"Big Woods" - Harry Choates

Popularized by the Hackberry Ramblers in 1947 as "Dans Le Gran Bois" for DeLuxe, Cajun fiddler Harry Choates sang of leaving the grande bois as a waltz, a melody sometimes associated with "Quel Étoile".  Many of these old tunes were picked up when Harry played around the Lake Charles area with other Cajun string bands such as Leo Soileau's Rhythm Boys. According to fiddler Wilson Granger,

I've seen him on the radio.  He was playing the guitar with Leo Soileau.  Sometimes he'd take Leo's place and play one on the fiddle.  On KPLC at the old Majestic Hotel. On the guitar, he was exceptional, but he played fiddle real good. He was a musician-and-a-half.1  

Allons, s'en aller dans les grand bois,

C'est pour voir ma belle, petite, chérie,

Tout mon misère, ma chère petite fille,

Quoi faire tu m'laisses comme tu laisses, mais, quoi t'as fait?

Malheureurse, mais, pas fais bien,

Tu m'as laissé, mais, moi tout seul,

Dans la grand bois, mais, chère tit fille,

Ça fais du mal quoi t'as fais ton pauvre vieux chien.

Oh, mais, malheureurse,

Chère 'tit fille, mais, se quand meme,

Tu faire ça, mais, quoi t'as fais,

Ça tu prends, malheureurse, ça fais du mal.

Eh, cherie, oh, petite,

Quoi t'as fais, chère, ça m'fais de la peine.

Church Point News
Aug 17, 1948

The area in Louisiana known as Big Woods resides between Sulphur and Vinton.  "Big Woods" (#1011) represents the last recording containing Harry's original 1946 Melody Boys.  For unknown reasons, record producer Bill Quinn chose to shelve the recording; eventually having it sold to and pressed by Hummingbird Records of Waco, TX after 1955.   Soon after this session, Joe Manuel would leave the group and join his brother Abe Manuel playing under different names in Corpus Christi.  Porkchop Roy, who worked with Harry during those early years remembered all of the Quinn sessions,

Harry played Cajun music with a western swing. We recorded Jole Blon in 1946 and it was Choates version of the popular French song which first became a big hit. The recording sold over a million copies. We got $800 for making it. We cut 10 more songs for Quinn after making the Jole Blon record and all we got for that was a Mexican supper.2  

Come on, let's go to the big woods,

It's to see my beauty, my little dearie,

All of my miseries, my dear little girl,

Why you left me, the way you left me, well, what have you done?

Naughty woman, well, up to no good,

You left me, well, i'm all alone,

In the big woods, well, dear little girl, 

That was terrible what you've done to your poor old dog.

Oh, well, naughty woman,

Dear little girl, well, even still,

You did that, well, what you've done,

You can have it, naughty woman, that was wrong.

Hey, dearie, oh, little one,

What you've done, dear, it hurts me.

By 1958, Quinn sold out his remaining sides to Pappy Daily's Starday and D Records who reissued much of the catalog in 1961 on 45 RPM.  It seems Hummingbird must have done the same. 

  

1. Wilson Granger interview.  Andrew Brown. 2005.
2. "Cajun Musician Curzey Roy Recalls the Robust Rhythms".  Fannie Genin. DW. Sep 1984. 
3. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:

HB-1011-A Big Woods | Humming Bird 1011-A

HB-1012-B Big Mamou | Humming Bird 1011-B

Find:

The Complete D Singles Collection, Volume 3 (Bear, 2006)

"Chere Eci Et Cher Laba" - Lee Sonnier

"Sweetie Here And Sweetie There".  J.D. Miller had recently left a recording session at Cosimo Matassa's studio in New Orleans and decided to build his own around 1948.  Logically, perhaps, the first person to be recorded at the new studio was Miller's father-in-law, a highly respected accordionist, Lee Sonnier.  Born near Rayne, he had no musical training but was from a musical family.  Lee was a welder by trade working up to an through WWII in defense plants.  After the war he opened his own welding business.  J.D. Miller married the youngest of this three daughters.1 

Quand ton nègre avec toi,

C'est "chère ici, chère là bas",

Quand ton nègre n'il ya à coté,

Toi tu fais trop la canaille,

...

'Gardez-donc, malheureuse,

Pour pas bien ton vieux nègre,

Tu vas voir pour toi même,

Petite, tu vas faire pitié,

...

Criminelle, petite,

Pour faire bien, malheureuse,

Tu vas voir, mignonne,

Ah, je mérite pas ça,

...

