"Oakdale Waltz" - Chuck Guillory

Murphy "Chuck" Guillory was one of Evangeline Parishes most popular Cajun string band fiddlers of the 1950s.  Backed by Jimmy Newman and Papa Cairo, he teamed up with local accordion player Milton Molitor for a 1950 session for record producer J.D. Miller in Crowley and recorded the song "Oakdale Waltz" (#1014).  It has similarities with Cleoma Breaux's "Pin Solitaire" her brother's recording of "La Valse Du Bayou Plaquemine"

It was named after the Oakdale Club in Oakdale, Louisiana but for researchers, there's some mystery to why Chuck's name is so prominent on the label.   According to Dorothy Pitre, wife of Austin Pitre:

There were members of the Chuck Guillory band on the recording, but Chuck Guillory did not play on that record.  It was my husband Austin.  Austin and Milton often played together in the late 40s and early 50s.1

Hé, moi, depuis je m'là envoyer, 

Hé, à ma maison, moi, tout seul, bébé.

Oh, yaille, yaille, bébé,

Hé, ma jolie, mon seulement, chère.

Oh, yaille, petite, tu casse le cœur,

Hé, quoi je connais, (qui) peut croire s-en tout ça, chère

Ah, t'as fait aujourd’hui z-avec moi,

Hé, quitte-moi m'en aller à maison aller mourir.

Hé toi, comment m'en aller à ma maison, 

Hé, quoi j'vas dire à pap et mam, yaille, 

Ay yaille, yaille, quoi t'as fait,

Hé, moi j'connais tu vas m'faire mourir, bébé.

Oakdale Journal
Mar 18, 1948

Dorothy also thinks that the record was recorded by someone other than J.D. Miller, perhaps by a traveling record company.  According to author Lyle Ferbrache:

Our best guess is that Milton Molitor is playing with Chuck Guillory's band without Guillory.   Was Guillory's name used by mistake?1

Later, Austin would re-record the tune with his own band, calling it the "New Oakdale Waltz" and Leroy Broussard changed the lyrics in his well-known "B.O. Sparkle".  

Yet, Chuck admitted to record producer Chris Strachwitz that he actually did record with Milton. If Chuck truly is on this recording, one should ask, "Where's the fiddle?"  Sadly, Milton didn't leave much of a recording legacy.

Hey, since I was sent over there,

Hey, to my house, I'm all alone, baby.

Oh, yaille, yaille, baby,

Hey, my pretty one, I'm lonely, dear.

Oh, yaille, little one, you broke my heart,

Hey, what I know, who can believe all that, dear,

Ah, what you've done today to me,

Hey, let me go home to go die.

Hey, how am I going to go to my home?

Hey, what am I going to tell my dad and mom?

Ay, yaille, yaille, what have you done?

Hey, I know you are going to kill me, baby.

1. Lyle Ferbrache.  Acadian All Star Special - The Pioneering Cajun Recordings Of J.D. Miller. Liner notes.
2. Lyrics by Jordy A

Release Info:
-A Oakdale Waltz | Feature F-1014-A
-B Walfus Two Step | Feature F-1014-B

Find:
Grand Texas (Arhoolie, 1998)
Acadian All Star Special - The Pioneering Cajun Recordings Of J.D. Miller (Bear, 2011)

"Walfus Two Step" - Chuck Guillory & Milton Molitor

Chuck Guillory's group became the backup band for several Cajun musicians after the war.   Primarily a country string band, he helped headline Jimmy Newman, Al Terry, Papa Cairo, and Milton Molitor.  Recorded in Crowley at the J.D. Miller studio, Milton sang the tune "Walfus Two Step" for Miller's Feature label.  Wafus (misspelled Walfus) is named after the Wafus Club dance hall in Oakdale, Louisiana.

While the exact origins of the name "Wafus" is unknown, rumor states it's named after Walter Roy "Pete" Fuselier, a native of Kinder, LA in Allen Parish.  He grew up not far from the town of Oakdale--the town's name Chuck used on the flip-side of his recording and near the home of Molitor.  According to author Lyle Ferbrache:

Milton Molitor lived on a farm between Mamou and Oakdale and was close enough to have played at both clubs.1

Eh, chérie, depuis la première fois,

Eh, 'tit monde, j't'avais vu ma chère bébé.

Eh, bébé, depuis la première fois,

Eh, j't'ai vu, j'avais vu tes grands nœilnœils,

Eh, si capoté sur le bord, p’tit monde,

Eh, je m’ai rentourné à ma maison j’t’avait dit t’aurais eu.

