"A Mosquito Ate Up My Sweetheart" - Segura Brothers

Columbia records rounded out the end of 1928 with a final call by advertising in the papers for Cajun musicians to bring their instruments to New Orleans for one last session.  In December, the Segura Brothers accepted the invitation.  It would be these recordings that would gain them the notoriety of Alan Lomax in 1934 and later, other folklorists at the Library of Congress.  As Lomax lamented:

The Segura Brothers and their band at White Oak near New Iberia, Louisiana, played this beautiful music.2,3  

Les maringouins, a tout mange ma belle,

Ils ont quitté de ses gros orteils,

Pour me faire des bouchons de liège,

Pour toucher les demi-bouteilles,

Et ton papa ressemble à un éléphant,

Et ta maman ressemble à une automobile,

Ton petit frère ressemble à un ouaouaron,

Ta petite soeur ressemble à un coin de banquette.

Given that this song seems to be a children's tune, the Seguras seem to borrow more Acadian traditional melodies compared to the African Creole influences in other melodies of the period.  Like other comparable tunes such as "Saute Crapaud", Cajun children had a fascination with songs involving animals and insects.    According to his daughter Lorraine:

I asked him, "Why did you make that?" He said, "Just for fun."  Everyone would laugh their heads off when he'd play it.4  

Dewey and Eddie Segura

Keep in mind, these lyrics can't be taken literally.  Cajuns found interesting and unique ways to describe someone's appearance.  In this case, the mosquitoes caused such bodily havoc, that the subject's family look deformed.   Even in Cajun French, the term "coin de banquette" is commonly used to refer to someone who is ugly.   A "demi-bouteille" is more of a small whiskey bottle, similar to a flask.   "Maringouins" and "ouaouaron" are both Native American words that Cajuns adopted from the Huron/Iriqouis and South American natives respectively.5  

The following year, Artelus Mistric recorded the melody as "You Belong To Me".  It's quite possible it may have been influential in Leo Soileau's 1937 "Valse D'Amour".

The mosquitoes ate my beauty,

They have left her big toes,

Seem as if they are plugging corks,

To use on half-bottles,

And your dad looks like an elephant,

And your mom looks like a car,

Your little brother looks like a bullfrog,

Your little sister looks like a bench seat.

In 1957, the tune was recorded during a field session for the Ethnic Folkways Library by Bobby Bourke from Avery Island entitled "Les Marigouins Ont Mange Ma Belle". Nathan Abshire was a huge fan of the Segura's music. He had borrowed their tune "My Sweetheart Run Away" for his "Valse de Bayou Teche". In 1949, "Mosquito" became popularly known as Nathan Abshire's "La Valse de Hollybeach". 

In 1987, right before his death, Dewey told his daughters that he wanted the Cajun French music heritage, which he had worked his lifetime to promote, to remain alive.  In keeping with those wishes, he gave his 78 RPM recordings to them stating, "I know you'll do something with them".1  In 1998, his recordings, along with other artifacts, were put on display at the Acadian Museum of Erath near his hometown.  He told his daughter Lorraine that "Mosquito" was his favorite song.

1. Abbeville Meridional. 3-5-1999
2. https://southernspaces.org/2015/six-degrees-alan-lomaxa-review-and-multimedia-excerpts
3. Traditional Music in Coastal Louisiana: The 1934 Lomax Recordings By Joshua Clegg Caffery
4. Discussions with Lorraine S D
5. Ye Yaille Chere by Raymond Francois
6. Lyrics by Stephanie D

Release Info:
W147656-1 A Mosquito Ate Up My Sweetheart 40507-F Columbia 90007 Okeh
W147657-1 New Iberia Polka 40507-F Columbia 90007 Okeh

Find:
Louisiana Cajun Music Volume 1: First Recordings - The 1920's (Old Timey, 1970)
Cajun Louisiane 1928-1939 (Fremeaux, 2003)
Cajun Capers: Cajun Music 1928-1954 (Proper, 2005)
Cajun Country, Vol. 2, More Hits from the Swamp (JSP, 2005)

"New Iberia Polka" - Segura Brothers

As 1928 wrapped up, Columbia planned to record one last time in New Orleans in late December.   As Dewey and Eddie Segura were on a moonshine trip, they discovered the recording opportunity and arrived in time, with Dewey on accordion and Eddie on triangle, to record the "New Iberia Polka" (#40507).   His uncle's son-in-law, a photographer, had some connection with these record manufacturers--Columbia--who at the time, visited New Orleans every six months or so for recording sessions.2  While polkas in south Louisiana weren't common, they were clearly still part of the Cajun music repertoire during the turn of the century; something clearly evident given Nathan Abshire's "Old Folks Polka" and Happy Fats' "La Polka a Gilbert".  According to record producer Christopher King:

