A unique window into the world of Cajun music between 1928 and 1965. Compiled histories from websites, books, news articles, liner notes, and interviews. Most come from my personal 78 collection. Also covering Creole, Cajun-Country, and Cajun swing.
Showing posts with label Curzy "Pork Chop" Roy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Curzy "Pork Chop" Roy. Show all posts
In 1947, Harry Choates recorded for Jimmy Mercer’s Swing Records in Paris, Texas on his new label, Cajun Classics, created just for Choates.1 In his early days, Mercer was pressing on highly fragile, reclaimed shellac -- he ground up used 78s, cooked them, dried them, and pressed new records out of them, just as Bill Quinn had done. In light of this, combined with the fact that distribution was probably limited to Dallas and Fort Worth, it's a miracle that even one copy exists today.2
J’ai passé devant ta porte,
J’ai crié, “Bye-bye la belle.”
Y'a personne qui m'as pas répondu,
O yé yaille, mon cœur fait mal.
J’avais vu une petite chandelle allumée,
J'avais été courir z-à la porte,
Ils m'ont dit que ma belle était "gone",
O yé yaille, mon cœur fait mal.
J'avais vu une (...) la blonde dans la porte,
J'avais été (...) pour la belle,
Ils m'ont dit que la belle était "gone",
O yé yaille, mon cœur fait mal.
J’ai passé devant ta porte,
J’ai crié, “Bye-bye la belle.”
Y a personne qui m'a pas répondu,
O yé yaille, mon cœur fait mal.
poss. Grady Mann, Curzy Roy, Johnnie Manuel, Harry Choates, Joe Manuel, Eddy Pursley, Ronald Ray "Pee Wee" Lyons
His group consisted Ronald Ray "Pee Wee" Lyons on steel guitar, Esmond "Eddie" Pursley on guitar, B D Williams on bass, Curzy "Porkchop" Roy on drums, Johnnie Ruth Manuel on piano and her husband Joe Manuel on banjo. Joe, from southwest Louisiana, had originally created his group for hillbilly music when they added Harry to the mix. In this tune, Harry stepped back from the vocals and let Joe sing an old Cajun classic originally recorded by Cleoma Breaux in 1929 as "Mon Coeur T'Appelle". It was entitled "Je Pasa Durvan Ta Port" (#1005), a corrupted spelling of the phrase "j'ai passé devant ta porte" or "I walked passed your door".
Release Info: Je Pasa Durvan Ta Port | Cajun Classics 1005 Tip-E-Te-Tip-E-Ta Ameon | Cajun Classics 1006 Find: Harry Choates – The Fiddle King Of Cajun Swing (Arhoolie, 1982, 1993) Cajun Fiddle King (AIM, 1999) Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Bear Family, 2002)
Jimmy Yves "C" Newman was born in High Point, Louisiana, near Big Mamou, and raised in a bilingual family with parents who delighted in the cowboy sounds of Gene Autry and the country music of Jimmie Rodgers and The Carter Family. Mr. Newman's father died when he was a teenager, and he left school after six years of education, to work on a farm. During World War II, Mr. Newman worked in a defense plant as a welder's helper, and there he met an electrician and music aficionado named J.D. Miller.1,2
Eh, chère petite,
Moi j'm'en vas, moi tout seul,
Et pour ça, quoi t'as fait,
Avec moi, il y a, pas longtemps,
Eh, mon cœur fait mal,
De te voir t'en aller,
Aussi loin avec un autre,
Si j'connais je donne pas mieux.
Après ma mort, tu vas veiller,
Tu vas mendier pour tes mêmes choses,
Quoi t'as fait avec moi,
Il y a, pas longtemps, chère petite.
Jimmy "C" Newman
Jimmy first stint was with Murphy "Chuck" Guillory's billing in 1948. The Bihari brothers of Modern records had previously helped release Harry Choates' Jole Blon two years earlier and they were scouting other Cajun music in Louisiana. They had spotted Chuck's band playing Eunice and had them record the song, possibly in New Orleans. Chuck and J.D. Miller kicked off Jimmy's musical career with his first vocal recording entitled "Chere Petite" (#20-612). The flip-side was "Gran Texas", sung by Julius "Papa Cairo" Lamperez, made famous later by Hank Williams. However, Miller had struggled to gain commercial awareness. Even Iry Lejeune in 1954 covered one of his tunes "I Made A Big Mistake", after Newman failed to garner success with it in 1953. His stint didn't last long with Chuck, leaving Chuck's group in 1950 to carry his on his own.
