"La Vieux Vals An' Onc Mack" - Thibodeaux Boys

Most of what people know about Joe Werner comes from his recording career however, even in his earliest years, he was always an entertainer.   He began playing the harmonica as a small boy after receiving one as a Christmas gift.   

In school, he turned his attention to the stage.  His earliest attempt at minstrel shows was in 1928 during a school play.  He participated in the production "Help Yourself" which took place at the Crowley Opera House.   In the performance, he participated in "negro conversations" portrayed as "Alimony Brown". According to the newspaper, "the choruses were well trained and rendered dainty dances and songs througout the production".1 By the summer of 1928, he was performing on the Legion Blackface Show as a clerk of court in the skit called "Eliza Rosewater's Divorce Case".2 

Rayne Tribune
Apr 1, 1932

J'vas demander à ton père, 

J'vas demander à ta mère,

Pour laisser te voir chère,

Et pour venir avec moi, 

Moi je m'en vas aujourd'hui,

Toi, tu vas venir avec moi, joli cœur. 

Si tu viens pas avec moi, mais,

Comment-donc t(u)i crois,

Moi, j'vas faire, chérie,

À la maison, moi tout seul, je peux finir mes vieux jours, (avec) tou(te)s,

Jolie les petits filles que moi, j'aime tant.

Si t(u)i viens pas avec moi, 

Comment-donc tu crois moi j'vas faire. Jolie! 

À la maison, moi tout seul, j'vais finir mes vieux jours (avec) tou(te)s,

Jolie les petit(e)s filles que moi, j'aime tant, chère!

By 1935, he continued amazing audiences of his multiple talents until he joined up with the Hackberry Ramblers and then the Thibodeaux Boys in 1938 recording the tune "La Vieux Vals An Onc Mack" (#2038).  It was likely an ode to his father, known as Uncle Max Werner, who had immigrated from Suhl, Thüringen, Deutschland (Germany) in the 1880s.   Max served in the Spanish American war before settling near Rayne where he raised his children.  

Rayne Tribune
Sep 28, 1934

I'm going to ask your father,

I'm going to ask your mother,

To let me see you, dear,

And to come with me,

I'm leaving today,

You're going to come with me, pretty sweetheart.

If you don't come with me, well,

How do you think,

I'm going to handle it, darling?

At home, all by myself, I can finish my last days, (with) all the,

Pretty little girls that I love so much.

If you don't come with me,

How do you think I'm going to handle it? Pretty!

At home, all by myself, I'm going to finish my last days, (with) all the,

Pretty little girls that I love so much, dear!

1. "School Play Is Big Success" RT 4-14-1928
2. "Work Complete On Legion Blackface Show" RT 8-4-1928
3. RT.  6-7-1929
4. Lost Rayne By Tony Olinger
5. Lyrics by Stephane F

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

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

"Ma Petite Chere Ami" - Thibodeaux Boys

As music changed from accordion-led duos towards string bands in the mid 1930s, Joe Werner scored a series of recording sessions with both RCA Bluebird and Decca Records.  Joe Werner and the Ramblers, Joe's Acadians and the Thibodeaux Boys were Hackberry Rambler spin-offs, led by Joe himself, recording as often as he could with whomever he could find to play with at the time.  While the identity of these men, T.C Thibodeaux and Erby Thibodeaux, are fairly obscure, they produced a small sliver of Cajun-based string band tunes during the 1930s. 

Ça merit’ tourne à toi,

Ma petite chére est là,

Ma petite belle, ma petite belle est là.

Oh ouais, jouez donc pour moi,

Ma petite, ooh la-la,

Ma petite belle, ma petite belle est là. Oh, chére.

Oh, braillez pas pour moi,

Ma petite chère amie,

Ma petite chère, ma petite chère amie.

Ça merite tourner à toi,

Ma petite chère qu’est là,

Ma petite belle, ma petite belle est là.

Oh, jouez donc pour moi,

Ma petite chère est là,

Ma petite belle, ma petite belle est là.

Oh, braillez pas pour moi,

Ma petite chère amie,

Ma petite chère, ma petite chère amie.

Crowley Daily Signal
Mar 12 1949

The song "Ma Petite Chere Ami" (#2043), recorded for Bluebird in 1938, is a typical Texas influenced string band recording played in the dance halls of south Louisiana. Joe Werner's vocals and his harmonica backed up Erby Thibodeaux on fiddle and T.C. Thibodeaux on guitar.  Erby (sometimes spelled Irby) would eventually form his own band with fourteen year old Julius "Papa Cairo" Lamperez, known as the Daylight Creepers.   A young J.D. Miller, who would later create Feature Records, would fill in on guitar.

You're worth returning to,

My little darling is there,

My little beauty, my little beauty is there.

Oh yeh, playful with me,

My little ooh-la-la,

My little beauty, my little beauty is there.  Oh dear!

Oh, don't cry out for me,

My dear friend,

My dear little one, my dear little one is there.

You're worth returning to,

My dear little one is there,

My little beauty, my little beauty is there.

Oh, playful with me,

My little darling is there,

My little beauty, my little beauty is there.  Oh dear!

Oh, don't cry out for me,

My dear friend,

My dear little one, my dear little one is there.

Erby would later form the Round-Up Boys of Crowley in the 1940s, playing in small clubs such as the Beacon Club.   By 1952, he started Erby Thibodeaux Electrical company.

Release Info:
BS-022010-1 La Manvais Femme | Bluebird B-2043-A
BS-022011-1 Ma Petite Chere Ami | Bluebird B-2043-B

Find:
CAJUN-Rare & Authentic (JSP, 2008)

"La Manvais Femme" - Thibodeaux Boys

Bluebird had several Cajun swing musicians come to New Orleans for a marathon recording session on April 1938. Many of the musicians during that session would play along side different groups recording western swing music.  

7 ans avec la mauvaise femme,

C'est plus qu'un homme peut durer 

7 ans avec la mauvaise femme,

C'est assez pour jeuner un an

7 ans avec la mauvaise femme,

C'est assez pour tuer un bon homme

7 ans avec la mauvaise femme,

C'est assez pour jeuner un an

Garcon, si tu penses a t'marier,

Ecoute a quoi j'va t'dire!

Si tu maries la mauvaise femme,

C'est pire que vivre dans l'enfer

Si tu maries la mauvaise femme,

L'a juste une seul chose tu peux faire:

Fouille un trou et lance dedans

Et couvre tout avec la terre!

Joe Werner

One of the impromptu groups that formed was the Thibodeaux Boys. Composed of Erby Thibodeaux on fiddle and vocals, T.C. Thibodeaux on guitar, and Joe Werner on guitar, they recorded 12 songs for Bluebird. One of the songs they recorded would be "La Manvais Femme" (#2043) for Bluebird, which was based on an old time, hillbilly tune known as "Seven Years With The Wrong Woman". The title should have been spelled "la mauvais femme" which means "the wrong woman". Not much is known about this group. Only Joe continues to record afterwards, filling in and forming other bands such as Riverside Ramblers, Hackberry Ramblers, Louisiana Rounders, Joe's Acadians, and Happy Fats.

7 years with the wrong woman

This is more than a man can take

7 years with the wrong woman

That's enough for lunch for a year

7 years with the wrong woman

It is enough to kill a good man

7 years with the wrong woman

That's enough for lunch for a year

Son, if you thinking of marriage

Listen to what I'm going to say,

If you marry the wrong woman,

This is worse than living in hell

If you marry the wrong woman,

There is just one thing you can do:

Dig a hole and throw yourself in

And cover yourself with dirt!

Find:

Cajun: Rare & Authentic (JSP, 2008)