Daily Advertiser
Apr 25, 1952

In  J.D Miller's new studio in Crowley, they recorded an old traditional melody, first recorded Amede Ardoin as "Eunice Two Step" in 1929 and later in 1934 by Joe Falcon as "Vous Etes Si Doux".  Joe and Lee played together in the same dance-halls after the war, giving way to Lee's version which he called "Chere Eci Et Cher Laba" (#1010).   Miller brought in fiddler and vocalist Aldus "Popeye" Broussard to sing the tune.  Aldus was already well known fiddler who previously played with Norris Mire and Happy Fats throughout the 30s and 40s. The phrase "c'est un chere ici, cher la-bas" has an underlying meaning.  It's a Cajun idiom used to describe a couple who make a show of affection in public, but who fight frequently in private.  

When your man's with you,

It's "dearie here, dearie there",

When your man's not around,

You act too mischievous,

...

So look, miserable one,

It's hasn't been good for your old man,

You will see for yourself,

Little girl, you'll be pitiful,

...

Naughty, little girl,

It's been good, miserable one,

You will see, cutie, 

Ah, I don't deserve all of this,

...

Lee Sonnier

The labels showed the difficulty of getting Cajun spellings printed accurately away from home.  "Chere Eci Et Cher Laba" reflect it no less obviously than the artist credits to Lee "Snownier".1  Sonnier's lyrics would have little to do with "Eunice Two Step", a melody in which he borrowed from black Creole accordionist Amede Ardoin.   Later, Iry Lejeune would also take it and turn it into his "Jolie Catin". Lee carried on playing in south Louisiana clubs in to the 1950s.1  

1. Fais Do Do Breakdown - Volume One - The Late 1940's (Flyright, 1986).   Liner notes.
2. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:

La Blues De Cajin | Fais Do Do F-1010-A

Chere Eci Et Chere Laba | Fais Do Do F-1010-B

Find:
Fais Do Do Breakdown - Volume One - The Late 1940's (Flyright, 1986)

Acadian All Star Special - The Pioneering Cajun Recordings Of J.D. Miller (Bear, 2011)

"La Valse A Thomas Ardoin" - Amede Ardoin & Dennis McGee

Amede Ardoin became the most influential Creole singer and accordionist, whose music provided roots for modern Cajun and Zydeco music.  In his earliest years his family played a large part of the influence.  According to Amede's nephew Milton Ardoin,

My daddy [Beaudoin Ardoin] bought an accordion to start.  He was not able to learn. Amede, you know, he was the baby one, and he gave the accordion to him.  When Amede started to play, he was on a chair and he was so small his foot was not touching to the floor.  But he learned that over and over and over, until he caught it.2  

Ardoin couldn't read and write and spoke no English.  Amede's parents, Thomas and Aurelia, were brought up during Reconstruction and became one of many land holding former slaves in south Louisiana.  Thomas Ardoin's mother, Marie Tom, was a slave, and Thomas was also born into slavery. Yet, by the time Amede was born, Thomas had acquired 157 acres of land on Bayou Nezpique.2   However, Milton recalled the tragedy that struck him as a child, 

St. Landry Clarion
Feb 4, 1899

My grandfather [Thomas Ardoin] got killed when Amede was small.  He was on the road. They reached a bridge, and they had some beef to haul.  It was old wood, and it broke, and my grandfather had his neck broken.2  

Oh, ye yaie, moi, j'ai pas de femme,

Oui, ses parents ça veut pas je se vois, malheureuse.

Oh, ye yaie, mes parents, eou je vas aller?

Moi, j'suis tout seul, mon j'ai pas de place d'aller,

Oh, ye yaie, mon j'ai pas d'argent, moi, j'ai pas de maison,

Mes parents veulent pas me voir.

Oh, 'tite fille, mais, eou toi, tu vas,

Toi, t'es pas la seule qui est contraire à ta maman,

Oh, catin, ton coeur fait du mal,

Mon, je m'ai aperçu pour Ia maniere tu fais avec moi.

Daily Advertiser
May 1, 1931

In 1930, alongside fiddler Dennis McGee, Ardoin recorded the tune "La Valse A Thomas Ardoin" (#531) in New Orleans as an ode to his late father. According to author and poet laureate Darrell Bourque,

One of the things I find fascinating is the variety of stories that circulate about Amédé, and the way they reflect the culture of the time. So when I began to run across all this information, that was exactly the kind of story that I wanted to tell, because I didn’t want to tell a story that was an interesting pocket of information, but one that connected in many ways with what we continue to have to deal with in terms of race, migration and the meaning of home.1  

Oh, ye yaille, I don't have a wife,

Yes, her parents don't want to see me, oh my.

