"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

"A Ute" - Leo Soileau

Cajun fiddler Leo Soileau made a name for himself after waxing four sides for Victor Records in 1928.  He became the second Cajun recording artist after the Falcons and was the first fiddler to record for a major label.  After his partner Mayuse Lafleur died in a senseless tragedy, he continued to record until the Great Depression took hold.

Eh, bébé, éyoù toi t'es?

Pourquoi-donc toi t'es fais,

Jolie fille, avec moi,

Jolie fille, pour ton vieux nègre?

Eh, bébé, pourquoi-donc,

T'as fait ça à ton vieux nègre,

Jolie 'tite fille, faudra que tu viens,

Pour faire t'as fait avant longtemps.

Eh, chère, comment ç(a) se fait,

Ma jolie, t'as jamais vu,

J'vu jaimais, jolie fille, 

Pourquoi-donc tu t'en reviens pas?

Oh, chère, éyoù toi t'es,

Jolie 'tite fille, ton vieux nègre,

Cher tit monde, pour trop tard,

Tu viens pas t'en revoir ton nègre.

Ah, mon nègre, moi j'm'en va,

Oui, là-bas, z'à grand Crowley,

Oh, mon nègre, pour te rejoindre,

Pourquoi-donc tu fais tout ça?

Crowley Post Signal
Dec 9, 1935

By 1935, RCA's new Bluebird recording division contacted Leo about recording again and this time he assembled a string band group.  By 1936, Leo had been switched over from Bluebird to Decca Records where he used the opportunity to re-record two of his original Victor pieces, one entitled "A Ute (Where Are You)" (#17017).   A clear mis-spelling of the phrase éyoù toi, the song was a string band version of the classic Mayuse Lafleur song "Mama Where You At?".

Leo was backed by fellow guitarists Bill Landry, Floyd Shreve and probably drummer Tony Gonzales, all billed as the Four Aces of Crowley. The melody remained in the popular Cajun repertoire among area musicians until after WWII, when the song became more commonly known as "Hey Mom". 

Hey, baby, where are you at?

So, what have you done,

Pretty girl, with me,

Pretty girl, with your old man?

Hey, baby, so what,

You'd done that to your old man,

Pretty little girl, you have to return,

To do what you've done before long.

Hey, dear, how that feels,

My pretty one, you'll never see,

I'll never see, pretty girl,

So why don't you return.

Oh, dear, where are you at?

Pretty little girl, you old man,

Dearest everything, it's too late,

You won't return to see your man.

Ah, my friend, I'm leaving to ,

Yea, over there, to big Crowley,

Oh, my friend, you'll come back,

So why have you done all that?

1. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:

NO-60795 A Ute (Where Are You) | Decca 17017 A

NO-60792 Je M'Ennui Ce Soir (I'm Lonesome Tonight) | Decca 17017 B

"La Valse De La Rosa" - Leo Soileau

Leo Soileau was one of the dominant Cajun musicians of the 1930s and early '40s. His more than 100 recordings included such influential tunes as "Hackberry Hop," "La Gran Mamou," La Valse De Gueydan," and his greatest hit, "Jolie Blonde." Taught the fiddle by influential Cajun fiddlers Dennis McGee and Sady Courville, Soileau made his recording debut, in 1928, when he joined with accordionist Mayeus Lafleur to record the second Cajun record ever, "He Mon." Following Lafleur's death, nine days later, he teamed with accordionist Moise Robin. He also recorded, in the late '20s, with the Soileau Couzens.2  

Oh chère, promets moi, mais, juste pour moi, jolie fille,

Jusqu'à jour de ta mort, bébé.

Oh chère, moi, j'connais, mais, toi pas venir jusqu'à moi,

Toi pas venir, mais, tu t'sauve* de ton nègre*, bébé.

Oh chère, promets moi de pas m'quitter jusqu'à la mort,

Jolie cœur, pour ton nègre, chère.

Oh chère, moi, j'connais, mais, moi, j'm'en va,

C'est pour te rejoindre, jolie cœur,

Pourquoi-donc tu veux pas d'moi, jolie?