Hey, dear little one,
I'm going, all alone,
And for that, what you've done,
To me, over there, not long ago,
Hey, my heart is broken,
To see you go,
So far away with another,
I know, I won't get better.
After my death, you will watch over me,
You will cry about all the same things,
What have you done to me,
Over there, not long ago, dear little one.
"Chere Petite" featured fiddler Murphy "Chuck" Guillory, pianist Herman Durbin, drummer Curzy "Porkchop" Roy, steel guitarist Julius "Papa Cairo" Lamperez, and bassist Claude "Pete" Duhon. It wouldn't be until Miller convinced Fred Rose to record Jimmy's "Cry, Cry, Darling" at Rose's Nashville home on Woodmont Ave that Newman became a fixture in the country music scene. He climbed to the heights of country stardom but he never forgot his roots. He was a tremendous ambassador of our Cajun music and became the first performer on the Grand Ole Opry to sing Cajun French music.
Perhaps the name most linked with the Cajun swing sound was Harry Choates. He was an outstanding fiddle player, equally at home with traditional Cajun material or western swing. He was also a wild and eccentric character, a heavy drinker who would appear on stage in a formerly white cowboy hat, which, in the words of a band member, "looked like a hundred horses had stomped on it when it had been stuck in a grease barrel". As well as being a great fiddler, he also played guitar, accordion, and steel guitar, yet probably never owned an instrument, preferring to borrow whatever he needed.3 Not to interfere with his Gold Star contract, he quietly traveled to Paris, TX in 1947 and recorded an old Leo Soileau tune called "Hackberry Hop" (#1007) for Jimmy Mercer's label.
Hé le Hip et Taïau, ouais,
Qu’a volé mon traineau, chérie,
Quand ç’a vu j’étais chaud, ouais,
Il a ramené mon traîneau.
C'est le Pitre et Bosco, ouais,
Qu'a volé mon gilet, chérie,
Quand il a vu j'suis d'venu chaud, ouais,
T'as ramené mon gilet.
Hé le Hip et Taïau, ouais,
Qu’a volé mon chariot, chérie,
Quand il a vu j’étais devenu chaud, ouais,
Il a ramené mon chariot.
C'est le Pitre et Bosco, ouais,
Qu'a volé mon gilet, chérie,
Quand il a vu j'suis d'venu chaud, ouais,
T'as ramené mon gilet.
Amos Comeaux, Harry Choates, Wally Bryant Courtesy Andrew Brown4
Since Harry had played with Leo, covering his version of "Hackberry Hop" for quite some time in the 1930s and 40s, it's probably where he got the title for this tune. Sung by his banjo player Joe Manuel, it was a cover of the well-known Cleoma Breaux song "Ils La Volet Mon Trancas", better known as "Hippy Ti Yo". Manuel and Choates was backed by Ronald Ray "Pee Wee" Lyons on steel guitar, Eddie Pursley on guitar, B.D. Williams on bass, Johnnie Ruth Manuel, and Curzy "Pork Chop" Roy on drums.
It's Hip and Taïaut, yeah,
That stole my sled, dearie,
When they saw I had become hot, yeah,
They brought my sled back.
This is Pitre and Bosco, yeah,
That stole my vest, dearie,
When they saw I had become hot, yeah,
They brought my jacket back.
It's Hip and Taïaut, yeah,
That stole my cart, dearie,
When they saw I had become hot, yeah,
They brought my cart back.
This is Pitre and Bosco, yeah,
That stole my vest, dearie,
When they saw I had become hot, yeah,
They brought my jacket back.