Oh, ye yaille, my parents, where can I go?

I'm all alone, I don't have a place to go,

Oh, ye yaille, I don't have money, I don't have a home,

My parents don't want to see me.

Oh, little girl, well, where are you, you went away,

You're not the only one who is contrary to your mother,

Oh, pretty doll, your heart hurts,

I noticed that by the way you've done (treated) me.

In 1957, accordion player Lawrence Walker re-worked Ardoin's tune into the "Midnite Waltz" for Swallow Records. 

1. https://kreolmagazine.com/culture/features/amede-ardoin-and-his-legacy-a-discussion-with-darrell-bourque/#.XH_u-8BKhhE
2. The Kingdom of Zydeco By Michael Tisserand
3. NOTE: Cajun Country, Vol. 2 has song mis-titled

Release Info:

NO-6719 Blues De Basile | Brunswick 531

NO-6720 La Valse A Thomas Ardoin | Brunswick 531

Find:
I'm Never Comin' Back: The Roots of Zydeco (Arhoolie, 1995)
Cajun Country, Vol. 2, More Hits from the Swamp (JSP, 2005)
Mama, I'll Be Long Gone : The Complete Recordings of Amede Ardoin, 1929-1934 (Tompkins Square, 2011)

"Every Time I Pass Your Door" - Link Davis

American singer, fiddler, saxophonist, and songwriter, also known as Papa Link Davis, was born in Sunset, Texas.  He was involved in recordings of western swing, hillbilly, Cajun music, rockabilly, rock n' roll and blues, either as the main artist or a session musician.  One of eight children, he formed a trio with two of his brothers during the late '20s, playing local dances. A natural musician, Davis started out playing the fiddle and later took up the saxophone. He gravitated toward Western swing music when he turned professional and one of his earliest known steady gigs was as a member of the Crystal Springs Ramblers, a Fort Worth-based outfit with which he cut his first record in 1937.1  

Every time I pass your door,

I get a feeling in my heart,

That's when the tear drops start,

Every time I pass your door.

J'ai passe devant ta porte,

J’ai crie, “By-bye la belle.”

Y a personne qu’a pas repondu,

O ye yaille, mon coeur fait mal.

I know my love has died,

And she's gone gone forever more,

But the tears come down inside,

Every time I pass your door.

Link Davis

His 1954 recording of "Every Time I Pass Your Door" (#21431) for Columbia records was a country-western version of Cleoma Breaux's "Mon Coeur T'Appelle (My Heart Aches For You)".  Like many of Link Davis' country renditions of Cajun songs, he sung both in English and French.   Recorded at the ACA Studio in Houston, TX, Link Davis & His Bayou Billies consisted of Cameron Hill on guitar, Herb Remington on steel guitar, Buck Henson on bass and Doug Hudson on piano. 

Every time I pass your door,

I get a feeling in my heart,

That's when the tear drops start,

Every time I pass your door.

I passed in front of your door,

I cried, "Goodbye, my beautiful girl."

Yet no one responded,

Oh, how my heart aches.

I know my love has died,

And she's gone gone forever more,

But the tears come down inside,

Every time I pass your door.

Even into the 1960s, he occasionally made a foray into rock & roll with songs like "Rice and Gravy," but he failed to make a lasting impression in the field. He continued to be a top session musician and cut records in Western swing, Cajun, and blues style throughout the decade for different labels, mostly based in Houston, TX, until he was sidelined by a stroke late in the decade.1  

1. https://www.allmusic.com/artist/link-davis-mn0000289593

Release Info:

CO 52833/ACA-3017 Every Time I Pass Your Door | Columbia 4-21431

CO 52834/ACA-3018 Cajun Love | Columbia 4-21431

Find:

The Very Best Of Link Davis (Emusic/Goldenlane, 2009)

"Jamais Marriez" - Walker Brothers

In 1928, Leo Soileau had helped RCA Victor Records make a huge impact on their southern music sales across Cajun prairies with his accordion-led recordings with Mayuse Lafleur.  By 1935, the company spun off their subsidiary company Bluebird Records and began offering recording sessions to many Cajun string-band musicians such as the Hackberry Ramblers, the Rayne-Bo Ramblers, J.B. Fuselier and others.  The first of these string-bands to be invited by Bluebird were the Walker Brothers and Soileau's Three Aces.  Accordion player Lawrence Walker, who had recorded earlier in Dallas in 1929, was familiar with the music scene of the area.   How these musicians were discovered by RCA scouts has been forgotten but each one of these groups received invitations during the year.  As long as they could make it to New Orleans, they packed up their instruments and joined A&R Eli Oberstein for sessions at the field studio.   