Port Arthur News
Sep 20, 1946

Forming his own band, the Three Aces, with rhythm guitarists Floyd Shreve or Dewey Landry and bassist/drummer Tony Gonzalez in the early '30s, Soileau expanded the group into a quartet, the Four Aces, in 1934. They later became the Rhythm Boys by 1937, backed by piano player Harold "Popeye" Broussard and steel guitarist Julius ‘Papa Cairo’ Lamperez.2  In his last session with the Four Aces, Leo recorded a version of Joe Falcon's "Aimer Et Perdre" entitled "La Valse De La Rosa" (#17047), a melody he had reworked earlier in his career as "Ce Pas La Pienne Tu Pleur".   It would be his last recorded Cajun piece ever.  Although this marked the end of Leo's recording career, he claimed the reason was because of the onset of WWII.

When the war declared, that's when my contract expired with Decca.1   

Oh dear, promise me, well, (you're) just for me, pretty girl,

Until the day you die, baby.

Oh dear, I know, well, you didn't come to me,

You didn't come, well, you stayed away from your man, baby.

Oh dear, promise me not to leave me until death,

Pretty sweetheart, for your man, dear.

Oh dear, I know, well, I'm leaving,

It's to join you, pretty sweetheart,

So, why do you not want me, pretty girl?

The group continued to perform at the Silver Star Club in Lake Charles for eight years. Shifting to the Showboat Club in Orange, TX and other places like the Harvest Club, the band continued to play together for another two years. Although Soileau and the group appeared frequently on the radio, they never recorded again. In the late '40s, Soileau left music to work with his brothers in a general contracting firm in Ville Platte. He died in August 1980.2  

1. http://arhoolie.org/leo-soileau-interview/
2. https://www.pandora.com/artist/full-bio/leo-soileau/ARZbKjv4drvdfqc 
3. Lyrics by Martin S

Release Info:

63070-A Chere Liza | Decca 17047 A

63070-A La Valse De La Rosa | Decca 17047 B

Find:
Leo Soileau: Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 7 (Old Timey, 1982)

Cajun Country, Vol. 2, More Hits from the Swamp (JSP, 2005)

"Ma Jolie Petite Fille" - Leo Soileau

Cajun fiddler Leo Soileau got his start playing alongside Cajun accordion players such as Mayuse Lafleur and Moise Robin.   Once the string band craze took over the music scene after the Depression in south Louisiana, he adapted and created a new string band group.  The Four Aces was managed by the Shreve family with Olaf Shreve as their booking manager.   By 1936, as his fame spread and his group became better known, they were paid up to $800 for a session, plus all travel expenses and "room and board at those big hotels."1  

Oh, toi, mon nèg, chérie,

Pourquoi-donc, tu fais ça, oui,

Avec, oui, mais, ta negresse?

Oh, toi, mon nèg, chérie,

Tu connais, chérie,

Tu as prends, mais, oui, ton bebe.

(Tu) connais, toi, mon nèg, chérie,

Tu vas, toi, là-bas chérie,

Quand, mais ton nèg, il est pas là.

Ton nèg est pas là, mon nèg.

Tu fais, oui, la mal à jamb,

Mais, quand ton nèg est là, mon nèg.

Daily Advertiser

Apr 30, 1937

It had been almost an entire year before the Shreve brothers decided to leave the Aces.  Leo had to form a new group which he called the Rhythm Boys.  Recorded in 1937 in Dallas, Texas at the Adolphus Hotel, Leo was possibly accompanied with Johnny Baker and Buel Hoffpauir on guitars.   In the background, you can hear Crowley native and former jazz drummer Tony Gonzales trying to project his raucous drum sound from across the room. 

Oh, you, my dearest friend,

So why have you done that, yes,

With, yes, well, your woman?

Oh, you, my dearest friend,

You know, dearie,

You have, well, yes, your baby.

You know, my dearest friend,

You went over there, dearie,

When, well, your friend, he's not there.