Daily Advertiser Sep 10, 1948
Although some speculate this session was done at a radio station in Lake Charles, it's quite possible, the recordings for this session were done at Mercer's studio located in his store called Melody Lane Record Shop. According to collector Jared Mariconi:
I've looked into the Cajun Classics and Jimmy Mercer and it seems like he was pressing them in a small pressing facility that he built himself in Paris, Tx in 1947. He had a record store called Melody Lane, which he shut down at the end of '46 to open the factory. They said that he recorded [musicians] in the music shop.2
By 1950, Mercer had moved the location of the plant to Main St. and changed the name to Southern Plastics1. Joe Manuel would eventually reform a new band in 1949 and re-record the tune as "Creole Hop" on Deluxe Records.
Release Info: 1005 Hackberry Hop | Series 1007 Cajun Classics 1009 Jole Brun | Series 1009 Cajun Classics 1005 Hackberry Hop | Cajun Classics CC1007 1010 Yes I Love You | Cajun Classics CC1010 Find:
Harry Choates – The Fiddle King Of Cajun Swing (Arhoolie, 1982, 1993) Cajun Fiddle King (AIM, 1999)
Harry Choates was born in either Rayne or New Iberia, Louisiana, yet early on, he moved with his mother, Tave Manard, to Port Arthur, Texas, during the 1930s. By the time he reached the age of twelve he had learned to play a fiddle and performed for tips in Port Arthur barbershops. The Melody Boys, originally formed with Joe Manuel, Eddie Pursley, and local swing musicians around Lake Charles, were in desperate need of a fiddle player. Harry was quickly added to the mix and eventually became the band's front man. Joe knew Harry and his talent from playing together in Leo Soileau's group in 1941 and by 1946, they teamed up for his famous "Jole Blon" recording. The following recording session, Joe convinced Harry to have Johnnie play piano in the group. The group could become Harry first consistent band for many of the early Gold Star releases.
Daily Advertiser May 31, 1947
He, mignonne.
"I know I'm leaving Port Arthur", jolie fille, chérie,
Oh, chère, mais, moi j'connais, j'mérite pas ça.
He, petite, mais, moi j'connais, mignonne,
Oh, pourquoi t'as fais, moi j'connais, tu voir, t'es regret,
Eh, chérie, moi j'connais, mignonne,
Oh, il y a pas longtemps, mais, malheureuse, ça fait d'la peinne.
Ooh, petite, malheureuse, chere, cherie,
Eh, chère, mais, moi j'connais, t'as m'fais pitié.
Harry Choates, Johnnie Ruth Manuel, Joe Manuel, Eddie Pursley, B.D. Williams Speedy's Broken Mirror, Sulphur, LA, 1947 Image by Tim Knight
With the runaway success of "Jole Blon" apparent by the fall of 1946, Quinn quickly brought Choates back to his studio for a follow-up release. Suddenly Cajun music was commercial, and, for the time being, Quinn would insist that Harry exclusively record traditional material. "Port Arthur Waltz" (#1319) may have been a traditional piece of material, although Choates claimed authorship.4According to good friend Levan Meyers, he and Harry were returning from a gig in Sulpher, Louisiana.
Before leaving to return to Port Arthur, Harry purchased a fifth of Jack Daniel's whiskey and by the time they reached Orange Bridge, Harry had consumed the entire fifth, all the while singing what he called the "Port Arthur Waltz". He was making up the entire song as they drove along.2
Lake Charles American Press Feb 27, 1947
The band consisted of Edmond Pursley on guitar, Abe Manuel on guitar, Joe Manuel on banjo, B.D.Williams on bass, Curzy "Porkchop" Roy on drums, and a honky-tonk pianist by the name of Johnnie Manuel. According to author Tim Knight, his band recorded the "Port Arthur Waltz", which along with "Jole Blon" were hot sellers in the Port Arthur, Beaumont, and Orange County market.2
Hey cutie.
I know I'm leaving Port Arthur, my pretty girl, dearie,
Oh, dear, well, I know, I don't deserve that,
Hey, little one, well, I know, cutie,
Oh, what you've done, I know, you'll see, you'll be sorry.
Hey, dearie, I know, cutie,
Oh, over there it won't be long, well, oh my , that's painful.
Oooh, little one, oh my, dear, dearie,
Hey, dear, well, I know, you've made me pitiful.