Jeunes filles de la campagne,

Mariez-vous autres jamais

'Gardez comme moi j'ai fait,

J'ai mis dans la misère.

Tu vu (de) ton vieux nég,

Rejoindre ton pauv' vieux nég,

Qui c'est, mais, pour toi-même,

Qui c'est boo-boo t'aimes ça.

Eh, petite!

Quand j’étais jeune z-enfant, 

J’étais un bambocheur, 

Et asteure que j'suis marié, 

Ça va tout le temps pareil.

Petite, t'es trop mignonne,

Pour faire la criminelle,

Pour faire, moi, m'en aller

Tu vas voir, mais, pour toi-même, 

Je mérite pas tout ça, 

Tout ça, mais, t'es après faire. 

Petite, tu me fais quitter, 

Quitter, ouais, toi tout(e) seul.

Dallas Centennial, 1936

Walker, his brother Elton and Junior covered the old Cajun song "Jeunes Gens De La Campagne" as "Jamais Marriez" (#2195).  First recorded by Dennis McGee in 1929, it would be popularized later by Iry Lejeune in 1954 as "Don't Get Married".  Instead of addressing a young gentleman, Lawrence and Elton sung of the concerns of a young woman getting married too soon. 

The recordings made Walker a local known name among musicians and led to him playing ever more frequently in the dance-halls.  However, it was in Dallas during the great Texas Centennial the following year that the versatile French accordion player played to more Texans than he had ever dreamed.  In 1936, he entered a French accordion music contest in Rayne, competing with three other men.  To his surprise, he had won an all-expenses paid trip to the Centennial.  He was accompanied by folklorist and columnist Lauren Post, professor at Louisiana State University and head of the Louisiana Delegation for the event.

Marksville Weekly News
Jul 4, 1936

Young girls in the countryside,

Never get married to anyone,

Look at what I did,

I've placed myself in misery.

You saw your old man,

Come back to your poor old man,

Who is the one, well, for you,

Who is the boo-boo that you love.

Hey, little one.

When I was a young child,

I was a reckless one,

And now that I'm married,

It's the same thing, all the time.

Little one, you're too cute,

To be this bad,

You're making me go away,

You'll see, well, for yourself,

I do not deserve all that,

All that, well, you're doing,

Little one, you making me leave,

Leaving, yeah, all alone.

In addition to playing for the largest crowd he had ever experienced, he was scheduled to play on five different programs, including on KRLD, Dallas' Columbia radio broadcast.  Lawrence recalled:

I played the old French tunes like "Jolie Blonde", "Chere Tout Tout", and "Bye Bye La Belle", going from bandstand to bandstand over the Centennial grounds.  I'll never forget how amazed I was when Lauren Post checked the clocking device and told me I was playing to over 36,000 people.1  

Listen to sample: "Jamais Marriez" - Walker Brothers

1. RT. 1968
2. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:

BS-87610-1 La Valse Des Pins | Bluebird B-2195-A

BS-87611-1 Jamais Marriez | Bluebird B-2195-B

"Lake Charles Two Step" - Nathan Abshire

By late 1949, Nathan's band was driving the new Cajun honky-tonk sound with Will Kegley on fiddle, Atlas Fruge on steel guitar, Ernest Thibodeaux on guitar, and Jim Baker on bass. Based on Amede Ardoin's "One Step Des Chameaux", Nathan covered the song with a new set of lyrics entitled "Lake Charles Two Step" (#106).  It was a melody that became very popular in 1950 in which led Jimmy Newman and Herman Durbin to record their version entitled "Fais Do Do Two Step".   As Nathan's popularity began to soar on the radio and in jukeboxes, his local presence in dance-halls increased as well.  According to fiddler Wilson Granger, who recorded and filled in with the band,

We would play [at the Crystal Grill] five nights a week.  That used to be between Lake Charles and Sulphur.   We'd play an hour on the radio every day, on KPLC.  Saturday night, we'd go to the Avalon Club; Sunday night, we'd play at Lawtell, Step Inn Club.  They had two clubs there, Step Inn Club and the Green Lantern Club.  Sometimes, we'd go play in Riceville on a Sunday night. We played seven nights a week.1  

Oh, chère 'tite monde, pourquoi, mais, te comme ça?

C’est tout rapport à toi et tes vilains manières.

Oh, ye yaille, 'tite monde, connais tes après malfaire,

Tes tout temps après me quereller, pourquoi que je mon va.