Your friend is not ther, my friend,

You make, yes, my legs ache,

Well, when your man is there, my friend.

Lake Charles American Press

Jun 27, 1947

Leo had never received a royalty check from any of this recordings until 1974 when Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie Records produced an LP of all of Leo's biggest Cajun fiddle hits from the original 78 RPM records.  When Leo was asked if he had a copy of those records, he said,

No. I was too busy playing music. I was a trouper and letting the good times roll and never gave any thought to collecting records.  Now, would you believe I don't have a single record that I made?"1 

1. The Ville Platte Gazette (Ville Platte, Louisiana) 02 May 1974
2. Photo by Jeremy R

Release Info:

61900-A Ma Jolie Petite Fille | Decca 17027 A

61892-A La Bonne Valse | Decca 17027 B

Find:
Leo Soileau: Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 7 (Old Timey, 1982)
Cajun Louisiane 1928-1939 (Fremeaux, 2003)
The Early Recordings of Leo Soileau (Yazoo, 2006)

"Promise Me" - Leo Soileau

The earliest Cajun fiddler on the commercial recording scene was Ville Platte native Leo Soileau.  His career spanned for two decades in which he constantly reshaped his ensemble to satisfy the ever changing south Louisiana audience.   Although Soileau played primarily Cajun music, both over the radio and at dances, Leo recalled,

Often, we'd broadcast during the day and play a dance that night.  My band could really mix 'em up. We could play French, English or Mexican songs. I don't remember any requests that we couldn't do.3 

But by the end of the 30s, Leo's band grew weary of their professional relationship and they split.   With Shreve's Four Aces on their own, Leo regrouped with a renewed focus on his roots, reverting back to French vocals, and even covering some old Cajun standards.  With Leo on fiddle, his Rhythm Boys consisted of Johnny Baker on guitar, possibly Buel Hoffpauir on guitar, and possibly Tony Gonzales on drums.  "Promise Me" (#17058), or "Promets-Moi", speaks about his jolie brun leaving to go away—to the melody of the old Joe Falcon tune called "Poche Town".

Mais, promets-moi d'une bonne tite fille, mais, jolie brune,

Mais, moi je m’ennuie-donc pour toi,

Jolie brune, pour ton nègre.

Eh, mais, s'en aller,

Nous autres tous seuls à la Louisiane,

C'est pour voir nos parents, chérie.

Mais, c'est pour dire, mais, quoi on a fait, jolie,

Oh, toi, mon nègre, s'en aller z-aussi loin, jolie.

Eh, jolie tite fille, tu connais t'es pour moi ,

Pourquoi-donc tu fais ça, jolie?

Leo Soileau and his Rhythm Boys, 
ca.1941
(Top) Eddy Pursley,
Dalton W. Thibodeaux, 
Herbert Duhon,
(Bottom) Leo Soileau,
Crawford Vincent, Gene Navarre
By Lous Fairchild and Crawford Vincent

The Rhythm Boys recorded two final sessions in 1937 before retiring to a performing career in Cajun Country's honky-tonks, dance halls, and bars. Most of the songs waxed by the Boys were French translations of hillbilly tunes, jazz , and popular arrangements.2   The main two music venues that carried Leo through the war years were the Silver Star and the Showboat.  Crawford Vincent, who had teamed up with Leo and his Rhythm Boys during the war recalled,

We were coming through here, and we were playing music at these clubs around Port Arthur mostly.  Then this fellow here [a bartender at the Show Boat] said, "Boy, this is a booming town. You should move over here." So, we moved here and had this sit-down job [at the Show Boat].1  

Well, promise me to be a good little girl, well, pretty brunette,

Well, I'm concerned for you,

Pretty brunette, for your man.

Hey, well, going away,

We're all alone in Louisiana,

It's to see our parents, dearie,

Well, it's to say, well, that we did, pretty one,

Oh, you, my best friend, going away so far, pretty one.

Hey, pretty little girl, you know you're for me,

So why have you done that, pretty one?

