"Devil In The Bayou" - Harry Choates

One of the stranger, spookier recordings that Cajun fiddler Harry Choates ever created was a haunting instrumental he laid down in Houston for Gold Star records.  Far from anything he had done before, one of Harry Choates’ most enduring compositions was the 1948 "Devil in the Bayou" (#1340).  Not a great hit in its day, the song somehow embodies the stereotype of sinister, supernatural Louisiana.  The manic violin coupled with a relentless piano backing and interspersed with demonic laughter, has a spooky appeal to modern listeners.  More than novelty, it demonstrates Choates’ extraordinary musical ability, achieving a huge range of sounds on the fiddle.3  

He was backed up by three of his original Melody Boys, Pee Wee Lyons on steel guitar, Johnnie Manuel on piano and Pee Wee Maples on guitar, but replaced the other members with Grady Mann on bass and Amos Comeaux on drums.   The bizarre song is another one of Choates' original pieces. Played entirely in the key of A minor (virtually unheard of in hillbilly and Cajun music), author and researcher, Andrew Brown states:

"Devil" reminds one more of the soundtrack to an early horror movie than a country record, with Choate's sinister laughs accompanied by bassist Grady Mann's screams.5  

It had no commercial potential, but record producer Bill Quinn released it anyway.5    According to writer Thomas Townsley,

"Devil in the Bayou" continues to fascinate [Harry's] contemporaries and intrigue listeners. Demons are often a common topic in Cajun-Creole folklore. Among the most famous (and creepy) stories of haunted bayous is the account of feu follets.1  

According to the book, Swapping Stories: Folktales From Louisiana, feu follets  (known as will-o'-the-wisps in American culture) were reportedly unexplained glowing apparitions seen floating along the bayou at night. Many believed these glowing balls of light were demons that wandered the bayou, seeking to lead people astray into the dark. Choates in his song "Devil In the Bayou" brings to light the anxieties and terrors felt by the early superstitious Cajun peoples living along the bayou.1   

Harry himself succumbed to "demons" his whole life, mainly through the effects of his drinking. Legend has it that Harry never owned an instrument in his life; all his music was made on a $7.00 fiddle he borrowed from a friend and never bothered to return.2  He had the ability to drink most dedicated boozehounds under the table and the musical genius to blow just about anybody off of the bandstand.4  According to Brown,

There are a lot of musicians I talked to whose only remembrance of Harry is just this notorious alcoholic drunken bum guy. A lot of people don’t remember anything else but him just getting rip roaring drunk off his ass.4  

In 2002, Andrew Brown commemorated the recording by using it on his Harry Choates CD project, calling it "Devil In The Bayou".

1. http://neworleansreligion.blogspot.com/2013/03/cajun-devil-folklore.html
2. The Best of Country Music by John Morthland
3. https://www.waveglobe.fm/harry-choates-fiddle-king-cajun-swing/
4. http://www.offbeat.com/articles/harry-choates/
5. Devil In The Bayou by Andrew Brown.  Liner notes.

Release Info:

1340-A Rye Whiskey | Gold Star 1340-A

1340-B Devil In The Bayou | Gold Star 1340-B

Find:

Harry Choates ‎– The Fiddle King Of Cajun Swing (Arhoolie, 1982, 1993) 

Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Bear Family, 2002)