Oh, ye yaille, 'tite monde, tu as tout mes aujourd’hui,

Toi tes voul ton negre, connait que t’es voul l'voir.

Earl DeMary, Wilson Granger,
Eldrige Guidry, unknown on drums,
Nathan Abshire, and Ernest Thibodeaux

Although producer Virgil Bozman tried to sell the record from the back of an old hearse, sales were scarce and finding a copy of this recording after 1949 seemed to be harder and harder.  Record collector and writer Lyle Ferbrache discovered one and used it on his iconic Cajun Honky Tonk Vol.2 CD.  He states:

Until a copy turned up on eBay ten years ago, this record was thought not to exist. So why is it rare? The bass back beat is over cooked and might have had trouble with the big sixteen-inch speakers on the jukeboxes.2  

Oh, dear little world, why, well, you like that?

It's all about you and your nasty ways.

Oh, ye yaille, little world, I know you're doing wrong,

You're always quarreling, that's why I'm leaving.

Oh, ye yaille, little world, you have me today,

You wanted your man, know that you'll see him.

 

1. Wilson Granger interview. Andrew Brown. 2005.
2. Post War Cajun 78 RPM Nuggets by Lyle Ferbrache
3. Lyrics by Herman M

Release Info:

Grand Mamou | OT 106-A

Lake Charles Two Step | OT 106-B

Find:

Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings Vol. 2 (Arhoolie, 2013)

"Myself" - Dennis McGee & Sady Courville

Dennis McGee, regarded as the "Dean of Cajun fiddlers", kept the older Acadian fiddle sounds of the 1800s alive almost into the 1990s. He was one of the earliest Cajun fiddlers to be recorded.3  According to record producer Chris King:

Getting really obsessed with how the Cajun music can affect you so deeply, I got really curious on how McGee did it. Because, not only does he do it to me, but he does it to others.  And I was wondering 'What the hell he was doing?'1  

Dis, "Bye bye" à ton papa, ta maman, mais, t'en aller, malheureuse, 

Dis ,"Bye bye", t'(es) après t'en aller,

Avec mon bien aimé, pour toujours, mais, (chére*) Joline, malheureuse, 

Dis, "Bye bye", dis, 'Bye bye" à ta maman.

J'(suis) après m'en aller, m'en aller avec mon nég', malheureuse, 

Eh, dis "Bye bye" à ton pap et ta maman, 

Pour toujours nous en aller, s'en aller, mais, là joline, 

M'en aller avec mon bien aimé pour toujours et finir mes jours.

Eh, t'es jolie, t'es mignonne et t'es bien (ai)mable, malheureuse,

Eh, t'es jolie, t'es aimable joli cœur. 

Fais pas ça, ça fait moins cœur, ah oui, m'en aller,

Z-avec tous mes chagrins, malheureuse, dis "Bye bye".

(Re)gardez-donc, mais, joli cœur, comment-donc, mais, moi j'vas faire, 

Dis après me quitter par la faute à ta maman,

Oh, yéyaie, chérie, malheureuse, 

Mais, (re)gardez donc, j'vas m'ennuyer de toi.

Sady began playing music on the violin since the age of 16 when his father quit playing.  He played with Dennis for about eight years straight.6  Before the Dennis McGee and Sady Courville ever recorded, they were invited to play on KWKH in Shreveport in 1927 as part of a promotional campaign for Cajun music.  Courville recalled the Shreveport event:

Eunice News
Mar 22, 1929

There was an old man in the community who was always promoting different things. First of all, he got us to go to Shreveport to broadcast on the radio. "Old man Marks".  He was a sort of leader, you know.  He did a lot for the Boy Scouts and different things. So he asked Dennis and me to go to Shreveport. That was the closest broadcasting station around here outside of New Orleans.  So we went over there and broadcasted and we came back over here. That was about 1927.4 

In 1929, they were approached by Sady's employer, a local furniture store owner named Mattius "Mat" Fruge, to record in New Orleans.  Fruge had originally began as a door-to-door milkman as a boy.  After receiving education in Texas, he fought in WWI and returned to Eunice working in a cotton gin.  By 1924, he became manager, and later owner, of Teer Furniture Company where Sady worked as an assistant. It becomes Fruge's phonograph and record distribution connections to companies such as Okeh, Brunswick and Vocalion which provide Dennis and Sady's first recording opportunity.   Courville recalled carrying his fiddle to New Orleans in a flour sack.7  

Dennis McGee and Sady Courville

Say, "Bye bye" to your dad (and) your mom, well, you're going, oh my,

Say, "Bye bye", you're going to go,

With my beloved, forever, well, (dear*) Joline, oh my,

Say, "Bye bye", say "Bye bye" to your mom.

