"What's The Use" - Harry Choates

In 1947, Charles D Henry and Macy Lela Henry opened up a shop to distribute music to people of south east Texas.   In downtown Houston, they hired a young Steve Poncio to help stock their shelves with records at their new facility United Record Wholesalers.2  But once wartime shellac was no longer rationed, independent record companies began to pop-up, taking advantage of the talent in their local regions.  Soon, Steve and Macy decided to create their own label with Steve as general manager.   By 1949, the label took off as Macy's Recordings. 

It was April of that year when he got word that Macy wanted him to record for her.  He was already contracted to Bill Quinn, but that never was a consideration for Cajun fiddler Harry Choates.  He jumped in his vehicle and headed to the ACA studio to meet other musicians lined up such as Earl Rebert on steel guitar, possibly Sue Romero on bass, and possibly Louis Oltremari on piano accordion.   There, he recorded the poignant "What's The Use" (#134), a fatalistic predetermination that he was killing himself with every drink he took.1 

Toi t'après m'a laissé,

Avec une autre tu m'a quitté,

Oh, moi, j'connais mérite pas ça, haha.

Oh, quoi ta fais, mais, ça ta fais

Moi, j'connais, mais, chère 'tite fille,

Moi, j'espoire, mais, quelle espoire, mais, chère mignonne.

Il y a pas longtemps, tu voir tu regret,

Chère 'tite fille, pour quoi ta fais,

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

Liberty Vindicator
Oct 19, 1950

According to Port Arthur musician, Roland "R.A." Faulk, he remembered the Macy sessions with Harry. On the way to Houston, Harry was driving and was pulled over in Liberty, TX for speeding in a school zone. Harry told the officer that he had bad brakes and would have them fixed as soon as possible.  The police officer told Harry to drive to the nearest repair shop and have the brakes tended to, and he would follow along in his patrol car.  When the officer was content that Harry had made arrangements to have his brakes repaired, he drove away leaving Harry and R.A. parked in the front of the brake shop.  As soon as the police was out of sight, Harry started up his Ford and drove through the back door of the shop on his way for his recording date at Macy's.1  

You, you are leaving me,

With another, you left me, 

Oh, I know I don't deserve that, haha.

Oh, what you've done, well, that you've done,

I know, well, dear little girl,

I hope, well, what hope is there, well, dear little cutie,

There it won't be long, you'll see you'll regret,

Dear little girl, for what you've done,

Oh, I know you hurt me.

Undecided on the song title, ACA ledger notes show the alternate French title "C'est pas la peine", misspelled as "Sapala Pan".3  Poncio and Macy's most notable recordings came that same year with her experimental zydeco recording of Clarence Garlow's "Bon Ton Roula" and Lester Williams's "Wintertime Blues".  Macy took advantage of the industry's "double payola" where during this period, deejays were paid to play a Macy's record and then paid extra not to plug the competition.  Once Steve left to create United Recording Distributing Co. a year later and her husband's health began to fail, Macy closed her business.

1. Poor Hobo: The Tragic Life of Harry Choates, a Cajun Legend by Tim Knight
2. Roadkill on the Three-chord Highway: Art and Trash in American Popular Music By Colin Escott
3. Audio Company of America, Master Book, 1950-1951

Release Info:

ACA-1556 Louisiana Boogie | Macy's 134-A

ACA-1560 What's The Use | Macy's 134-B

Find:
Harry Choates: Five-Time Loser 1940-1951 (Krazy Kat, 1990)
Cajun Fiddle King (AIM, 1999)