"Two Step De Avalon" - Elise Deshotel

Elise Dehotel's Louisiana Rhythmaires were very popular between Basile and Lake Charles. Deshotel, together with family members, had previously played with Nathan Abshire in south Louisiana venues including the Avalon Club, a place owned by the rough and tumble Quincy Davis. Doug Kershaw recalls playing at the club:

Me & my brothers, Pee Wee & Rusty would play the afternoon dance at Club Avalon in Basile then either Iry or Nathan Abshire would play the night dance. Quincy could be rough if he had to, but he looked after us kids.  When he re-opened the Broken Mirror in West Lake, he let us play there.

Elise jumped into the recording arena around the same time Nathan had brought back the accordion into Cajun music.  Deshotel's six song session, comprised of three vocals and three instruments, was the first in which Dewey Balfa took part on fiddle, as well as handling all the vocals.  The instrumentals from the session were assigned as the "A" sides and stomping accordion pieces dominated by Maurice Barzas. As researcher David Sax mentions:

"Two Step De Avalon" in particular, with it's wonderfully heavy handed drumming from Deshotel's wife Esther, seems to bring to mind a wild early morning encore near closing time at the Avalon Club.1  

"Avalon" seems to be a slightly different take on Lawrence Walker's "Creole Stomp". Elise had himself on guitar, Maurice Barzas on accordion, Dewey Balfa on fiddle, Rodney Balfa on guitar, and Esther on drums.  The band members fluctuated often and by this point, Atlas Fruge was added on steel guitar.  Sadly, his astounding steel guitar playing and Balfa's fiddle are barely heard here. 

KSIG in Crowley
Elise Deshotel, Cleveland "Cat" Deshotel,
Atlas Fruge, unknown girl, unknown guitar,
Eldridge "Coon" Guidry

1. Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Vol. 2. Liner notes.

Release Info:

Two Step De Avalon | Khoury's KH-619-A

La Valse De Courage | Khoury's KH-619-B

Find:

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

"La Valse Da Courage" - Elise Deshotel

During World War II, a 16-year-old Dewey Balfa left home to work in a Texas shipyard followed by a stint in the Merchant Marines. He maintained his chops with Texas swing, containing a heavy swing influence, and maybe it was here, being away from home where he felt the missing connection with his cultural music. In 1948, he returned to Louisiana and formed the Musical Brothers, a popular string dance band, with brothers Harry, Will and Rodney. By then Dewey had blossomed into a virtuoso with his accurate, flowing style and was often requested to gig with other musicians.1 

Ton papa et ta maman m’a toujours dit, chère,

Pas te quitte, ouais, notre amour d'être gouverné,

Quoi faire donc, ‘tit monde, t’après faire ça, chère, 

Tu connais je mérite pas tous ces misères.

Quoi faire donc, ‘tit monde, toi, tu fais ça, chère,

T’après m'quitter, mon tout seul dans les misères,

Tu connais, ‘tite fille, avant longtemps, chère, 

Tu voudras t’en revenir, découragé.

Atlas Fruge, Will Kegley, Nathan Abshire, 
Cleveland "Cat" Deshotel, Elise Deshotel

During this early period, Dewey met musician Elise Deshotel.   Elise Deshotel and fellow accordion player, Maurice Barzas, teamed up with the young fiddle player named Dewey Balfa in a makeshift recording studio in Opelousas.   One the Dewey's earliest releases with Elise Deshotel, "La Valse De Courage", (#619), recorded in 1951 was Dewey's take on the well-known 1928 Joe and Cleoma Falcon tune "Waltz That Carried Me To My Grave".  The tune manifests itself in other original forms such as Bixy Guidry's "La Valse Du Bayou" and the Breaux Brothers "La Valse des Pins".  It has a melody that seems to borrow from Nathan's "La Valse de Bayou Teche" but steers itself in a slightly different direction.  Meant to be "La Valse Découragée", it tells of a love interest who has left, leaving the lover discouraged.  The recording had Dewey's brother Rodney Balfa on guitar, Atlas Fruge on steel guitar, and Ester Deshotel on drums.  In 1953, Iry borrowed Cleoma's tune for his better known "La Valse de Grand Chemin".

Your dad and your mom always told me, dear,

Don't you let, yeah, our love be controlled,

Why did you do, my little everything, all that you've done, dear,

You know I do not deserve all of this misery.

Why did you do, my little everything, what you have done, dear,

You have left me, all alone in misery,

You know, little girl, before long, dear,

You'll want to come back, discouraged

In the ’50s, Dewey’s notoriety was reaching new heights. Around the same time, he began his lifetime association with Nathan Abshire, the jovial, soulful accordionist who rightfully has his own place in the annals of Cajun music. But just as music was making a come back, the Balfas considered it be a celebratory past-time, not taken seriously as a profession. In order to support a growing family, at various times Dewey worked as a farmer, an insurance salesman, a school bus driver, a disc jockey and a furniture store owner.1  It wouldn't be until the 1960s when Dewey would try to revitalize his recording career with Floyd Soileau. 