This is essential since mazurkas, polkas, gallopades, varsoviannas,  and cotillions held a strong place in the early Cajun fiddle and dance repertoire but became less popular with the introduction of the diatonic accordion.1

Dewey and Eddie Segura

Segura was of Spanish ancestry, played the German diatonic button accordion, influenced by African and Afro-Caribbean musical traditions, sang in Cajun French, and recorded this polka, a decidedly Old World song style.  According to author Ted Olson:

Dewey's rendition of the "New Iberia Polka", recorded in New Orleans in 1928, is perhaps the best musical example of Cajun as a cultural synthesis.4  

By 1929, Dewey made two or three trips to New Orleans to try and make further recordings, deciding on hunches when the record company might be in town.  On the first trip, he hobo-ed to New Orleans by rail with his brother Eddie.  They missed the record people, but their uncle was successful in arranging a broadcast for them.  The radio station, very probably WWL, ran an anyone-can-play show on which the Seguras played two numbers.  The reception to their act was so great (telephone calls and telegrams being received by the station) that the other acts were postponed while he and his bother played "all night".2   

By 1966, Nathan Abshire, who was a big fan of the Segura's music, re-recorded the tune with Dewey Balfa, Rodney Balfa and Basile Marcentel as "Old Folks Polka" for Arhoolie Records at the Frontier bar.   According to New Orleans musician Tristan Harrell, it's not a polka, but something completely different altogether. 

What’s funny is this isn’t a polka at all. It’s a Shottische/Chotis (spanish). Funny how a polka evidently meant something different to these guys.3

1. https://oldtimeparty.wordpress.com/2014/06/18/himself/#more-10194
2. Old Time Music. No.40. Winter 1984.  John H Cowley
3. Discussions with Tristan Harrell
4. Crossroads: A Southern Culture Annual edited by Ted Olson

Find:
Louisiana Cajun Music Volume 1: First Recordings - The 1920's (Old Timey, 1970)
Cajun Louisiane 1928-1939 (Fremeaux, 2003)
Cajun Country, Vol. 2, More Hits from the Swamp (JSP, 2005)

"Bury Me In A Corner Of The Yard" - Segura Brothers

The Segura brothers were two Louisiana-born Spanish brothers from around Delcambre that had been successful in landing recording sessions for Columbia records.   By the end of 1928, after responding to an ad in the paper, they made their way to New Orleans and recorded "Bury Me In A Corner Of The Yard" (#90000/40500).  It would be the first in a series of Cajun recordings that Columbia released in the late part of the 1920s.  Author Raymond Francois explains that Queue de Tortue ("turtle's tail") is thought to be the name of an Indian family who lived on what is now called Bayou Queue de Tortue between Crowley and Kaplan, Louisiana.1

'Tit fille, quand j'vas mourir, enterre pas moi dans le cimetière, 

Enterre donc moi dans le coin de la cour, dans le coin de la cour de ton papa,

Mais laisse donc moi, mes 'tits yeux sortis, mais, c'est pour voir tes chers 'tits yeux

Qui va rester mais si canailles, mais oui, tout l'temps d'ta vie chérie.

Tous les matins, quand je passe devant la porte de ton papa,

Mais, ton papa est planté avec la pipe au bec qui rit.

Allons à la Queue de Tortue mais c'est pour vivre sur le pain perdu, 

J'maudis tes criminelles, je maudis mes petites bouteilles,

C'est toi la cause mais si la belle, mais si la belle veux plus de moi.

Dewey and Eddie Segura

Turtles are common place in most of Louisiana, with natives using the animal for food, such as a turtle sauce piquant (stew).  Most likely, Dewey is referring to the location of the Louisiana community of Queue de Tortue, located near the bayou with the same name.  The bayou itself was most likely named after the Attakapas Indian chief, Celestine La Tortue.2 The phrase "pain perdu", while directly translating to "lost bread", loosely refers to what Cajuns call "French toast". 

By the time Dewey was eight, Dewey was given his own accordion and was experienced enough to play at Saturday-night dances run by his father, where he 'used to play most anything'.  During the next few years, Dewey presumably kept up with his musical activities but in 1925, he became involved in the hazardous and profitable occupation of moon-shining.  He transported bootleg liquor as fa afield as Lake Charles and east Texas.  Dewey's exploits of whiskey-running, in a converted Chandler sedan, with a a 50-gallon tank of liquor instead of a back seat, sometimes accompanied by his wife and their several children 'asleep' on a blanket at the back to avoid detection, make colorful and hair-raising tales.3 

Crowley Daily Signal
Mar 15, 1929

Little girl, when I go to die, do not bury me in the cemetery,

So, bury me in the corner of the courtyard, in the corner of your dad's courtyard,

Well, let me keep my little eyes out, well, it's to see your little eyes,

Who are staying, well, mischievous, well yeah, for the rest of your life, dear.