1. They Called It the War Effort: Oral Histories from World War II Orange, Texas By Louis Fairchild
2. Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American-Made Music By Ryan Andre Brasseaux
3. Times Picayune.  Leo Soileau interview. 1975.
4. Lyrics by Stephane F and Smith S

Release Info:
61896-A La Blues De Port Arthur | 17058 A
61899-A Promise Me | Decca 17058 B

Find:
Leo Soileau: Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 7 (Old Timey, 1982)
Cajun Early Recordings (JSP, 2004)

"Personne M'aime Pas" - Leo Soileau

Leo Soileau was one of the pioneer fiddlers of recorded Cajun music. His recordings with the remarkable accordionist, Mayuse Lafleur, sold well locally, but some very traditional fiddle duets made with a cousin, Alius Soileau, did not sell as well. He also recorded a lot of blues and some jazzy numbers. As American pop music began making inroads into the prairies and along the bayous of Louisiana, Leo Soileau began recording songs in English, as well as country and pop songs translated into French! He was one of the first Cajun artists, along with the Hackberry Ramblers, to cross over and reach a wider English-speaking market, while keeping his young audience at home happy and dancing to the latest music.1  

Ouais, mais, personne pour m'aimer,

Moi, je connais, ouais, ça fait pas rien, ouais,

Oh, non, mais, personne m'aime pas,

Ouais, ça fait (rien), mon nègre, chère.

Moi j'suis orphelin, ni mère ni père,

P'us personne pour (m') soigner,

Hé oui, je prends ça dur, chère,

P'us personne, ouais, pour m'aimer.

Oui, oui, oui, mon nègre,

Oh, mais, 'garde-donc à moi-même, chère,

Oh, ouais, ça fait pitié, chère,

Oh, ouais, toujours, moi tout seul.

Leo Soileau and his Rhythm Boys, 1944.
George T-Chalk Duhon, Crawford Vincent,
Leo Soileau, D.W. Bollie Thibodeaux,
Desbra Fontenot
Courtesy of the
Johnnie Allan Collection
UL Lafayette Center of Louisiana Studies

Soileau's influences came from many different places. "Personne M'aime Pas" was a French take-off of the popular song "Nobody's Darling But Mine"  It must have been quite a sensation since Cleoma recorded the tune as "Pas La Belle De Personne Que Moi" that same year.  It was translated from the song by Jimmie Davis, "Nobody's Darlin' But Mine."  

His band consisted of Julius ‘Papa Cairo’ Lamperez on steel guitar, Floyd Shreve on guitar, Tony Gonzales on drums, and probably Harold ‘Popeye’ Broussard on piano. Together, they headed to Dallas, Texas in December of 1937 for one of his last recordings. 

Port Arthur News
Dec 3, 1944

Yeh well, nobody loves me,

I know, yeh, it doesn't matter, yeh,

Oh, non, well, nobody loves me,

Yeh, it doesn't matter, my friend, darling.

I am an orphan, neither a mother nor father,

No one, yeh, to look after me,

Hey yeh, I'm taking this hard, dear,

No one, yeah, to love me.

Yes, yes, yes my friend,

Oh well, look at myself, dear,

Oh yeah, it's pitiful, dear,

Oh yeh, always alone.

Soileau remained active in the early '40s, recording with Leo Soileau's Rhythm Boys. Dropped by Decca when the label decided to stop recording Cajun musicians at the beginning of World War II, the group continued to perform at the Silver Star Club in Lake Charles for eight years. Shifting to the Showboat Club in Orange, TX, the band continued to play together for another two years. Although Soileau and the group appeared frequently on the radio, they never recorded again. In the late '40s, Soileau left music to work with his brothers in a general contracting firm in Ville Platte. He died in August 1980.2 

1. J'ai Ete Au Bal Vol. 1.  ARhoolie CD 331.  Liner notes.
2. https://www.pandora.com/artist/full-bio/leo-soileau/ARZbKjv4drvdfqc 
3. Lyrics by Jordy A

Release Info:
63069-A Personne N'Aime Pas | Decca 17042 A
63067-A Valse D'Amour | Decca 17042 B

