, The Louisiana Nighthawks.1

Joe Manuel

Hey, bassette, il y a pas longtemps, ouais, 

Tu m'as laissé, 'tit fille, pour t'en aller, 

Pour t'en aller, ouais, avec un autre, 

Avec un autre, ‘tit fille, j'mérite pas ça, vilains 
manière.

Hey, bassette, observes-toi bien, ouais, 

Tous les malfaits, ‘tit fille, ça tu m’as fait il y a pas longtemps,

Tu m'as quitté pour roulailler, ouais, 

Pour t'en aller, ‘tit fille, j'mérite pas ça.

Opelousas Daily World
May 20, 1949

The location for this recording is unknown however, it's quite possible given the sounds on the recording, it was held across the street from the Silver Star Club in Sulphur; the same place Hackberry Ramblers recorded for DeLuxe. During the session, he recorded a waltz he entitled "Chérie Bassette", misspelled as "Cherie Ba Sate". (#6039); not to be confused with the more well known recording by J.B. Fuselier.  His band comprised of probably Eddie Caldwell, Abe Manuel on fiddle, Dusty Rhodes on steel guitar, and Crawford Vincent on drums. 

Hey, short girl, over there, not long ago, yeah,

You left me, hey, little girl, you went away,

You went away, yeah, with another,

With another, little girl, I didn't deserve that, your naughty ways.

Hey, short girl, take a good look at yourself, yeah

All the terrible things, little girl, that you did to me, over there, not long ago,

You left me to go run around, yeah,

You went away, little girl, I didn't deserve that.

1. Cajun Dancehall Heyday by Ron Yule
2. Lyrics by Jordy A and Herman M
3. NOTE: Possibly "Cherie Ba Sate" and "Creole Hop" are in reverse on 78 pressing.

Release Info:

D 946 Cherie Ba Sate 6039-A DeLuxe
D 947 Creole Hop 6039-B DeLuxe

"Valse De Lake Charles" - Harry Choates

Harry Choates played fiddle, guitar, and mandolin throughout south Louisiana and Texas.  His 1946 rendition of “Jole Blon,” the song that would come to be called the “Cajun National Anthem,” had not only been the first French song to crack the Billboard national charts but its ascent above the Number Five position is an achievement unsurpassed to this day.  The audience taste at that time had succumbed to the popularity and influence of cowboy and western swing styles and Cajun Music had followed their trend towards fiddle-led outfits. String bands led by stars like Harry Choates and Leo Soileau were in heavy demand.  

Tu m'as quitté, pour t'en aller,

Dans Grand Lake Charles, mais jolie cœur.

Oh, mais chère petite, mignonne,

Oh, sera pas longtemps.

Oh, vilaine manière,

Moi j'connais, t'as pas fait bien.

Oh, mais chère petite chérie,

Oh, mais moi j'connais t'as fait de la peine.

Nathan Abhsire's main recording outlet, O.T. records, was gaining some momentum with his music and the producer, Virgil Bozman, easily saw Harry's popularity.  In 1949, he convinced him to land two sides, one of which was "Valse De Lake Charles" (#107), the town in which Virgil had his operations based.  Having played alongside Leo Soileau during his stint with the Four Aces, it's no surprise that he learned this song from their 1938 recording "Lake Charles Waltz".  Recording closer to his home town at the KPLC radio station, Harry dropped most of his regular Melody Boys for some local Cajun musicians, most notably Leo Soileau's drummer Crawford Vincent and Happy Fats' pianist Harold "Popeye" Broussard.  B.D. Williams remained on bass guitar.   The tune is clearly a rendition cut from the older versions by Anatole Credure in 1929 and The Four Aces' instrumental done in 1938 called "Lake Charles Waltz".

You left me to go away.

To big Lake Charles, my pretty sweetheart,

Oh, well, dear little cutie,

Oh, it hasn't been long.

Oh, how terrible it is,

I know, you aren't doing well,

Oh, dear little darling,

Oh, well, I know you hurt (me). 

Harry's lyrics were limited by what he knew, often repeating the same words, general phrasing and his signature "Eh! Ha ha!".  In this case, writer's love interest is leaving to the big town of Lake Charles. This was the first and only time Crawforrd Vincent teamed up with Harry.  Vincent was still a member of Leo Soileau's band, but Soileau was in the process of building his own club, so Vincent had time off.   He played with Harry during events near the Green Lantern near Opelousas.  Then, suddenly, Harry left, as he usually did, just when his musical fortunes were beginning to turn in a positive direction.  Vincent remembered that Harry received calls for engagements and booking dates, and over half of these he didn't fulfill, many times failing to show up.1 

1. Poor Hobo: The Tragic Life of Harry Choates, a Cajun Legend by Tim Knight

Release Info:
107-A Jole Blon's Gone 107 O.T.
107-B Valse De Lake Charles 107 O.T.