1. http://www.offbeat.com/articles/masters-of-louisiana-music-dewey-balfa/
2. Discussions with Lyle F.
3. Lyrics by Jordy A

Release Info:
A Two Step de Avalon KH-619-A Khoury's
B La Valse de Courage KH-619-B Khoury's

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

"Le Two Step De Villeplatte" - Elise Deshotel

The Deshotels lived near Basile and were involved with many bands and line-ups from that area for their dances.  Elise, his wife Ester, and Cleveland "Cat" Deshotel all played with Nathan Abshire at the Avalon Club.  The Dehotels and his band were like most bands of the era; people came and went depending on work obligations. 

Meanwhile, record producer George Khoury knew how to spot successful Cajun musicians.  After working closely with Nathan Abshire, he gathered one of Nathan's biggest fan bands, led by Elise Deshotel. The two groups worked closely during the early 50s playing in the same dance halls around Evangeline parish, not far from the small town of Ville Platte.  They made their recording debut in 1951 with an instrumental called "Le Two Step de Villeplatte" (#618), which was captured on a home recorder and released as a 78 RPM single.  It featured Dewey Balfa on fiddle, Atlas Fruge on steel guitar, Elise Deshotel on rhythm guitar and Ester Deshotel on drums.

Elise's wife Ester was more than likely the drummer on some recordings since she played live with them.  Her driving style kept the band's rhythm in tact.  With Ester playing drums with Nathan, she became one of three female drummers for the band.  The other two were Bernella Fruge and Will Kegley's sister, Ozide.  Cat played both bass and fiddle with Nathan until the Swallow-label recordings ended.

Atlas Fruge, Ester Deshotel, Wilson Granger,
Nathan Abshire, Elise Deshotel

In fact, these women join the ranks of the few females playing and singing Cajun music during the 1950s.      People such as Marie Solange Falcon, Theresa Meaux Falcon, Johnnie Ruth Smyrle Manuel, Laura Broussard, Corita Thibodeaux and Yvonne Leblanc highlight the rarity of Cajun women playing music in male-dominated industry.

1. All Music Guide to Country: The Experts' Guide to the Best Country Recordings edited by Michael Erlewine
2. http://www.offbeat.com/articles/masters-of-louisiana-music-dewey-balfa/
3. Discussions with Lyle F

Find:
Cajun Music - The Early 50s (Arhoolie, 1969/1975)
Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)
Bayou Two-Step - Cajun Hits From Louisiana 1929-1962 (Jasmine, 2015)

"La Valse De Tamper Tate" - Elise Deshotel

Elise Deshotel of Mamou, Louisiana, featured a young fiddler and singer named Dewey Balfa.   With the Balfas in tow, in 1951 the group used an old Cleoma Breaux tune called "La Valse Crowley" and entitled it "La Valse De Tamper Tate" (#620) for Khoury's label.  Tamper Tate is the corrupted form of the location Tepetate; a small community near Eunice, Louisiana.  The group featured accordionist Maurice Barzas.

Ouais, tit monde, t’après me quitter, chère, 

Après me quitter pour t’en aller à Tepetate, yaille.

Eh, quoi faire toi t’est fais ça, catin, 

Te connais quoi t’après faire un erreur, yaille.

Eh, tit monde, garde t’après faire, chère, 

Te connais un jour avenir tu vas voir du regret, tit monde,

Eh, catin, tes voudrais t'en venir,

T'en venir serais trop tard pour ton erreur, yaille.

Elise Deshotel, Cleveland "Cat" Deshotel,
Atlas Fruge, unknown girl, unknown guitar,
Eldridge "Coon" Guidry

As the popularity of the accordion waned in the late '30s and early '40s, Maurice Barzas decided to hang it up. After World War II, when the accordion became more popular than ever, the Balfa Brothers came to see him one afternoon to form a band. Maurice didn't even own an accordion anymore. New ones weren't available anymore from Germany, so he borrowed one for two or three dances and then bought a used one from JM LaFleur's country store in Lawtell. The band began playing on Saturday nights at the Dixie Club in Eunice.

Yeh, my little everything, you left me, my dear,

You left me and went away to Tepetate, oh my,

Well, what are you worrying for, little doll,

You know that you made a mistake, oh my,

Well, my little everything, look at what you've done, dear,

You know one day, in the future, you're going to regret this, my little everything,

Well, little doll, you would like to come back,

You've come too late for this is your mistake, oh my.

Dewey Balfa

Later Elise Deshotel, a guitar player from Basile with his wife Ester on drums, formed a band with Dewey and Rodney Balfa and Maurice on accordion.  The group, known as Elise Deshotel and the Louisiana Rhythmaires, played around the Lake Charles and Creole area, and made three 78s at KSLO in Opelousas, all on the Khoury label.  However, on this recording, allegedly, they were done at Dewey's home and Maurice wasn't featured.

Maurice played with this group through about 1951, but also formed the Mamou Playboys during that time.   He and Vorance Barzas created the more popular version of this melody, the "Eunice Waltz".

1. Maurice Barzas and the Original Mamou Playboys.   Liner notes.
2. http://www.downtowncajunband.nl/sitewillem/Acadiana%20Gateway/music/originalmamouplayboys.htm.html
3. Discussions with Lyle F
4. Lyrics by Jerry M and Herman M

Find:

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