Find:
Leo Soileau: Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 7 (Old Timey, 1982)

"La Valse De Gueydan" - Leo Soileau

Old melodies such as "Jolie Blonde" were popular tunes that Cajuns picked up and learned during the turn of the century.   Melodies such as this one found it's way into pockets of isolated populations where unique names were given to the songs.  Leo Soileau's group took the original Breaux recording of "Ma Blonde Est Partie" and changed it slightly, giving it a new name, "Le Valse De Gueydan" (#2086). After the Hackberry Ramblers recorded the same tune in the same swing style as "Jolie Blonde", many musicians would later simply refer to Leo's version as "Jolie Blonde" as well.

In 1935 in New Orleans, Leo Soileau had his Three Aces group record the tune on Bluebird records under the watchful eye of Eli Oberstein.  The song was an ode to the small Cajun town of Gueydan.  While his Three Aces were fairly constant, occasionally Leo had other members record with him as well.   According to Happy Fats, Tony Gonzales was on drums and Bill Landry or Floyd Shreve was on guitar.  However, Preston Manuel recalls Sam Baker on drums and Jerry Baker on guitar.

Eh, jolie, moi je m'en vas dans grand Gueydan,

C'est pour voir, ma jolie petite fille,

Jolie cœur, je peux pas venir.

Eh, jolie, pourqoui-donc, mais, tu fait ça,

Avec ton vieux nègre, jolie petite fille,

Pourquoi-donc mais tu fais ça avec ton nègre?

Tu m’as laissée dans les misères,

Mais, jolie fille, pourquoi-donc,

Tu fait ça avec ton vieux nègre,

Et jamais j'avais cru quoi j'ai vu.

Tu ma dit, jolie fille.

Leo Soileau and the Three Aces
Floyd Shreve, Tony Gonzales, Leo Soileau, and Dewey Landry 5

Not to be confused with John Bertrand and Milton Pitre's recording of "Valse de Gueydan" or Amede Ardoin's "La Valse de Gueydan", it's the version of the melody in which most believe influenced Harry's famous 1946 recording of "Jole Blon".  After his father's death, around the late 30s, Choates joined Soileau's group on guitar and second fiddle for Leo's Aces with Joe and Abe Manuel, and Francis “Red” Fabacher. A great innovator in Cajun music, Soileau mentored Choates, who learned many of Soileau's stage tricks.   During Harry's time with Soileau's group, he was exposed to their song "La Valse De Gueydan".  


According to Happy Fats:

Harry had first performed the tune in Soileau's band but on his Gold Star recording he stepped up the key from G to A.  

Eh, pretty, I am going to big Gueydan,

It's to see my pretty little girl,

Pretty sweetheart, I can't return.

Eh, pretty, why have you done that,

To your old man, pretty little girl,

Why have you done that to your man?

You left me in misery,

Well, pretty girl, why have,

You done this to your old man,

And I never thought I'd see that.

You told me, pretty girl. 

The Three Aces' efforts were well received in the Cajun community.  Their version of the popular waltz was an instant success that prompted Bluebird to issue the record twice in their 2000 Cajun series.4

1. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven
2. Encyclopedia of Great Popular Song Recordings, Volume 2 By Steve Sullivan
3. Label scan by University of Louisiana at Lafayette Cajun and Creole Music Collection - Special Collections
4. Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American-Made Music By Ryan Andre Brasseaux
5. Country Music Originals : The Legends and the Lost: The Legends and the Lost By Tony Russell
6. Lyrics by Smith S

Find:

Louisiana Cajun Music Vol. 3: The String Bands Of The 1930s (Old Timey/Arhoolie, 1971)
Jole Blon - 23 Artists One Theme (Bear, 2002)
Cajun Louisiane 1928-1939 (Fremeaux, 2003)
Cajun Capers: Cajun Music 1928-1954 (Proper, 2005)
The Beginner's Guide to Cajun Music (Proper/Primo, 2008)