Released on the flip-side of another traditional tune, "Allons A Lafayette", "Port Arthur Waltz" would not become the national hit that "Jole Blon" was. In fact, neither Quinn nor Choates would ever had another one of those. But it did sell well in Louisiana and Texas, and that market was large enough to justify Quinn's continuing interest.4 After 1959, Starday purchased most of the rights to the Gold Star records, re-releasing some of Harry's tunes.
Release Info: Allons A Lafayette | Gold Star 1319-A Port Arthur Waltz | Gold Star 1319-B ST 2318 Louisiana Boogie | Starday 224 ST 2296 Port Arthur Waltz | Starday 224 Find: Harry Choates – The Fiddle King Of Cajun Swing (Arhoolie, 1982, 1993) Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Bear Family, 2002)
In the late 1940s, Jimmy Mercer of Paris, TX had created a new label called "Cajun Classic" in the hopes of getting Harry Choates to record for him. By 1947, he made good on his promise and coaxed Harry to head there with his band and record several tunes, one of which was a traditional Cajun tune called "Tip-E-Te Tip-E-Ta Ameon" (#1006) for his Cajun Classics label. The song known as "T'es Petite et T'es Mignonne" was an old Cajun tune, first recorded by the Fawvors in 1929. Mercer and Harry had the song sung as a duet by his band members-- banjoist Joe Manuel and his guitarist Esmond "Eddie" Pursley. The band rounded out with Ronald Ray "Pee Wee" Lyons on steel guitar, B.D. Williams on bass and Curzy "Porkchop" Roy on drums.
Daily World Aug 12, 1948
T’es petite et t’es mignonne,
Et galeuse, cherie, j’t’amie quand même,
Ah, mais ouais, la belle, chérie, se pas la belle,
Ah, mais ouais, la belle, chérie,
Vous allez et laver.
T’es petite et t’es mignonne,
T'es trop galeuse, cherie, pour faire ma femme
Ah, mais ouais, la belle, chérie, se pas la belle,
Ah, mais ouais, la belle, chérie,
Vous allez et laver.
T’es petite et t’es mignonne,
Et galeuse, cherie, j’t’amie quand même,
Ah, mais ouais, la belle, chérie, se pas la belle,
Ah, mais ouais, la belle, chérie,
Vous allez et laver.
T’es petite et t’es mignonne,
Et galeuse, cherie, j’t’amie quand même,
Ah, mais ouais, la belle, chérie, se pas la belle,
Ah, mais ouais, la belle, chérie,
Vous allez et laver.
After Gold Star's producer Bill Quinn accidentally found out about this session, the two producers settled on an arrangement. Harry Choates had been playing with his Melody Boys for quite some time and the following year, in 1948, he and the Manuels were touring around east Texas and south Louisiana. That year, they re-recorded the tune "Te Petite" (#1343) for Gold Star records. It featured a young pianist by the name of Johnnie Ruth Smyrle, sometimes listed as "Johnnie Mae", from San Angelo, Texas.
This would be the last recording with his original group involving the Manuels. According to researcher Andrew Brown, rumor abound that Harry had an affection for Joe's wife Johnnie. They had been touring through Texas and at some point, a band member caught the couple in the midst of "private relations". This caused an immediate breakup of the band including, allegedly, the dissolving of Joe and Johnnie's marriage. Many would never play with Harry again.
Johnnie and Harry
To make matters worse, back in Louisiana, Choates’s wife was three months pregnant with their daughter, Linda. Despite the difficulties of his own making, in April 1947, Choates and Johnnie Manuel booked a month long engagement at Dessau Hall in Austin, Texas. By May or June, he had a show on KWBU in Corpus Christi. When Linda was born in September, Choates was still with Johnnie but it didn't last long. According to bassist Grady "Tarzan" Mann, after a night of drinking, Choates grabbed the electric guitar and his dark side appeared:
One time we were playing at Dessau Hall. [Choates] always liked for me to be right up there beside him with that upright bass. Johnnie told him, "Are you gonna play for the people, or are you gonna play for Tarzan?" And he turned around and knocked her clean off that piano stool!.1,2,5
Choates turned to the crowd and stated, "That's all right, folks. We just had to get some things straight around here."5
You're small and you're cute,
And shabby, dearie, I like you anyways,
Ah, well yeah, pretty girl, dearie, she's not beautiful,
Ah, well yeah, pretty girl, dearie,
You go and wash up.