Every morning, well, when I passed by your dad's door,

Well, your dad stands there with a pipe in his mouth, laughing.

Going to Queue de Tortue, well, to live on French toast,

I curse these criminal things, well, I curse my small bottles,

You're the reason, well, so beautiful, well, so beautiful, I want more.

Later, Moise Robin would re-record the tune as "Queue d'Tortue", (however, I have not been able to find any official source of this recording).  Related songs are Nathan Abshire's "Allons Tuer la Tortue" and Reggie Matte's and Ambrose Thibodeaux's "Cimetiere."   That original melody of "La Queue d'Tortue" also found it's way into Aldus Roger's "Hix Wagon Wheel Special".

1. "Ye Yaille Chere, Traditional Cajun Dance Music" by Raymond E. Francois
2. Indian tribes of the lower Mississippi Valley and adjacent coast of the Gulf ...By John Reed Swanton
3. Old Time Music. No.40. Winter 1984.  John H Cowley
4. Lyrics by 'Victor', Stephane F and Stéphanie D

Find:

Cajun: Rare & Authentic (JSP, 2008)
The Very Best of Cajun: La Stomp Creole, Vol. 1 (Viper, 2016)

"Rosalia" - Eddie Segura & Didier Hebert

As Columbia/Okeh was looking for other artists for it's Cajun music lineup in 1928, the company placed an advertisement in the local papers across south Louisiana and Texas.  According player Dewey Segura discovered this ad during a whiskey run and convinced his brother Eddie to record with him in New Orleans that year.   "Herbert" is believed to be Didier Gabriel Hebert born around New Iberia about 1901. He was a blind guitarist from Louisiana who accompanied them on the three songs and recorded a solo song, "I Woke Up One Morning in May", during the same session.  Together, they recorded "Rosalia" (#40512) for Columbia records.

Dewey's family were musicians. His mother and older sister Anita played accordion as did most of his brothers.  Dewey wasn't greatly influenced by them, however, he taught himself to play music, first the harmonica and then the accordion - the latter by sneaking practice session on Anita's instrument, which at first, he was "ashamed to play".1

Oh Rosalie, 

Mais, t'en as fait, mais, quand t'as visité, Lord, Lord Lord,

Depuis que t'as l'age de quatorze ans t'as poisonné mon cœur.

Eh p'tit nèg, est ton dans lit qui sont poisonné,

Je vais les voir aller-ler dans la coulée, Rosalia.

Quand j'ai quitté la maison pour m'en aller si loin de toi,

J'ai été voir la belle, j'l'ai trouvé, jolie, malade,

Moi, j'ai dis, ça fait de la peine de quitter le lit,

Mais, je suis obligé de partir, mais moi tout seul, chérie.

Dewey and Eddie Segura

The verse "est ton dans lit qui sont poisonné" is a strange phrase as reference to being poisoned by someone and becoming bedridden.   Others have suggested it's the bed itself which has poisoned the person.  

The song has a slow, bluesy accordion feel with a similar style yell in which Amede Ardoin used on "Les Blues De Crowley", "Blues De Basile" and in Nathan Abshire's "French Blues".  It would also be re-released on Okeh's 90000 "Arcadian French" series.

Later, in 1929, Dewey, along with Didier Hebert on guitar and Dewey on accordion and vocals, would record three more songs. The musicians would be labeled as "E. Segura & D. Herbert" on the records, however, Columbia credited Dewey's recording to "E. Segura", probably confusing him with his brother.

Oh, Rosalia,

Well, what you've done, well, when you visited, Lord, Lord, Lord,

Since the age of fourteen, you've tainted my heart. 

Hey little one, is it your bed that poisoned you,

I'm going to see them go into the stream, Rosalia.

When I left home to go so far away from you,

I went to see this beautiful one, I found her sick,

I tell you, it hurts to leave the bedside,

Well, I have to leave, well, all by myself, dear.

The tune would later become the focus of several blues tunes including "Le Crepe A Nasta" in 1937 by Happy Fats, "Hoola Hoop Two Step" by Nathan Abshire",  "Le Crepe A Nazaire" by Shirley Bergeron, "Coulee Rodair" by Canray Fontenot and "Le 'Tit Negre a Tante Dolie" by Ambrose Thibodeaux.