"Si Vous Moi Voudrez Ame (If You'd Only Love Me)" - Leo Soileau

Leo Soileau was one of the first Cajuns to incorporate elements of commercial country music into Cajun music.2  Formed in 1934, Leo Soileau's Three Aces--although there were never less than four musicians--soon shot to the forefront of this embryo "Cajun country" movement.  Apart from the Cajun tradition, their major inspiration came from western swing, a cheerful, spirited amalgam of swing, blues, ragtime, and fiddle music that originated in Texas.1  

Tu m’as dit, jolie fille, tu p’us, mais chère,

Tu pouvais pas p’us m’aimer, chère,

Pourquoi donc, mais tu fais ça à ton vieux neg, chérie?

Tu vas me faire (mourir??), jolie.

Tu m’as dit jolie fille, tu pouvais p’us m’aimer,

Toi, maman, quoi faire t’as fait ça, chérie?

Tu m’as dit, jolie fille, pourquoi-donc, chérie,

Tu fais ça avec ton neg, chérie,

Tu m’as dit, joli cœur, que tu peux p’us m’aimer, chère.

Ohh, toi, ‘tit monde, jolie fille, criminelle,

Haa, toi ‘tite fille, ohhh, bébé.

Rayne Tribune
Dec 10, 1937

He learned to play fiddle from his father at around the age of 12 and was inspired by other local Cajun musicians such as Dennis McGee.3   

I'd steal his fiddle from under the bed and when I'd break a string, I'd get a whipping.  That's for sure!3

In early 1935, Soileau's string band, without an accordionist, but with the first drummer to play on Cajun sessions, made popular recordings such as "Si Vous Moi Voudrez Ame (If You'd Only Love Me)" (#4880 & #2194) which Bluebird co-issued on Montgomery Ward's label.  His Three Aces were composed of Floyd Shreve on guitar, Bill (Dewey) Landry on guitar, and Tony Gonzales on drums.  The smooth, rhythmic music was in sharp contrast to the raw folk sound of Joseph Falcon's performances.   However, "Voudrez" was eclipsed by the more popular tune on the flipside, "Le Gran Mamou". 

You told me, pretty girl, you could, well dear,

You couldn't love me anymore, dear,

Why then, well, did you do that to your old man, darling?

You are going to make me an old man, dear.

You told me pretty girl, you could love me,

You, little momma, why did you do that, darling?

You told me, pretty girl, why so, darling?

You did that to your man, darling,

You tole me, pretty sweetheart, that you could love me, dear.

Oh, you little everything, pretty girl, it's terrible,

Ha, you little girl, oh baby.

Leo Soileau and the Three Aces
Floyd Shreve, Tony Gonzales, 
Leo Soileau, and Dewey Landry

By  late 1935, he renamed his band to the Four Aces and signed with Decca, which had already signed Joseph Falcon and Amade Ardoin.  Working with a completely different company, many unaware of his previous recordings, he used the opportunity with Deccas to re-record the song in 1937.   His swinging tune became more well known as "La Blues de Port Arthur".  

1. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven
2. The Encyclopedia of Country Music
3. http://arhoolie.org/leo-soileau-interview/
4. Lyrics by Jordy A

Find:

Raise Your Window: A Cajun Music Anthology 1928 - 1941 (The Historic Victor-Bluebird Sessions Vol. 2) (CMF, 1993)

Cajun Early Recordings (JSP, 2004)

"T'est Petite Et T'est Mignonne" - Leo Soileau

After his short stint recording traditional Cajun music with Mayeus Lafleur and then Moise Robin, Leo Soileau had run a few sessions with Bluebird before he agreed to record for Decca.   Never wholly committed to the old French repertoire, he was happy to mix it with hillbilly and popular songs, with their more varied tunes and chord progressions, and around 1934, he put together a band to play them.  In Chicago the following year, they recorded "You Are Little and You Are Cute" known as "T'est Petite Et T'est Mignonne" (#17008).  It was first recorded by the Fawvors entitled "T'Est Petite a Ete T'Est Meon".  Even earlier, Eddie Segura and Didier Hebert used the title in their melody called "You're Small And Sweet". 