You're small and you're cute,
You're too shabby, dearie, to be my wife,
Ah, well yeah, pretty girl, dearie, she's not beautiful,
Ah, well yeah, pretty girl, dearie,
You go and wash up.
You're small and you're cute,
And shabby, dearie, I like you anyways,
Ah, well yeah, pretty girl, dearie, she's not beautiful,
Ah, well yeah, pretty girl, dearie,
You go and wash up.
You're small and you're cute,
And shabby, dearie, I like you anyways,
Ah, well yeah, pretty girl, dearie, she's not beautiful,
Ah, well yeah, pretty girl, dearie,
You go and wash up.
Harry Choates, Johnnie Ruth Smyrle Manual, Joe Manuel
Other family members dispute the relationship rumors, stating Johnnie loved Harry like a brother and that they stayed friends until his death. Choates didn’t worry too much about switching band members, as the Golden Triangle—the area of Texas just across the Sabine River from Louisiana where he spent most of his time—was jumping with musicians. Eventually, he'd record with other groups and form other bands including one with tenor banjoist and Port Arthur resident Ivy Gaspard. According to Gaspard,
This area was a hotbed of good musicians. You had as many good musicians here as you had anywhere.4
Often times when he found himself broke, Quinn would have him sit in for a session, regardless if he needed him or not. Sadly, many of those impromptu session recordings never materialized.
Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings by Andrew Brown. Liner notes.
Image by Museum of the Gulf Coast
http://www.offbeat.com/articles/harry-choates/
All Over the Map: True Heroes of Texas Music By Michael Corcoran
Release Info: Je Pasa Durvant Ta Port | Cajun Classics 1005 Tip-E-Te-Tip-E-Ta Ameon | Cajun Classics 1006 Find: Harry Choates – The Fiddle King Of Cajun Swing (Arhoolie, 1982, 1993) Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Bear Family, 2002)
Murphy "Chuck" Guillory learned to play from his father, Mady Guillory. He first picked up the instrument at the age of seven in the 1930s.3
I picked up his violin when I was 7 and I was too little to tune it. He tuned it for me, and I started playing with one finger--I learned to play it own my own.3
Starting out small, like most Cajun musicians, he played in local establishments, country dances, and local musical contests. According to Guillory,
I'd rather play music than eat.2
Hé, p'tite fille, un jour à venir, mais, malheureuse,
Moi, j'connais tu vas pleurer tu sera trop tard,
Hé, un jour à venir chérie,
Moi, j'connais tu vas venir, mais, malheureuse.
Hé, mais, tu connais, chérie,
Tu connais, t'es jamais dernière* pour ça t'as fait.
Herman Durbin, Jimmy Newman, Chuck Guillory, Curzy "Pork Chop" Roy, R.R. Sagg (emcee), Julius "Papa Cairo" Lamperez
After the breakup of Harry Choates' Melody Boys, Guillory attracted two of his biggest sidemen in the industry, fiddler Curzy "Porkchop" Roy and steel guitar player Julius "Papa Cairo" Lamperez. Porkchop grew up learning from his father, in which he recalls "could play anything, accordion, fiddle, guitar, piano...".1 He explained his nickname from childhood,
When I was a kid, I chewed gum all the time. As soon as the flavor was gone, I'd spit the gum out and pop in another piece. So my father called me "cochon" (pig).1
Daily World May 2, 1950
At sixteen years old, Porkchop cut his teeth early on, playing the drums with Harry Choates and the Melody Boys and by the time Papa was filling in, the band, the two musicians found themselves in Eunice working alongside Guillory's group. Together, in 1950, they recorded a tune called "Chuck's Waltz" (#1015). It's a song most likely introduced to Guillory by his early sideman, Preston Manuel. Preston, who played with Chuck shortly after the war, had helped popularize this tune in the 1930s as "Chere Tu Tu" with J.B. Fuselier. Preston recalled playing with Guillory,
I had quite playing with J.B. for a few years, right after WWII, and we organized a band, me and Chuck, The Rhythm Boys. My main man is Chuck . I like to play with him and he's such a nice guy. He's a good fiddler too!4
Hey, little girl, one day will come, well, oh my,
I know you are going to cry, you'll be too late,
Hey, one day will come, dearie,
I know you're going to return, well, oh my.