Find:
Cajun Music - The Early 50s (Arhoolie, 1969)
Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Bear Family, 2002)
Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings Vol. 2 (Arhoolie, 2013)
Bayou Two-Step - Cajun Hits From Louisiana 1929-1962 (Jasmine, 2015)

"Tippy Tee Tippy En" - Crawford Vincent

Crawford Vincent was a talented Cajun from Louisiana that found himself playing drums and guitar, and singing in several groups during the 40s and 50s. In Crawford's early years, he was the main sideman for both the Hackberry Ramblers and Leo Soileau.  In 1940, he recalls being sent to Hackberry, Louisiana with the Civilian Conservation Corps:

My Superintendent was Bob Human, later a postmaster in Sulphur, who played the fiddle. Several other guys in our barracks had guitars and fiddles, and after work we’d sit around and play.1

T’es petite et t’es mignonne,

Et galeuse, mais, j’t’amie quand meme,

Oh, la belle, se pas lavé,

Oh, mais oui, la belle, cherie, te peux aller t’laver.

T’es petite et t’es mignonne,

Trop galeuse, cherie, pour faire ma femme,

Oh, la belle, se pas lavé,

Oh, mais oui, la belle, cherie, te peux aller t’laver.

Petite et t’es mignonne,

Trop galeuse, cherie, pour faire ma femme,

Oh, la belle, se pas lavé,

Oh, mais oui, la belle, cherie, te peux aller t’laver,

Oh, la belle, se pas lavé,

Oh, mais oui, la belle, cherie, te peux aller t’laver.

T’es petite et t’es mignonne,

Et galeuse, j’t’amie quand meme,

T’es petite et t’es mignonne,

Trop galeuse, pour faire ma femme.

Crawford Vincent

On the recordings, it seemed he went by a reversed stage name, Vincent Crawford. It wouldn't be long before he joined the Hackberry Ramblers band.

One day in Hackberry, I met Luderin Darbone, and I soon began playing with the Hackberry Ramblers.  They already had two guitars, so I ordered a set of drums from Sears - Roebuck for $50.  At that time, I received a salary of $30 per month from the CCC.  I was one of the first drummers in a string band. We played a lot at Buddy Little’s Dance Hall in Hackberry, and also at homes in Grand Chenier and Cameron.1

By the 1950s, he was continuously playing around the Lake Charles area with several groups, but mainly with Leo Soileau. Eventually he recorded 2 records with George Khoury and his local label.  One one song, he and musicians from the area he called the Joy Boys gathered together and recorded a tune called "Tippy Tee Tippy En".  It was a misspelled version of the old Creole song "T'es Petite et T'es Mignonne" first recorded by the Fawvor Brothers in 1929.  

You're small and you're a sweetheart,

And shabby, but, I like you anyways,

Oh, girl, you're not clean,

Oh, well yes, girl, dear, you should go wash up.

You're small and you're a sweetheart,

Too shabby, dear, to be my wife,

Oh, girl, you're not clean,

Oh, well yes, girl, dear, you should go wash up.

Small and you're a sweetheart,

Too shabby, dear, to be my wife,

Oh, girl, you're not clean,

Oh, well yes, girl, dear, you should go wash up,

Oh, girl, you're not clean,

Oh, well yes, girl, dear, you should go wash up.

You're small and you're a sweetheart,

And shabby, I like you anyways,

You're small and you're a sweetheart,

Too shabby to be my wife.

Throughout the 1950s, the dancehalls were places Vincent could be found playing music.  They were places full of locals ready to have a great time but only if they followed the rules.  Vincent recalls:

Those old dance halls were great big, drafty buildings.  They had board benches all around the walls, and the ladies sat there between dances. The men had to stay outside, or behind the ‘bull pen’ near the band, until the music started. They’d go in and ask the ladies to dance.  There was a little room on one side with baby beds, so the babies could sleep while the mamas danced.  No liquor was served in the dance halls because of the ladies and children.   If there was a bar, it was an entirely different room or building. 1

  

1. http://ereserves.mcneese.edu/depts/archive/FTBooks/hackberry.htm

Release Info:

-A Tippy Tee Tippy En | Khoury's K640-A

-B Yesterday's Heartaches | Khoury's K640-B

Find:

Hillbilly Researcher # 27 - Khoury`s & Lyric (Hillbilly Researcher, 2018)