The Four Aces, with guitarists Floyd Shreve and Dewey Landry and possibly drummer Tony Gonzales (but could be O.P. Shreve or Johnny Roberts), represented the new sound of Cajun club music, and not everybody was ready for it. 

T’es petite et t’es mignone,

Et t'es galeuse mais j’t’amie quand meme,

T’es petite et t’es galeuse,

C'est trop galeuse pour faire ma femme.

Oh la belle, t’es pas lavé,

Oh, oui, la belle, tu peux aller t’laver.

T’es petite et t’es mignone,

Et t'es galeuse mais j’t’amie quand meme,

T’es petite et t’es mignone,

T'es galeuse pour faire ma femme,

Oh la belle, t’es galeuse,

De trop galeuse mais j’t’amie quand meme.

Leo Soileau (fiddle), Tony Gonzales (drums)3

Tony Gonzales was a native of Crowley, Louisiana and good friends with Leo.   His brother, Roy, was an accordion player who earlier copied Jimmie Rodgers tunes and recorded them in Cajun french for Paramount records.2  Tony, who worked with jazz musicians, dramatically altered the sound of Leo's group by providing a firm and brash dance cadence on his rudimentary drum kit to complement the fluid interplay between voices.3

At their first session for Decca in Chicago in 1935, the engineer objected that the drums were blasting the cutting needle out of its groove.  The problem was solved by stacking pillows round the kit to absorb some of the reverberation.3  

"Well," said the engineer, "I'm learning something."1

Author Ryan Brasseaux makes the case that Tony Gonzales could have very well been the first drummer in country music, and by far, the first drummer in Cajun music.3  

You're small and you're cute,

And you're shabby, but, I like you anyways,

You're small and you're shabby,

(You're) too shabby to be my wife,

Oh, girl, you're not clean,

Oh, yeh, girl, you need to wash up.

You're small and you're cute,

And you're shabby, but, I like you anyways,

You're small and you're cute,

You're too shabbyto be my wfie,

Oh, girl, you're too jealous,

Too shabby, but, I like you anyways.

The word "galeuse" is an Cajun word to signify looking dirty or shabby.  Versions of the song would be recorded later by Harry Choates, Crawford Vincent and then even later by the Balfa Brothers. 

1. Country Music Originals : The Legends and the Lost: The Legends and the Lost By Tony Russell
2. Meeting Jimmie Rodgers : How America's Original Roots Music Hero Changed the ... By Journalist Barry Mazor
3. Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American-Made Music By Ryan Andre Brasseaux

"Le Gran Mamou" - Leo Soileau

While there was no single style of Cajun fiddling, the musician who did the most to revitalize the instrument, and who also played a central role in the 1930s in both the popularization and modification of Cajun music, was Leo Soileau.7 Before stepped into Victor's Bluebird studio to record "Le Gran Mamou", he had previously recorded the tune in Atlanta with his former partner, Mayeus Lafleur.  Back in 1928, he called it "Basile Waltz".  It was the flip side to his famed "Mama, Where You At?" recording.   But after Lafleur's death, Leo created a new band in 1934, called the Three Aces, with two guitarists and a drummer.  The accordion was dropped from the lineup and the new sound was Cajun country music.  His Three Aces were composed of Floyd Shreve on guitar, Bill (Dewey) Landry on guitar, and Tony Gonzales on drums.  While the song has slight similarities to the Joe Falcon recording of "Aimer Et Perdre (To Love and Lose)" recorded in 1928, however, it comes much closer to Cleoma Breaux's recording of "Ma Valse Prefere".

Oh mais s'en aller dans grand Mamou, 

C'est pour voir ma jolie petite chère.

Oh mais toi, t'es mon chéri,

Moi je connais je mérite pas ça mais toi t'as fais,

Avec moi, il y a pas longtemps malheureuse,

Faudra que tu regrettes pour ça t'as fait malheureuse.

