"Waltz Of Regret" - Lawrence Walker

Lawrence Walker had built a recording career for 5 years under the direction of George Khoury, ending it during the mid 50s.  "Regret" seemed to be his last recording under Khoury's label.   After dabbling in country music the previous year, George reverted back to his original recording artists that he trusted and in 1955, released a string of tunes by Nathan Abshire and at least one session by Lawrence Walker's band.

Oh, promet-moi cher ‘tit cœur

De jamais m'avoir donner 

Comme t'as pris, oui, ton coeur

Tu m’as pris d’la maison, chèr ‘tit cœur

Tes bonnes paroles qui m’a fait

M’en aller (z) avec toi.

Crowley Daily Signal
Mar 31, 1956

Being a huge fan of Joe Falcon's music, he reworked his 1929 recording of "La Vie Malheureuse" into what he called the "Waltz of Regret" (#648).   Sadly, Khoury's session notes were nonexistent.  Identifying Lawrence's band during the Khoury sessions is difficult.  It possibly featured Al Forman on guitar, possibly Demux Comeaux on guitar, possibly Uray Jules "U.J" Meaux on fiddle, and possibly either Lawrence Trahan, Bhuel "Huffy" Hoffpauir or Shelton Manuel on drums.  

Oh, promise me, dear, little sweetheart,

Never have given to me,

How you've taken, yes, your heart.

You took me from home, dear little sweetheart,

Your good word which made me,

Go away with you.

By the end of 1955, the writing was on the wall.   The influence of rock and roll was taking a toll on Cajun music sales.   R&B and country music was on an up hill swing and Cajun music sales weren’t the same as they were almost 10 years earlier.   George began focusing on R&B and pop tunes, slowing moving away from Cajun all together.   The result was that Lawrence ceased recording completely, relegating himself to the dance hall circuit, until 1958, when he met record producer Floyd Soileau.

1. Lyrics by Marc C and Stephane F

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