I am leaving, I'm going away with my man, oh my,

Hey, say "Bye bye" to your dad and your mom,

Always, we're going, going to go, well, over there, Joline,

I'm going away with my beloved forever and live out my days.

Hey, you're pretty, you're cute and you're sweet, oh my,

Hey, you're pretty, you're sweet, pretty sweetheart,

Don't do that, that's heartless, oh yeah, I'm going,

With all my sorrows, oh my, say, "Bye bye".

So look, well, pretty sweetheart, so how, well, will I handle this,

Told you I'm leaving because it's your mother's fault,

Oh, ye yaille, dearie, oh my,

Well, so look, I'll miss you.

Eunice News
Apr 14, 1927

McGee's tune "Myself" (#5348), with Sady Courville on second fiddle, represented the story of most of his recordings, a lover discussing leaving her mother to be wed.  Sady never recorded for a major label again however, he continued to be Fruge's top salesman throughout the 1930s.5  He played his last dance in Lacassine in September of 1929 and didn't pick up playing music again until 1968.6  Dennis McGee continued his commercial recording career, performing and recording with black accordionist Amede Ardoin in the late 1920s and early 1930s in the first racially mixed duo. Their music laid the groundwork for the style and repertoire of Cajun music as we know it today.3  In the 70s, the duo reunited for a series of field recordings as well as a studio session at Swallow records in Ville Platte. 

"Myself" is done in a different tuning, GDAG, which according to folklorist Will Spires was a popular tuning for old dances in the key of G. Both the fiddle and the vocal wail out on this number and Dennis displays his effortless high, piercing singing.8 It still resonates with musicologists today. According to record producer Chris King:

When you listen to this really closely, he's tuned wayyyyy low.  That's the thing about McGee that when he would go and record something, where as most people would keep their fiddle in standard or they might cross-tune, he re-tuned his fiddle for every piece he performed, because he realized, by changing the pitch this much, or increasing the pitch this much, it affected people in this particular way.1

1. Vinyl Asides Episode 8 - Christopher King
2. https://oldtimeparty.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/himself/#more-10194
3. J'ai Ete Au Bal Vol. 1.  ARhoolie CD 331.  Liner notes.
4. Ye Yaille Chere by Raymond Francois
5. The Eunice News (Eunice, Louisiana) 14 Sep 1934
6. The Eunice News (Eunice, Louisiana)12 Jun 1973
7. The Ville Platte Gazette (Ville Platte, Louisiana) 07 Jan 1988
8. Dennis McGee ‎– The Complete Early Recordings.  Liner notes.
9. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:
NO-110 Myself | Vocalion 5348
NO-111 Vous M'Avez Donne Votre Parole | Vocalion 5348 

Find:

Dennis McGee ‎– The Complete Early Recordings (Yazoo, 2006)

"Mamie Que J'Aime Tant (Mamie I Love So Much) - Patrick "Dak" Pellerin

"Mamie That I Love So Much".  Raised in Breaux Bridge, Patrick Dak Pellerin's love for music was cemented when he became a national vocal celebrity, touring the country with other contemporary vocal artists.  His professional music reputation was founded upon his ability to cover French pop songs of the era for large socialite gatherings.  Pellerin's rural upbringing and the driving force behind his professional recording were seemingly at odds.   Having spent time traveling the country learning French ballads to perform, Brunswick picked him up for a mix session of Cajun accordion songs, comedic monologues, and crooning vocal and banjo songs.  Given the song choices at hand, it seems that Brunswick wanted more native and creolized performances, regardless of the jazz crooning style he was so accustomed.   

His mixture of old world folk songs commonly sung in Cajun prairies with Americanized jazz forms heard on the radio produced this unique, albeit curious, piece entitled "Mamie Que J'aime Tant" (#510).   In the song, the author is late for a gathering and has nothing to wear, though a friend has promised a variety of clothes to wear: some shoes, a tie, some underwear, a hat, a shirt, and a belt.  Until this friend arrives, no one is going anywhere.1  

Si j’aurais mes souliers,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Si j’aurais mes souliers,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Mes souliers sont ronds, (oh, j't'aime),

Ma'mie, que j'aime tant.

Si j’aurais les chaussons,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Si j’aurais les chaussons,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Mes chausson sont égamés,

Mes souliers sont ronds, (oh, j't'aime),

Ma'mie, que j'aime tant.