Hey, well, you know, dearie,
You know, you'll never last*, for what you've done.
After working in the grocery business in Mamou for years, he brought back Preston and Porkchop for something he called a "re-comeback" in 1982, re-recording many of his old tunes including "Chuck's Waltz". Porkchop reminisced a harrowing night with the band and Papa Cairo,
One night, we played a dance at Tee Maurice. Afterward, we went riding around Bosco with Papa Cairo...just looking around. The fella driving the car jumped a canal and we ended up in the water. I came up with my hair hanging all over my face. Papa Cairo was laughing at me, but he changed his tune when he saw his six string steel-guitar floating down the canal. He started hollering for someone to grab it quick. He didn't mind being in the canal near as much as losing that steel.1
"Cajun Musician Curzey Roy Recalls the Robust Rhythms". Fannie Genin. DW. Sep 1984.
"Guillory Nominated". Candace Riley. VPG. Mar 5, 1989
"Fiddler Stands By Old Time Music". Robin Miller. TT Sep 26, 1993.
Release Info: Chuck's Waltz | Feature F-1015-A Teiyut Two Step | Feature F-1015-B Find: Grand Texas (Arhoolie, 1998) Jimmy C NEWMAN - The Original Cry, Cry, Darling (Jasmine, 2009)
Some of the earliest Cajun string band music were still being recorded in the early 1950s. Bands like Chuck Guillory and Jimmy Newman were latching onto the style, sometimes landing large recording contracts with MGM, Decca, and Columbia. Around this same time, one would gather that a certain Jimmy Durbin lead a group of Cajun musicians backed by Chuck Guillory's band members and recorded "Fais Do Do Two Step" (#1008) for J.D. Miller's Fais Do Do label. It was a version of Amede Ardoin's "One Step de Chameaux". Misspelled "fias", it was an ode to the common Cajun house dance event known as a "fais do-do". Literally meaning "make sleep", the word "do" became a shorted form of the French word "domir" (to sleep). In the same manner a mother was tell a child "beddie-bye" in English, legend has it that mothers who attended these dances with their children, tried to quickly get their babies to sleep in the back room, less their husbands be caught dancing with someone else!
Oh, ma jolie fille, 'tit fille, m'fais pas ça,
Cherie, ma jolie cœur, 'tit fille m'fais pitié,
Oh, ma malheureuse, tit fille, m'fais du mal,
Eh, ma ça ta fais ton nègre, il y a pas longtemps.
Chérie, mais, j'vas mourir, 'tite fille, mais, ça me va pas,
Tite fille, auprès de toi, chérie, mais, que j'vas voir,
Eh, mais, malheureuse, m'j'connais te m'fais pitié,
Chérie, t'es, joli cœur, tite fille, tu me fais du mal.
Jimmy Newman, Curzy Porkchop Roy, unknown, Papa Cairo, unknown, Herman Durbin
Image courtesy of Johnnie Allan Collection,
Center for Louisiana Studies,
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
It would seem that Chuck's band had this recording led by a man named Jimmy Durbin. Except, there's one problem: there was no such person as Jimmy Durbin! In a strange identity crisis, no one has been able to determine who this person was, leading to several theories. The name is most likely Miller's attempt at listing Jimmy Newman and his regular piano-playing sidekick, Herman Durbin, together. Instead of Benny Fruge on piano, it could very well be Herman with Miller attempting to list them as "Jimmy & Durbin". Author and producer of the Acadian All-Star box set, Lyle Ferbrache explains:
For some reason when JD released the record, he put the name "Jimmy Durbin" on the record. Shelton Manuel had no idea why. As far as I can tell there us no Jimmy Durbin. J.D. did things that sometimes made no sense.1
Oh, my pretty girl, little girl, don't do that to me,
Dearie, my pretty sweetheart, little girl, make me pitiful,
Oh, my unfortunate little girl, that hurts me,
Hey, that was done to your man, over there not long ago.
