"Lawtell Two Step" - Vincent & Cagley

"Vincent & Cagley" was the duo title for guitarist Crawford Vincent and Will Kegley. Together, they recorded two songs for Khoury's subsidiary Lyric label in 1952, one being the old Cajun string band tune "Two Step de Lawtell".  It's record producer George Khoury's only brand label with the red color and gold Lyric logo.   Khoury's Lyric label and later, his self entitled label, was one of the earliest post-war recording labels in south Louisiana and one of the few that gave Cajun musicians their recording "break". Vincent recalls,

Mr. George started out a lot of Cajun bands, I mean like Lawrence Walker, Nathan Abshire, even Jimmy 'C.' Newman.  I recorded for him two songs, I never did do well, they didn't make no hit.  But I was still proud I made 'em, because, you know, it's a souvenir for my grandchildren.  But Mr. Khoury he started a whole bunch of guys.  You see he's had Marie Falcon, Shuk Richard, he's had Will Kegley--that song we made, me and Will Kegley, he put that out.5  

Hé jolie ‘tite fille,

Pourquoi mais j’sus comme ça?

Oh, ‘tit cœur,

N’importe à ton "bon-à-rien". 

Hé jolie ‘tite fille,

Pour toi, comment ça s’fait?*

Tout le temp, ‘tit monde,

Mais oui, dans les misères.

Leo Soileau and Crawford Vincent

Crawford, who had played for years under different groups, mainly with Leo Soileau, teamed up with Nathan Abshire's old fiddle player, Will Kegley for the classic song, "Lawtell Two Step" (#605).  Crawford's earliest memories were learning to play music:

My sister gave me a fiddle when I was nine, and I got an ol' barber down there on the Mermentau River to tune it. I played fiddle the first time when I was nine---well, harmonica when I was eight. You could pack that in the cotton field. You just play 'em, and then when they get kind of dirty you boil 'em in hot water. Anybody can play a harmonica, but they don't master it. I played it pretty well, but I never did play it in a band. I played guitar, fiddle, and drums with the western-swing band.4   

Hey, pretty little girl,

Why, well, am I like that?

Oh, little sweetheart,

Doesn't matter to your "good-for-nothing".

Hey, pretty little girl,

For you, how do you do this?

All the time, my little everything,

Well, yeah, in misery. 

Benny Fruge

By 1951, Crawford employed pianist Cecil Farrell "Benny" Fruge.  Benny learned to play piano from his father Hubert who was known a locally known piano tuner.  Benny picked up the craft at the age of five and began memorizing what he played.  This helped him to develop a keen ear for music.   He began playing with small bands such as Papa Cairo, Jimmy Newman, Chuck Guillory and Happy Fats, while he was still a high school student.  Accommodating teachers arranged his senior high school classes for the afternoon to enable him to continue his musical activities.2,3   


Benny occasionally toured with Lefty Frizzell and played in the Rampart Street Six jazz band until 1954.2  By the late 50s, Fruge had moved to Baton Rouge working at Werleins music store, tuning pianos and teaching piano.  In 1980, he opened his own piano store, Fruge’s Piano Company.1  

1. https://rabenhorst.com/obituary/c-farrellbennyfruge/
2. Daily World (Opelousas, Louisiana) 16 Nov 1967
3. Basile Weekly (Basile, Louisiana) 17 May 1990
4. They Called It the War Effort: Oral Histories from World War II Orange, Texas By Louis Fairchild
5. Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995).  Liner notes.
6. Lyrics by Stephane F and Smith S

Release Info:
A Chere Petite Blun | Khoury's/Lyric 605-A
B Lawtell Two Step | Khoury's/Lyric 605-B

Find:

Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)