Si j’aurais les culottes,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Si j’aurais les culottes,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Mes culottes est défoncée,

Mes chausson sont égamés,

Mes souliers sont ronds, (oh, j't'aime),

Ma'mie, que j'aime tant.

Si j’avais les ceintures,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Si j’avais les ceintures,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Mes ceinture est débouclée,

Mes culottes est défoncée,

Mes chausson sont égamés,

Mes souliers sont ronds, (oh, j't'aime),

Ma'mie, que j'aime tant.

(crooning scat)

Si j’avais les caleçons,

Que ma'mie ma donné,

Si j’avais les caleçons,

Que ma'mie ma donné

Mes caleçons n'ont pas de corde

Mes ceinture est débouclée,

Mes culottes est défoncée,

Mes chausson sont égamés,

Mes souliers sont ronds, (oh, j't'aime),

Ma'mie, que j'aime tant.

Si j’avais les chemise,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Si j’avais les chemise,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Mes chemise à courte fine,

Mes caleçons n'ont pas de corde,

Mes ceinture est débouclée,

Mes culottes est défoncée,

Mes chausson sont égamés,

Mes souliers sont ronds, (oh, j't'aime),

Ma'mie, que j'aime tant.

Si j’avais la cravate,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Si j’avais la cravate,

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Ma cravate est crique et craque,

Mes chemise à courte fine,

Mes caleçons n'ont pas de corde,

Mes ceinture est débouclée,

Mes culottes est défoncée,

Mes chausson sont égamés,

Mes souliers sont ronds, oh, (j't'aime),

Ma'mie, que j'aime tant.

Si j’avais les chapeaus, 

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Si j’avais les chapeaus, 

Que ma'mie ma donnés,

Mon chapeau est défoncé,

Ma'mie, que j'aime tant.

 

Lucille and Patrick Dak Pellerin
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 1935

Four years later, the Hoffpauir sisters, Julien and Elida, were found in New Iberia, Louisiana by folklorist Alan Lomax.  He recorded them during a field session in 1934 where they sang "Si J'Avais Les Souliers", also known as "La Cravate".  Their interpretation differed slightly from Pellerin's commercialized version, however, the theme is clearly sourced from some primitive tune.  During the 30s, Ann Buchanan of Lafayette collected Acadian folk songs, including the lyrics to "Mamie Que J'aimais Tant", in which she thought were over a hundred years old.2  Author Josh Caffery explains some of the aspects of possible origins:

This song is an example of what [French Canadian scholar] Conrad Laforte calls an "énumération à reprises récapitulative": an enumerative song in which the enumerated elements are recapitulated with each verse.  Evidence indicates that this song was performed at charivaris in rural France and it may have originated as a wedding sons, which later passed into the children's song and round dance repertoire.  

Lyrically speaking, the older songs are, as the Lomaxes perceived, meticulously rendered and pristinely metered examples of European song, with little linguistic divergence from nineteenth-century sources.1     

If I had my shoes,

That my friend gave me,

If I had my shoes, 

That my friend gave me,

My shoes are worn, oh I like,

My friend, that I like so much.

If I had my socks,

That my friend gave me,

If I had my socks,

That my friend gave me,

My socks are shredded,

My shoes are worn, oh I like,

My friend, that I like so much.

If I had my trousers,

That my friend gave me,

If I had my trousers,

That my friend gave me,

My trousers are torn,

My socks are shredded,

My shoes are worn, oh I like,

My friend, that I like so much.

If I had belts,

That my friend gave me,

If I had belts,

That my friend gave me,

My belts are without buckles,

My trousers are torn,

My socks are shredded,

My shoes are worn, oh I like,

My friend, that I like so much.

(crooning scat)

If I had drawers (boxers),

That my friend gave me,

If I had drawers (boxers),

That my friend gave me,

My drawers don't have a drawcord,

My belts are without buckles,

My trousers are torn,

My socks are shredded,

My shoes are worn, oh I like,

My friend, that I like so much.

If I had shirts,

That my friend gave me,

If I had shirts,

That my friend gave me,

My shirts are short (thin),

My drawers don't have a drawcord,

My belts are without buckles,

My trousers are torn,

My socks are shredded,

My shoes are worn, oh I like,

My friend, that I like so much.

If I had the tie,

That my friend gave me,

If I had the tie,

That my friend gave me,

My tie is cricked and cracked (crooked),

My shirts are short (thin),

My drawers don't have a drawcord,

My belts are without buckles,

My trousers are torn,

My socks are shredded,

My shoes are worn, oh I like,

My friend, that I like so much.

