"Lawtell Waltz" - Harry Choates

One of the earliest independent labels to appear on the Texas and Louisiana music scene was Gold Star records.  Owner and producer Bill Quinn knew how to get talent: pay them well and they'll come to you.  He paid $100 and $200 per side and of course this was a great attraction for many a wandering minstrel.1   Harry Choates' band was no exception.  After recording successfully with Bill Quinn at his studio, he was invited again in 1947 with his band.  Although Harry got paid handsomely, his band members recall getting paid with a Mexican dinner.  With Reagan Parchman on steel guitar, possibly Junior Keelan on bass, Amos Comeaux on drums, and Johnnie Manuel on piano, they recorded the tune "Lawtell Waltz" (#1335), named after the small town of Lawtell, Louisiana. 

Oh malheurese, moi j'connais, mais, m'a soûler,

Oh, mais, chère 'tit fille, mérite pas ça, pour quoi, 'tit fille.

Oh, malheurese, tu connais, tu même-toi, chere,

Oh, mais, moi j'connais-z, (a) pauvre vieux nègre, a pas longtemps.

Amos Comeaux, Junior Keelan, 
Harry Choates, Johnnie Manuel, 
Ronald Ray "Pee Wee" Lyons, unknown
Bear Family Records

Like most small companies, Bill could not afford much publicity and promotion and all his shipments went out C.O.D. which explains the relatively poor distribution of the label.   It was a real "down home" operation, often even some of the acetate masters would not come out of the electroplating tank, something went wrong, and Bill explains many of the missing numbers in his catalog by this electro-chemical fail. 

Oh my, I know, well, I'm getting drunk,

Oh, well, dear little girl, don't deserve that, oh why, little girl?

Oh, my, you know, yourself, dear,

Oh, well, I know, (your) poor old man, not long ago.

The Shreveport Times
Aug 1, 1951

In later years, Bill would record other blues artists around the Texas area, but many were small-time musicians.  In the case of a record by a new artist, Bill would press maybe 100-300 copies and include a few with each shipment to distributors, but if there was not such of a response, he would never press any more.  Many specific Gold Star discs are almost impossible to find for this reason.1

1. http://arhoolie.org/the-houston-record-men/

Release Info:
1335-A Bayou Pon Pon | Gold Star 1335-A
1335-B Lawtell Waltz | Gold Star 1335-B

Find:
Harry Choates ‎– The Fiddle King Of Cajun Swing (Arhoolie, 1982, 1993)
Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Bear Family, 2002)