"Alons A Ville Platte" - Leo Soileau

As the Depression began to subside, RCA used their new Bluebird label to coax earlier Cajun musicians back into the studio.  In the winter of 1935, they reached back out to fiddler Leo Soileau and offered him to kick off a session in New Orleans.  It would be the first time Soileau stepped foot back in a studio and this time things would be different.  No longer did he front an accordion-led duo.   He was now the lead vocalist and fiddler in a four piece group called Leo Soileau And His Three Aces.  Originally a family ensemble lead by guitarists Floyd Shreve, Danny Shreve and their father, Olaf "O.P." Shreve, as their manager, they convinced Soileau with his RCA connections to lead the group. 

Allons à la Ville Platte,

Mais, jolie, jolie fille,

J'(ai) envie de s'en aller,

Là bas-à la Ville Platte.

Jolie, mais, jolie fille,

Jolie, mais jolie cœur,

Allons donc s'en aller,

Là bas à la Ville Platte.

[Mais], de la Ville Platte,

Ça dit que ça m'aime plus,

Moi, j'connais bien tout ça,

Jolie, mais, jolie fille. 

Oh, joli cœur,

Tu crois t'es très jolie,

Comment moi tu rejoindre toi,

Jolie, jolie fille.

Tu voudrais t'en revenir,

Avec, mais, ton vieux nègre?

Jolie, jolie fille.

Jolie, mais, jolie fille,

Après j'aimerais mon chère,

Tout ça juste faire pour toi,

Tout ça, je mérite encore.

Jolie, mais, jolie fille,

Pourquoi, mais, t'as fait ça,

Avec, ouais, ton vieux nègre?

Jolie, mais jolie cœur.

Jolie, 'tite fille,

Pourquoi, t'as fait ça,

Avec ton vieux nègre,

Jolie, mais, jolie cœur.

Soileau, a master of "French music" understood the importance of the Texas-style string band phase that was sweeping the area.  In a first for the genre, Soileau and the Shreves incorporated a jazz drummer, Tony Gonzales, in the group and invited Bill "Dewey" Landry on guitar.  

The Daily Advertiser
Aug 09, 1935

Down here, me and the Hackberry Ramblers were the only bands.  I noticed by the rhythm that the people were dancing.  When I was playing with accordion, we'd notice the "English" (style) was a bit more popular. I began to understand that's what they wanted. They wanted that guitar.  They wanted that rhythm. So, I started with two guitars, a standard and a straight rhythm guitar.... and a drum.  I sold that like hot cakes.1 

Riding on the influences of the popular Cajun tunes of the day, he took his drum-backed group to New Orleans in 1935 and they kicked off the entire session with a reworked version of Joe Falcon's 1928 "Lafayette" into "Alons A Ville Platte" (#2196), an ode to his home town.

Let's go to Ville Platte,

Well, pretty, pretty girl

I want to go away,

Over there to Ville Platte.

Pretty one, well, pretty girl,

Pretty one, well, pretty sweetheart,

Let's go away then,

Over there to Ville Platte.

Well, in Ville Platte,

She says that she doesn't love me anymore,

I know all of that well,

Pretty one, well, pretty girl.

Oh, pretty sweetheart,

You think you're very pretty,

How can I get back with you?

Pretty one, pretty girl.

You want to come back, 

Well, with your old man,

Pretty one, pretty girl.

Pretty one, well, pretty girl,

Well, why have you done that,

Yeah, with your old man?

Pretty one, well, pretty sweetheart.

Pretty one, pretty girl,

Why did you do that,

With your old man?

Pretty one, well, pretty sweetheart. 

References

1. http://arhoolie.org/leo-soileau-interview/
2. Lyrics by Stephane F