Dearie, well, I'll die, little girl, well, I'm not going,
Little girl, with you, dearie, that I can see,
Hey, well, oh my, I know you made me pitiful,
Dearie, you are a pretty sweetheart, little girl, you've hurt me.
Regardless, the band was most of Chuck Guillory's backup group with Jimmy Newman on guitar, Shelton Manuel on vocals and fiddle, Francis "Red" Fabacher on steel guitar, Howard Thibodeaux on bass, Curzey "Pork Chop" Roy on drums, and either Herman Durbin or Benny Fruge on piano. The record was recorded on a tape machine that J.D. had just started using and wanted to see if he could make a remote recording. So, Miller and the band recorded the session at Benny's Fruge Piano House in Eunice about 1949. It was recorded around the same time Nathan Abshire used the melody for his "Lake Charles Two Step". Later, Chuck Guillory would record it as "One Step De Chameaux". Generally, both songs are known as the same tune.
Discussions with Lyle F
Lyrics by Stephane F
Release Info:
-A Drunkard Waltz | Fais-Do-Do F1008-A
-B Fais Do Do Two Step | Fais-Do-Do F1008-B
Find:
Acadian All Star Special - The Pioneering Cajun Recordings Of J.D. Miller (Bear, 2011)
Facts about Harry Choates' early life are lost to the sands of time, though it’s likely that he spent his early childhood in Rayne and New Iberia before his family moved to the booming oil town of Port Arthur, Texas in 1929. Beyond his birth certificate, the first concrete evidence of Choates’ existence came in the form of his first recorded appearance with Happy Fats’ Rayne-Bo Ramblers in 1940. Harry was now 17, and he emerged from childhood with two fully developed talents, the yin and yang that would define the highest and lowest moments of the rest of his life: the ability to drink most dedicated booze-hounds under the table and the musical genius to blow just about anybody off of the bandstand.1
Austin American Oct 4, 1947
His 1947 instrumental, "Rubber Dolly" (#1331), for Gold Star records came to south Louisiana from the American hillbilly musicians of the Appalachian region. It became a marching song during WWI. Quoted in the book “To the Last Ridge” by WH Downing, first published in 1920, he writes about hearing a wounded man out in no-man’s-land at Fromelles, singing it in his delirium.2,3,4
Rumored to be the origins of an English nursery rhyme, it was later popularized by Woody Guthrie, Bill Parsons, Ella Fitzgerald and the Light Crust Doughboys.4 Earlier Cajun musicians such as Angelas Lejeune borrowed the melody for his popular "Bayou Pom Pom One Step". Other derivatives of the melody found it's way into Joe Falcon's "Osson One Step", Adam Trahan's "Waltz Of Our Little Town" and Amede Ardoin's "Tortope d'Osrun". Post-war Cajun versions can be found in Iry Lejeune's "Bayou Ponpon Special" and Austin Pitre's "High Point Two Step" and his "Janot Special".
Record producer, Bill Quinn, had such a large following of Harry Choates' music, he licensed out several songs from this session to Modern Records Hollywood of Los Angelas. Listeners can hear Harry call out steel guitarist Ronald Ray "Pee Wee" Lyons. Among the other musicians were Joe Manuel on banjo, Eddie Pursley on guitar, B.D. Williams on bass, Johnnie Ruth Manuel on piano and Curzy "Pork Chop" Roy on drums. Banjoist Chester "Pee Wee" Broussard, who played with Happy Fats at some of the same places Choates performed, related to Kevin Coffey:
[Harry Choates' Melody Boys] liked to drink, liked to smoke, and money just burned a hole in their pockets. We’d play a dance and get back to Rayne, and they’d go find a slot machine. Before we finished eating our breakfast, which was usually three in the morning, they were already broke and trying to borrow money from somebody else.1
Release Info: 1331 Rubber Dolly | Gold Star 1331 1326-BFa-De-Do Stomp | Gold Star 1326-B 528A Rubber Dolly | Modern 20-528A 528B Cajun Hop | Modern 20-528B Find: Western Swing, Vol. 1 (Old Timey, 1966) Harry Choates – The Fiddle King Of Cajun Swing (Arhoolie, 1982, 1993) Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Bear Family, 2002)