Oh, toi 'tite fille cherie, 

Moi je connais je mérite pas ça, mais toi t'as fais, 

Jolie fille, pour ton vieux nég', mais ça t'as fait, 

Tu vas pleurer mais il sera trop tard.

Oh, toi 'tit monde chéri, 

Moi je m'en vas dans grand Mamou, malheureuse,

Quand même tu veux t'en revenir, joli petit monde,

Moi, je veux pas que tu t'en reviens (z')avec moi.

Leo Soileau and the Three Aces
Floyd Shreve, Tony Gonzales, 
Leo Soileau, and Dewey Landry 6

Mamou, labeled as "The Cajun Music Capital of the World", was located near many of the dance halls in which Cajun musicians played in.  "Grand Mamou" refers to the large, mammoth (mamou) prairie where many Cajuns and colonial French settled during the 18th century.  By the late 19th century, the melody had become popular with old-time fiddlers such as Doxie Manuel,

I remember "Grand Mamou" as far back as 1895.  When I used to play for fais-do-do, it was just a sad, very sad waltz with no words. Suddenly, it would stop being sad and people would holler "ah, ha, ha" and would stomp their feet 'till the kerosene lamps would flicker and nearly fall off the table.8   

Like several of RCA Victor's Bluebird label, they were also pressed on the Montgomery Ward label. After the beginning of the depression, Montgomery Ward got into the cut rate record business. Montgomery Ward released records from 1933 through 1941 with their own label however, they didn't actually have a recording studio. A lot of the companies had labels that only sold in certain department stores, or at a discount. Some were extremely inexpensive and some were done under pseudonyms.  These were apparently pressed by Victor and made available through their mail order catalog.  Most of the discs they issued seem to be from Victor, though they did get material from other labels. Even Sears had their own label called Silvertone.

Oh, well, I'm going to big Mamou,

It's to see my pretty little darling.

Oh, well, you, you're my darling, 

I know I do not deserve this, but, you've done that,

With me, it's not been long I've been unhappy,

You will regret why you've made me unhappy.

Oh, you dear little girl,

I know I do not deserve this, well, what you've done,

Pretty girl, to your old man, well, it's been done,

You're going to cry but it'll be too late.

Oh you little world of mine,

I am going to big Mamou, oh my,

Anyway, you want to return, pretty little world of mine,

I do not want you to come back to me.

Twisting the familiar French language repertoire with the drummer's back beat, adding healthy doses of western swing, and in turn applying that recipe to American standards, Soileau's group essentially defined the Cajun string band sound.1  Oddly enough, he'd re-use the same melody in "La Bonne Valse" in 1937.  The song itself would carry itself throughout Louisiana as "Grand Basile", "Basile Waltz", "Grande Mamou", and "Big Mamou".  It would be recorded by Harry Choates twice, Link Davis, Clifton Chenier, Aldus Roger, Dewey Balfa, Eddie Shuler and many more.   Over time the song would be interchangeably known as both Basile and Grand Mamou.

1. Louisiana Music: A Journey From R&b To Zydeco, Jazz To Country, Blues To Gospel, Cajun Music To Swamp Pop To Carnival Music And Beyond by Rick Koster
2. The Encyclopedia of Country Music
3. http://www.mainspringpress.com/book_MW.html
4. http://www.collectorsweekly.com/articles/an-interview-with-78-rpm-record-collector-gary-herzenstiel/
5. http://jopiepopie.blogspot.com/2014/01/basile-waltz-1928-gran-mamou-1935-big.html
6. Country Music Originals : The Legends and the Lost: The Legends and the Lost By Tony Russell
7. Southern Music/American Music By Bill C. Malone
8. "Come On Back To Big Mamou" by Diane Farrell. The Ville Platte Gazette (Ville Platte, Louisiana) 02 Jul 1953
9. Lyrics by Stephane F
10. Image by Devon F

Find:
Le Gran Mamou: A Cajun Music Anthology -- The Historic Victor-Bluebird Sessions, 1928-1941 (Country Music Foundation, 1990)
Cajun Early Recordings (JSP, 2004)