Eh petite, je connaissait qu’y aurait eu,

Pour l’agrément, bébé, t’es partie pour s’en aller.

Opelousas Daily World
July 18, 1948

Milton's use of "grands nœilnœils" is unique since this is a phrase unusual to Louisiana French. It's similar to the word "canoeils" in Quebec.  A colloquial combination of the word "un œil", it's commonly used in France to refer to someone having "child-like eyes", generally in a cute way.    Afterwards, Milton would join up with Austin Pitre in 1957, giving these songs new life.  This one would later become the "Midway Two Step". 

Hey, dearie, since the very first time,

Hey, my little everything, I've seen my dear baby.

Hey, baby, since the very first time,

Hey, I saw you, I saw your big child-like eyes,

Hey, (I'm) so turned over the edge, my little everything,

Hey, I went back home, I already told you what you had.

Hey, little one, I knew what would would happen,

For fun, baby, you're leaving to go away.

Although the label reads 'Chuck Guillory featuring Milton Molitor on accordion, it's hard to believe that Chuck Guillory is on either side.1  It's quite possible that that the fiddle player is Austin Pitre instead.  Over time, the song title has been jokingly referred to as the "Waffle Two Step" as well as the "Pancake Two Step".2  

1. "Acadian All Star Special" by Bear Records
2. Ye Yaille Chere by Raymond Francois
3. Lyrics by Stephane F and Jordy A

Release Info:
-A Oakdale Waltz | Feature F-1014-A
-B Walfus Two Step | Feature F-1014-B

Find:
Grand Texas (Arhoolie, 1998)

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

"Midway Two Step" - Austin Pitre & Milton Molitor

By 1957, 10 years had passed since the dance-hall revival of Cajun music after the war.   Khoury's Cajun recordings were on the decline, only occasionally recording Nathan Abshire from time to time.   J.D. Miller was still going, but both were leaning towards country, R&B and rock n roll artists; no longer interested in the dismal attention Cajun music was getting.  

Then came the first pressing by record-man Floyd Soileau.  Soileau's first label, Big Mamou, was formed in partnership with Ed Manuel, a Mamou, Louisiana, jukebox operator, nightclub owner, and regular customer of Floyd's Record Shop, who had the financial backing to assist the young entrepreneur. Manuel had also taped Cajun musicians Milton Molitor and Austin Pitre at a party where they performed "Midway Two Step"(#101) in 1957.  It was taken from Milton's early recording with Chuck Guillory known as "Walfus Two Step". 

Hé, chérie! qu'est ce qui t'as fais faire ça,

Hé, j'connais pas je mérite pas ça t'as fait.

Hé, aujourd'hui, tu plais z-à tout le monde,

Hé pointe au doigt, ça dit que c'est grand vaurien,

Hé, bébé, moi je mérite pas ça,

Hé, chérie, gardez donc que tous j'ai eu.

Hé, chérie, tu vas tuer(?) à mes parents, 

Hé, quand , moi,j'vas aller pour m'en aller,

Hé ,chérie, je connais pas (ce) qui arrive,

Hé, maman, t'espere moi je m'en vas.

Hé, chérie, j'pars, moi, la bas, 

Hé yéyaie, je connais pas tu vas revenir,

hé yéyaie, y' plus personne qui veut me voir,

Hé maman, j'espere donc pour je m'en vas.

Although these songs were recorded merely to advertise a couple of Manuel's nightclubs, Soileau shipped the masters to Don Pierce's Starday Records in Nashville. During his days at KVPI, Soileau had often run across promotional fliers from Starday, which read "If you've got a tape, we can press a record for you." The Big Mamou releases sold encouragingly and began to revive interest in Cajun music around Ville Platte.1  He said

Ed said, "We're gonna call this 'Manual Bar Waltz' and 'Midway Two Step'" because those were two nightclubs he had an interest in and he wanted some publicity. We put our first record out and started selling it.2

Austin Pitre, Lurlin Lejeune and Milton Molitor

In time-honored fashion, the artists were using the records to encourage dance bookings.  Soileau recalls his exposure to the music:

And then when word got out that somebody in Ville Platte was releasing French records again. . . . I say again because most—in fact, I think everybody had stopped, they weren't selling enough French records. . . . Country music had come through and sorta swept around here and there was nobody interested in doing Cajun records anymore. So we put that first record out. It sent the message that there was somebody releasing that kind of music again.1

Author John Broven jokingly refers to the name of the Midway Club as "midway between this community and that community!", referring to Breaux Bridge and Lafayette.4  

Hey honey! What makes you do this,

Hey, I don't know, I don't deserve what you've done.

