Je Suis Pas Si Canaille! In June 1929, the New Drug Store in Opelousas, Louisiana booked a full-page ad in the Clarion News to advertise the recordings of "Acadian Records" by Okeh. The manager of the store, who took the group of six musicians to Atlanta, used the rhetoric explicitly based on the Evangeline myth. Although Okeh was interested in Cajun music, Dr. A.J. Boudreaux sent along an Opelousas-born jazz crooner to fill in the session. The few Cajuns that tried to incorporate pop tunes of the day into their repertoire did so with the results achieving cultural success or marketing failure.Though it's a fickle age,With flirting all the rage,Here is one bird with self-control,Happy inside my cage,I know who I love best,Thumbs down on all the rest,My love was given heart and soul,So it can stand the test.Personne peut parler avec,Je suis tout seul,Personne avec qui marcher avec,Mais je suis content sûr l'étagère,Je fais pas cannaille,Je garde mon amour pour toi.Je connais pour sûr,Que quand moi j'aime,J'ai jamais courtiser dessus toi qu(i) a les cheveux foncés,Je garde mon amour,Je garde mon amour pour toi.On raconte que,Dans le p'tit coin,Va pas nulle part,Pas faire différence avec,Tes baisers qu'on attend de toi, crois donc moi,Ne reste pas en retard,Ne pas aller,Chez moi à huit heures, juste moi et mon radio,Je fais pas cannaille,Je garde mon amour pour toi.On raconte que,Dans le p'tit coin,Va pas nulle part,Pas faire différence avec,Tes baisers qu'on attend de toi, crois donc moi,Ne reste pas en retard,Ne pas aller,Chez moi à huit heures, juste moi et mon radio,Je fais pas cannaille,Je garde mon amour pour toi.
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| "Acadian Musicians Sing for Records" Dr. A.J. Boudreaux, Oscar "Slim" Doucet, Christine Mufzar, Jeanne LeBlanc, S. Hawkins and Patrick Pellerin Traveled to Atlanta to record for Okeh, 1929. Center for Louisiana Studies, UL Lafayette |
Patrick “Dak” Pellerin's banjo was the Cajun embodiment of America's waning minstrelsy traditions and the escalating jazz fervor sweeping the nation during the roaring twenties. Consequently, Pellerin's musical performance was absolutely cutting edge.1 Accompanied by pianist Mina Stubbs, the banjo player performed a English-French interpretation of Fats Waller and Andy Razaf's showstopper "Ain't Misbehavin" made famous by Broadway's all African-American musical revue "Connie’s Hot Chocolates". Okeh records entitled it "Je Jais Pos C Cannye (Ain't Misbehavin')" (#45410).
That year, "Ain’t Misbehavin'" became one of the most successful songs of its day. Ted Gioia states that more than 20 artists recorded the song in 1929 alone, including Louis Armstrong, Waller (an instrumental version) and Bill Bojangles with Irving Mills & his Hotzy Totsy Gang. One of the unique versions to come out from that year was one by Ruth Etting who introduced a unique set of verses in the introduction. It seems it's this version in which Pellerin chose to sing; starting in English and finishing in French.
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| Ruth Etting |
No one to talk with,I'm all by myself,No one to walk with,But I'm happy on the shelf,I'm not being mischievous,I'm keeping my love for you.I know for sureThat when I love,I'll never woo on the one that has dark hair,I'm keeping my love,I'm keeping my love for you.It is said that,In the little corner,Don't go anywhere,Doesn't make a difference,Your kisses, which I look forward to, believe me,I don't stay late,I don't care to go,At home at eight o'clock, just me and my radio,I'm not being mischievous,I'm keeping my love for you.It is said that,In the little corner,Don't go anywhere,Doesn't make a difference,Your kisses, which I look forward to, believe me,I don't stay late,I don't care to go,At home at eight o'clock, just me and my radio,I'm not being mischievous,I'm keeping my love for you.
Patrick is presented as a "student at Southwest Louisiana College" with his education validating the authenticity and the weight of his selections and promoting Acadian social status.1 The fact that Okeh marketed this jazz piano rendition as part of their "French Acadian" series highlights the lack of cultural understanding that major labels had regarding the nature of Cajun music. It's no doubt that Pellerin's influence came less from Cajun Creole origins and more from French-converted contemporary radio tunes of the day. As far as A&R executives were concerned, as long as it was in French and stemmed from Louisiana, it must be Cajun music.
- Cajun Breakdown : The Emergence of an American-Made Music By Ryan Andre Brasseaux
- Negotiating Difference in French Louisiana Music: Categories, Stereotypes ... By Sara Le Menestrel
- Lyrics by Stephane F
Release Info:
W403427 Because | Okeh 45410
W403428 Je Jais Pos C Cannye (Ain't Misbehavin') | Okeh 45410
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