If I had some hats,

That my friend gave me,

If I had some hats,

That my friend gave me,

My hat is smashed,

My friend, that I like so much.

Other iterations of this song as "La Cravate" can be found in recordings by Marie Pellerin, Louis Noel, Caesar Vincent & David Courvert, Elizabeth Brandon & Corinne Saucier, and Harrison Fontenot.1    

Listen to sample: Mamie Que J'Aime Tant

1. Traditional Music in Coastal Louisiana: The 1934 Lomax Recordings By Joshua Clegg Caffery
2. https://louisianadigitallibrary.org/islandora/object/state-lwp%3A4939
3. Lyrics by Herman M and Stephane F

Release Info:

NO-6702 Mamie Que J'Aime Tant (Mamie I Love So Much) | Brunswick 510

NO-6705 Le Garcon Boulanger (The Baker Boy) | Brunswick 510

"Bayou Lafourche" - Happy, Doc And The Boys

Throughout the 1930s, Leroy "Happy Fats" Leblanc and his Rayne-Bo Ramblers became the first Cajun band from south Louisiana to play on a radio show broadcast nationally over the CBS network.  However, the outbreak of WWII caused his band to go into hiatus.  Once the war was over, he filled in as a backup musician for country star Tex Ritter in Hollywood.  By the time he arrived back home, the Louisiana Hayride show in Shreveport was looking for new talent.  According to Happy, he recalled playing in the same lineup with Hank Williams on the Hayride radio show.  It was a half-hour show where the rules dictated "no repeats!"  Happy explains to author Ryan Brasseaux:

So, we played "Jole Blonde" there was a tremendous crowd that night.  Hank Williams was there playing.  We got on and we played "Jole Blonde" and when we got through playing it they started clapping.  Horace Logan, the station manager, was there so I though he wanted us to quit.  "No", he said, "play it again!"  "Well, you said no repeats".  We had to repeat on that network three times!2

Bon heures tous les matins,

J'peux voir mon vieux papa,

Partir à la pêche dessus la mer,

C'est su' le Bayou Lafourche,

Il vient toutes les dimanches,

À l'église du bon dieu pour prier.

Y'en a pas qu'est si riche,

Y'en a pas qu'est si pauvre,

Juste les bons Acadiens, apprise faire une vie,

Et c'est là  j'sus parti,

Pour la balance d'ma vie,

Sur le côté du beau Bayou Lafourche.

Lake Charles American Press
Oct 29, 1952

After his last contract recording with RCA in 1946, he quickly reformed a group called Happy, Doc And The Boys.  "Bayou Lafourche" (#1011), recorded in Crowley, Louisiana at J.D. Miller's studio between 1947 and 1949, marked Happy's attempt at converting his popular pre-war hit "Les Veuves de la Coulee" into a waltz-tempo ballad.  The bayou translated to "Fork Bayou") is one of the major navigable tributaries of the Mississippi River and flows through lands once owned by displaced colonial French Acadian and Spanish Isleno settlers.  Along with Oran "Doc" Guidry on fiddle, Bradley "Sleepy" Stutes on steel guitar, and possibly the Redlich brothers , Happy's ultimate goal was to break into the Nashville scene and become the next big country music star, similar to Hank Williams.   According to Happy:

Hank Williams had a lot of influence down here.  He was on the Louisiana Hayride.  It covered about a quarter of the nation, it was a 50,000 watt station.  And Hank, you've got to give him that, he was good, he was really good.  He was on, like I was, for Johnny Fair's Syrup.  He left to go to the Grand Ole Opry.  He gave me the job, the Old Syrup Sopper. 

Rayne Tribune
Oct 24, 1952

Early every morning,

I can see my old papa,

To go fish near the waters,

It's on the Bayou Lafourche,

He comes every Sunday,

To the church for the Good Lord to pray.

There isn't anyone too rich,

There isn't anyone too poor,

Just good Acadians, trying to make a living,

And that's where I'm leaving to go,

In order to set my life straight,

To the shores of the beautiful Bayou Lafourche.

The Drifting Cowboy and Happy Fats reunited in 1952 when Williams invited the Cajun guitarist to tour around the US.2

1. Rayne's People and Places By Tony Olinger
2. Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American-Made Music By Ryan Andre Brasseaux
3. Image by Mark P
4. Lyrics by Stephane F, Francis M, Jerry M and Herman M

Release Info:

Bayou LaFourche | Fais Do Do F-1011-A

Sothe Fermon | Fais Do Do F-1011-B

Find:

Acadian All Star Special - The Pioneering Cajun Recordings Of J.D. Miller (Bear, 2011)