Hey, now, everyone likes you,

Hey, pointing your finger, saying that here is a big scoundrel,

Hey, baby, I do not deserve this,

Hey, darling, look at everything I had.

Hey, honey, you're going to ruin my parents,

Hey, when I go, I've got to go,

Hey, honey, I don't know what happened,

Hey, mom, you expect me to leave.

Hey, darling, I'm leaving, I'm feeble,

Hey, oh my, I don't know if you're gunna come back,

Hey, oh my, over there, no one wants to see me,

Hey, mom, I expect I'll be leaving. 

1. http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/miller_and_soileau.html
2. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven
3. http://louisianadancehalls.com/dance_hall/midway-club/
4. Floyd's Early Cajun Singles.  John Broven.  Liner notes.
5. Lyrics by Jerry M and Stephane F

Find:

Floyd's Early Cajun Singles (Ace, 1999)

"Manual Bar Waltz" - Milton Molitor & Austin Pitre

One of the later independent Cajun music recording engineers was Floyd Soileau.  His early attempts at recording Cajun music started with two brief labels: VEE PEE and Big Mamou Records.  Soileau's first label, Big Mamou, was formed in partnership with Ed Manuel, a Mamou, Louisiana, jukebox operator, nightclub owner, and regular customer of Floyd's Record Shop, who had the financial backing to assist the young entrepreneur. Manuel had also taped Cajun musicians Milton Molitor and Austin Pitre at a party where they performed "Manuel Bar Waltz" (#101) in 1957.  By releasing the recording, it would become Floyd's entry into the music business.

Hey chère regarde donc quoi toi t'as fait,

Mais aujourd'hui avec moi ma criminelle.

Hey bébé tu pourrais plus.

Hey t'aurais eu le coeur aussi criminelle.

Hey semaine en semaine, jour en jour ici,

J'ai jongler à toi criminelle que t'as tout le temps été.

Hey bébé tous les soirs quand je me couche,

Hey tout le temps de la nuit, je me capote de bord dans mon lit.

Hey je peux pas dormir moi pour moi.

Hey c'est juste rapport a tout ce que toi tu m'as fait.

Manuel's Bar

The word "capote" is an old French marine term for saying "turned upside down" "overthrowing" and finally, "aground".  In Cajun French, the verb "jongler" is a mysterious, old French word and seems to translate as "to think" or "reminiscence".  Although these songs were recorded merely to advertise a couple of Manuel's nightclubs, Soileau shipped the masters to Don Pierce's Starday Records in Nashville. During his days at KVPI, Soileau had often run across promotional fliers from Starday, which read "If you've got a tape, we can press a record for you." The Big Mamou releases sold encouragingly and began to revive interest in Cajun music around Ville Platte.  He said

Ed said, "We're gonna call this 'Manual Bar Waltz' and 'Midway Two Step'" because those were two nightclubs he had an interest in and he wanted some publicity. We put our first record out and started selling it.

Austin Pitre, Lurlin Lejeune and Milton Molitor

Milton had his start early on with Chuck Guillory and his Rhythm Boys as the accordion player. Eventually, Molitor and Pitre recorded for Dr. Harry Oster and Chris Strachwitz in the 1960s.

Hey dear, just look what you've done to yourself,

However, now, you've done it with me, it's cruel.

Hey baby, you could do more.

Hey, you should have a heart, also cruel.

Hey, from week to week, day by day,

I remember you always have been cruel.

Hey baby, every night when I go to bed,

Hey, all hours of the night, I'm tossing and turning in my bed,

Hey, I, myself, can not sleep,

Hey, it's just everything that you've done to me.

After the records were released, Ed was no longer interested in the recording business.  He had obtained the publicity he needed for his clubs.  Floyd was on his own:

So I changed the label to VEE-PEE Records. I had seven hundred 45s and three hundred 78s done, and it started selling very well.  

Later that year, Floyd would record Lawrence Walker and Aldus Roger.  Soon afterwards, in 1958, he would continue his business with 45 vinyl releases on his Swallow label, using the English pronunciation of his last name.  Soileau recalled the name change:

"I knew damn well I couldn't put S-O-I-L-E-A-U on there," he says. "They wouldn't be able to pronounce it in most places out of here." "When my dad saw that, he said [with a thick Cajun accent] 'What's the matter! You 'shame of your name?' I said 'It's not gonna fit. . . . Besides, that's the bird, . . . it's not necessarily my name." And he had a hard time—I don't know if he ever bought that entirely"

1. http://www.louisianafolklife.org/LT/Articles_Essays/miller_and_soileau.html
2. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven

Find:
Floyd's Early Cajun Singles (Ace, 1999)