Friday, February 12, 2016

"Hackberry Two Step" - Floyd Leblanc

Similar to Harry Choates, Floyd Leblanc was an outstanding fiddler from Mermentau, Louisiana during the post-war Cajun swing era. Bennie Hess, song writer and guitarist, had begun the Opera label for his own band. It's one of several issues Bennie Hess released on his small label, this time headlining his fiddler Floyd Leblanc.  Originally, he had worked with Bill Quinn at Gold Star in Houston but never recorded as a solo artist until he worked with Hess' label.  The song "Hackberry Two Step" (#107) was an ode to the town in which he played often. 
Hey jolie coeur,
Mais, viens donc me voir ‘tite monde,
Pour ça ta fait, jolie coeur,
Mais, moi je connais ça sera pitié.

Hey jolie fille,
Mais, rappelle toi ‘tite monde,
Pour ça t’as fait, jolie coeur,
Mais, moi je connais mais te voudras.

Hey, jolie blonde,
Mais, moi je connais, jolie fille,
Mais, ça t’as fait, ‘tite monde,
Mais moi je connais ça sera trop tard.
Floyd Leblanc

Floyd injected a Cajun sensibility into the Tornadoes' sound.1 Backed by Virgel Bozman’s Oklahoma Tornadoes band, Floyd's releases never got the same attention on Opera as Iry Lejeune's release. Outside of music, Floyd built several shrimp boats as a hobby and sold them upon completion. He was part owner and operator of LeBlanc's Net Shop until the time of his death.
Hey, pretty sweetheart,
Well, come see me, little everything,
Because of that, pretty sweetheart,
Well, I know it'll be pitiful.

Hey, pretty girl,
Well, I remember you, my little everything,
Why did you do this, pretty sweetheart,
Well, I know, but you wish you knew.

Hey, pretty blonde,
Well, I know this, pretty girl,
Well, it's what you did, my little everything,
Well, I know it's going to be too late.


  1. Cajun Breakdown : The Emergence of an American-Made Music by Ryan Andre Brasseaux
  2. Image by Jeanne L

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