"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)

"Oh-Meon" - Harry Choates

By 1951, Cajun western swing fiddler Harry Choates' career was cut short.  After Choates' death, some of his obscure recordings were released on other Texas based labels.   Originally recorded for Bill Quinn's Gold Star Records in 1950, it seems it was released on Hummingbird afterwards.  Hummingbird Records out of Waco, TX and was managed by H.M. Crowe, a former executive for Decca Records and Houston record distributor for Gold Star.  "Oh-Meon" (#1011) seems to be a one of many un-released 1947 Gold Star recordings that labels such as Hummingbird, Starday, and D Records latched onto and began to issue.  Harry used the popular Cajun melody made famous by Leo Soileau and Mayuse Lafleur in their 1928 recording of "Your Father Put Me Out".  

Mon tout seul, pour t'en aller, pour t'en aller, petite,

Oh, cherie, moi j'connais, j'mérite pas ça.

Oh, mignonne, moi j'connais, il y a pas longtemps,

Oh, cherie, moi j'connais, ça me fais pitié.

Church Point News
Aug 17, 1948

"Meon" was a common phrase Harry used in his lyrics; the corrupted form of the French word "mignon", which in this reference means "cutie". While some of the un-released material were clearly done at Gold Star studios, others were recorded at an unknown location.   Even some of his tunes were later overdubbed by a backup band called Kentucky Slim and Southerners.  It's unknown if Hummingbird even used Gold Star's facilities to manufacturer their sides.  These mysteries leaves researchers with little knowledge of the recording's band members other than possibly Mateo Garza on bass and either Pietro Marchiando or Louis Oltremari on accordion.

I'm all alone, for you've left, for you've left, little one,

Oh, dearie, I know, I don't deserve that.

Oh, cutie, I know, it won't be long,

Oh, dearie, I know, that made me pitiful. 

After Daily of "D" Records purchased the Goldstar masters in 1955, he began re-releasing his music including on the "D" label in 1961. 

1. House of Hits: The Story of Houston's Gold Star/SugarHill Recording Studios By Andy Bradley
2. "Harry Choates: Devil in the Bayou".  Liner notes.

Release Info:
HB-1011A Big Woods | Humming Bird 1011-A
HB-1011B Oh-Meon | Humming Bird 1011-B


Find:
Harry Choates: Five-Time Loser 1940-1951 (Krazy Kat, 1990)
Cajun Fiddle King (AIM, 1999)
Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Bear Family, 2002)

"Gra Mamou" - Harry Choates

Harry Choates was the total and complete musician and entertainer. All of this life he ate, drank and slept music. It is sometimes very difficult to unravel the facts and myths surrounding the life and times of the man who wrote what has been called the Cajun national anthem, “Jolie Blon.” What Jimmy Rogers was to country music, Harry Choates was to French music.2

Originally recorded in 1928 by Leo Soileau and Mayuse Lafleur, the Victor recording "Basile Waltz" is a staple of Cajun music, with a variety of names given to the melody.  Leo had renamed the tune "Le Gran Mamou" in the 1930s, re-recording it as a string band song and played the tune for years across the Louisiana dancehalls.   Harry, an avid fan of Leo's music had joined his band in the early 40s, covering all their tunes.  Harry used this opportunity to cover Leo's signature song. 

Hé ha ha, hé hé hé

Oh mais ça t’as fait ton bon vieux chien.

S’en aller dans Grand Mamou, mais jolie fille,

C’est pour voir ma jolie mignonne, petite fille, joli petit cœur,

Hé petite fille, hé ha ha, oh mais quoi t’as fait à ton papan.

Oh toi, quoi, tit monde, chérie,

Quoi t’as fait à ton pauvre vieux nègre,

Ça me fait de la peine, je ne mérite pas ça,

Hé petite, villaines manières,

Oh mais moi, je connais ça sera pas longtemps.

Hé villaines manières, quoi t’as fait ton pauvre vieux nègre,

Ça sera pas longtemps, ha ha.

Helen and Harry Choates

Between 1946 and 1949, Harry had a successful career pushing his swinging style of Cajun music with his group called the Melody Boys.  But after internal issues broke the band apart, Choates continued searching for any recording opportunities he could find.  He found an upstart recording label run by Charles and Macy Henry in Houston, Texas.


By 1950, Harry entered the ACA Studios of Bill Holford with a new set of musicians and re-record the tune as "Gra Mamou" (#124) on the Macy's label.  Copying the same tactic Leo Soileau and Bluebird Records did by changing the name to "Le Grand Mamou", it's possible he could avoid any conflicts with song copyrights on a separate recording label.  The song featured Frank Juricek or Earl Rebert on steel guitar and possibly Louis Oltremari on piano, but by this time, most of Harry's second band were unknown.  It's most likely these were studio musicians that Henry used to back Harry up on the session.

Hey, ha ha, hey heh hey,

Oh well, what you did to your old dog.

Going to Grand Mamou, well, pretty girl,

It's to see my pretty cutie, little girl, pretty sweetheart,

Hey little girl, hey ha ha, oh well, what you've done to your dad.

Oh why, my little everything, dear?

What have you done to your poor old man?

It hurts me, I don't deserve that,

Hey little one, your naughty ways,

Oh well, I know it will not be long.

Hey, your naughty ways, what did you do to your poor old man,

It will not be long, ha ha.

It must have sold well since Harry was back in the studio later that year recording "Answer to Gran Mamou" however, for unknown reasons, the follow-up was never released.  Either done previously at Goldstar and later sold to Hummingbird or done at a Houston studio in 1951 for Hummingbird, Harry re-recorded the tune as "Big Mamou" (#1012).   

Oh mais, moi, je connais, mais malheureuse,

Quoi t’as fait mais avec moi, je mérite pas ça, chérie,

Hé petite, mais, joli cœur,

Oh mais, moi, je connais ça sera pas longtemps.

Oh, mais chère petite,

Moi, je connais mais ça t’as fait il y a pas longtemps, malheureuse,

Hé ha ha, hé hé hé, oh pour ça t’as fait ton pauvre vieux chien.

Oh yeah.

Tenor banjoist and Port Arthur resident Ivy Gaspard, who toured with Choates, recalled the Cajun music of southeast Texas:

This area was a hotbed of good musicians. You had as many good musicians here as you had anywhere. Some of the dancers who would come to our dances were amazed; they’d never heard French music played the way I played it on tenor guitar but (really) I was playing western swing. I didn’t care to play French, ’cause the musicians weren’t that good. They’ve got some good French musicians now but Harry’s the one who put the idea in their heads how to play that kind of music. Before that, French music, I hated to play it ’cause it was just the same thing over and over and over. But I didn’t mind playing French music with Harry ‘cause he had that beat.1

Oh well, I know, oh my,

What you've done, well, with me, I don't deserve that, dear,

Hey, little one, well, pretty sweetheart,

Oh well, I know it won't be long.

Oh, well, dear little one,

I know , well, that was done not long ago, oh my,

Hey ha hah, hey heh hey, oh, that you've done to your poor old dog.

Oh yeah.

Gra Mamou - 1950 - Macy's

Big Mamou - 1951 - Hummingbird

1. http://www.offbeat.com/articles/harry-choates/
2. http://therecordlive.com/2009/12/16/harry-choate-and-jolie-blon-cajun-musics-founding-father/?mobile=true
3. Lyrics by Jordy A and Carol B

Find:

Harry Choates: Five-Time Loser 1940-1951 (Krazy Kat, 1990)
Cajun Fiddle King (AIM, 1999)

Cajun Capers: Cajun Music 1928-1954 (Proper, 2005)