1. Old Time Music.  No. 40, Winder 1984. 
2. Label scan by University of Louisiana at Lafayette Cajun and Creole Music Collection - Special Collections
3. Lyrics by Stéphanie D, Stephane F and Jerry M

Release Info:
W111392-2 Rosalia | Columbia 40512-F
W111393-2 Your Small And Sweet | Columbia 40512-F

W111392-2 Rosalia | Okeh 90012
W111393-2 Your Small And Sweet | Okeh 90012

Find:

Cajun Dance Party: Fais Do-Do (Legacy/Columbia, 1994)
Cajun Origins (Catfish, 2001)
Cajun Country, Vol. 2, More Hits from the Swamp (JSP, 2005)

"My Sweetheart Run Away" - Segura Brothers

In 1928, after Columbia's success with the first Cajun recording,"Allons a Lafayette", the company decided to start producing Cajun records on their new "Arcadian French" series starting with #40500-F (#90000 for Okeh copies). The re-issued records on Okeh are somewhat a mystery to me.  It also seems that the Columbia labels were prominent in the south while the Okeh label was extremely scarce.  The first one they issued was by two brothers, Dewey and Edier (or "Eddie") Segura, known as the Segura Brothers. 

J'ai rouler, j'ai tracé toute la nuit , chère

J'ai pleuré, j'ai prié oui pour toi.

Tu connais tous les jours tu t'éloignes, chère,

Tu t'éloignes, oui de moi, malheureuse.

Dis bye bye à ton papa, ta maman, chère

Pour t'en venir dans mes bras, dans ma chambre.

Dans ma chambre, dans mon lit pour la vie, chère,

Tu connais tous les jours tu t'éloignes.

Oh beau-frère(?), oh beau-frère(?), viens donc ma voir, cher, 

Dans mourir au Bayou Teche, oh beau-frère(?).

Tout ma famille est tout contre moi, mais malheureuse, cher,

Tous les jours je m'en va pour toujours.

Dewey Segura and Eddie Segura

Dewey read in a newspaper on his way to Port Arthur, Texas, during a whiskey run, that recording companies were recording Cajun music in New Orleans. A relative that had connections at Columbia helped get Dewey on the end-of-year schedule.1 On December 16, 1928, Dewey, with his accordion and his brother Eddie on vocals and fiddle, recorded two records for Columbia in New Orleans. The record "Bury Me in a Corner of the Yard" was Columbia's first in their series of "Acadian French" music. The B-side song "My Sweetheart Run Away" was mislabeled (due to confusion between Dewey and the recording engineers) and would later become the song "La Valse de Bayou Teche" recorded Nathan Abshire and others.  It was an old melody that also loosely influenced Joe Falcon's "Je Suis Se Seul", Bixy Guidry's "La Valse Du Bayou" and the Breaux Brother's "La Valse des Pins" the following year.  The song has a simple rhythm lead by an accordion and triangle.  Leo Soileau and Moise Robin changed the melodic turn in their recording of "La Valse A Moreau".  Melodies like this influenced later songs such as Abe Manuel's "I've Got Your Heart Locked Up" and Joe Bonsall's "Hack A Moreau".

Crowley Daily Signal
Mar 15, 1929

I rode, I drove all night, dear

I cried, I prayed for you, yeh,

You know, every day you were away, my dear,

You were far away, yeh, ya hear.

Say bye bye to your dad, your mom, dear

Come into my arms, in my room.

In my room, in my bed, forever, dear,

You know, every day you were far away.

Oh brother-in law(?), oh brother-in-law(?), come and see, my dear,

To die in the Bayou Teche, oh brother-in-law(?).

All my family is against me, oh, ya hear, dear,

Every day, so I'm leaving forever.

Deciphering corrupted French phrases and vernacular can be very challenging. In the 3rd verse, he could be calling out his brother-in-law, exuding a sense of exasperation, or referring to someone's name.  "J'ai tracé" refers to "making tracks" or "driving".  The phrase "mais malheureuse" directly translates to "but i'm unhappy" however, in Cajun vernacular, it is more jargon along the lines of "ya know what I'm sayin" or "ya hear that";  something that would be called out after a line to make the verse more "bluesy".  The brothers would record one more time in New Orleans the following year.  Since many of the engineers didn't know the Cajun lyrics, they told the duo:

"We don't know what you're singing. We ask you just one thing: Don't sing anything dirty".3   

1. Brasseaux, Ryan Andre (2009). "Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American-Made Music". Oxford University Press.
2. WHERE DEAD VOICES GATHER TUESDAY, MAY 18, 2010
3. Old Time Music. No.40. Winter 1984.  John H Cowley
4. Lyrics by Marc C and Eric D

Release Info:

W147654-1 Bury Me In A Corner Of The Yard | Columbia 40500-F

W147655-1 My Sweetheart Run Away | Columbia 40500-F

W147654-1 Bury Me In A Corner Of The Yard | Okeh 90000

W147655-1 My Sweetheart Run Away | Okeh 90000

Find:

Cajun: Rare & Authentic (JSP, 2008)
Cajun Music, The Pretty Girls Don't Want Me (Firefly, 2012)
Cajun Swamp Stomp, Vol 1 (Lumi, 2012)