"Le Grande Texas" - The Singing Frenchman

East Texas and south Louisiana music have always had a close relationship even during the earliest years.  The first U.S. census in Texas in 1850 found 600 "Franco-Louisianans" between Orange and Houston.  In the late 19th century, two factors brought an increased movement of Cajuns into Texas. One was the need for workers to cultivate rice in Southeast Texas. Another was the labor force needed on the Southern Pacific Railroad line that ran from the Sabine River to Houston. The discovery of the massive oilfield in Southeast Texas forever changed the ethnic makeup of the area as Louisiana Cajuns streamed into Texas to work in the burgeoning oil industry.2   It was this influx of Cajuns and their accompanying music that influenced a very young accordion player from Beaumont, Texas named Johnny William “J. W.” Billiot.  

Tu m'as quitté pour t'en aller à le Grand Texas,

Tu m'as quitté toi tout seul (z)à Grand Texas,

Criminelle comment je va faire, mais, moi tout seul ?

Tu m'as quitté pour t'en aller, pour t'en aller.

Tu m'as quitté pour t'en aller,

Pour t'en aller, toi tout seul, (z)à Grand Texas.

Criminelle comment je va faire, mais, moi tout seul ?

Tu m'as quitté pour t'en aller, pour t'en aller.

You left me to go,

To go to big Texas by yourself,

Oh please, come back here, to me, my darling,

Oh, I'm so lonesome by myself.

KTRM, Beaumont, 1950
Nick Guidry, Bessie "Grace" Billiot,
Johnny Billiot, Joe Trum, Lloyd Gilbert
Courtesy of Billiot Family

Johnny's mother died in the pneumonia epidemic of 1916 when he was 14 months old and for several of his early years, the father and son lived on a houseboat while his dad was a trapper, moonshine runner, and alligator hunter.   Over the years, he'd borrow his godfather's accordion and learn to play Cajun tunes, eventually earning a living in the dance-halls1  His daughter recalled, 

As children we were at dance-halls with him every weekend because he was playing music. He played music at many home parties. Johnny had a very large presence, known to be a great showman. Music was his life-long love. He would play for anyone that asked him and many times for a cause.1 

As lead accordionist and vocalist, Johnny assembled a group with his wife Grace on backup vocals, Bill Guillory on fiddle, Billy Rayon on guitar, Nick Guidry on fiddle, Lloyd Gilbert on guitar and Bill Guidry on guitar. He played throughout the Golden Triangle and Louisiana at numerous clubs including Yvonne's, the Hayseed, Breezeway Inn (High Island), and Pine Tree Lodge in Texas, and the Big Oaks and a club in St. Martinsville in Louisiana. 

You left me to go away to big Texas,

You left me, you're all alone in big Texas,

It's terrible, how am I going to do this, well, all by myself?

You left me to go away, to go away.

You left me to go away,

We went away, you're all alone, in big Texas,

It's terrible, how am I going to do this, well, all by myself?

You left me to go away, to go away.

From about 1948 into the '50s, he played a daily 15 minute radio show with announcer Joe Trum on KTRM in Beaumont. Daughter Johnnie Mae thinks it was during this time when Johnny got the moniker "The Singing Frenchman".1   By 1949, the group occasionally found themselves playing gigs further east in Sulphur. There, his band covered a recently popular swing tune by Chuck Guillory's band called "Le Grand Texas" (#6042) during a DeLuxe session with Joe Lieberwitz.  Originally recorded as "Big Texas" by Papa Cairo in 1948, it has a long history dating back to an old melody first recorded in 1929.

1. Cajun Dancehall Heyday by Ron Yule
2. http://texasalmanac.com/topics/culture/cajun-texans

Release Info:

D 997 Valse De Beaumont | DeLuxe 6043

D 998 Le Grande Texas | DeLuxe 6042