"Bosco Stomp" - Lawrence Walker

Oh, c'est ça fait du mal!  It's one of the most recognized tunes in all of Lawrence Walker's discography: the Bosco Stomp.  Transcending both Cajun and Zydeco music, musicians since the 1950s have been playing and recording this tune.  Named after the community of Bosco, which in turn was named after a store owner, Fernest "Bosco" Prejean, it was located between Lafayette and Church Point.  The melody was originally recorded by Delin T. Guillory and Lewis Lafleur as the song "Quelqun est Jalous" ( or "Quelqu'un est Jaloux") for Victor in 1929.   According to writer Neal Pomea:

Bosco Stomp, a remake of Delin T. Guillory and Lewis Lafleur's "Quelq'un est Jaloux", is a well-loved standard showpiece, common to the repertoire of Walker's contemporary and rival, Octa Clark.2   

Crowley Daily Signal, Oct 1949

Ça, ça m'fait du mal.

Oh, bébé, ça m'fait du mal.

Oh, haha!

(Il) y a des 'tites blondes,

(il) y en a des 'tites brunes.

Il y en qu'est assez noires que moi j'peux pas aimer,

I(ls) vont t'faire des accroires,

I(ls) vont faire des promesses,

I(ls) vont t'faire ouais t'aimer et là ça te tourne le dos.

Ah, U.J., yeah, alright.

Ah yeah, oh, come on baby.

Ça, ça m'fait du mal.

Petite, rappelle-toi,

Tous les misères tu m'as fait,

Tu mens tout ce qui peux,

Que moi je peux p(l)us t'aimer.

Uray Jules "U.J." Meaux

Working with Lake Charles record producer, George Khoury, Lawrence gathered up his band Valmont "Jr." Benoit on steel guitar, Demus Comeaux on rhythm guitar, Lawrence Trahan on drums, and Uray Jules "U.J" Meaux on fiddle.  Together, they recorded "Bosco Stomp" (#616) in 1951.    A lively piece, you can clearly hear Lawrence call out "U.J." midway through the song.  A popular tune with his contemporary Aldus Roger, store owner Bosco Prejean was Aldus' wife's step-grandfather.  The entire family grew up in the area and recalled the drunken brawls and bloody fights that locals encountered in the rough and tumble Marais Bouleur side of Bosco. 

What's done is terrible.

Oh, baby, what's done is terrible.

Oh, haha.

There are little blondes,

There are little brunettes,

There are some dark haired ones, that I don't like,

They're going to make you believe falsely,

They will make promises,

They will make you, yeah, love them, and like that, turn on your back.

Ah, U.J. yeah, alright.

Ah yeah, oh, come on baby.

What's done is terrible.

Little one, remember,

All the miserable things you've done to me,

You lie all that you can,

Therefore, I can't love you anymore. 

As WWII wound down, Walker was one of the first accordionists to return the instrument to prominence--but not in the old style. His band, the Wandering Aces, fused the string band format with a heavy steel guitar sound with the drive of the accordion.  The result was a brash new sound that came to be labeled "dance-hall".2,3   Once Walker's recording his the jukeboxes, the popularity took off.  For decades, Cajun and zydeco bands found ways to incorporate the song into their repertoire in order to keep the audience dancing.  In 1963, Doug Kershaw reworked the melody into the "Cajun Stripper".  

1. Francois (Yé Yaille Chère!), 1990; pgs. 346-347
2. Discussion with Neal P
3. "Accordions, Fiddles, Two Step & Swing: A Cajun Music Reader" by Ron Brown, Ryan A. Brasseaux, and Kevin S. Fontenot 
4. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:
Waltz Of Sorrow | Khoury's KH 616-A
Bosco Stomp | Khoury's KH 616-B

Find:
Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)
Cajun Champs (Arhoolie, 2005)

"Country Waltz" - Lawrence Walker

By the 1950s, it had been 15 years since Lawrence Walker had stepped into a recording studio.  No longer where the major recording labels, such as RCA and ARC, interested in his music.  It was during this time he got wind of an independent recording producer in Lake Charles who had made a name for himself recording the Cajun accordion music of Nathan Abshire.  It would be his first recording session since the 1930s and afterwards, his legacy would never be forgotten. 

Lawrence's path mimic'd the same one that Nathan had gone down.  Both were picked up briefly by RCA in the 1930s and both were dropped once the accordion was no longer in favor.  Since Lawrence was no longer playing with his brother as a duo, he formed a new group with Mitch David on fiddle, Valmont "Junior" Benoit on steel guitar and Simon Schexneider on drums.  Even Houston Fruge played with the band.  Together, they recorded the "Country Waltz" (#601), the tale of two estranged lovers, Adam "Tit 'Dom" Hanks and Alice Royer. 

Oh, Alice, vas-donc mettre ta 'tite robe de grandes barrées,

'Garde-donc quoi-ce-qui vient à travers du clos sur Grand Henri,

Tu m'as promis d'espérer et 'garde-donc voir quoi t’après faire aujourd'hui,

Petite, tu demandes une chance avant de mourir.

Oh, Alice, blâmes-donc pas les paroles dis, viens-moi Alice, tite monde,

Petite, tu connais surement la cause de tout ça,

Tu connais je prends ça dur mais de devoir t'en aller aussi loin de toi,

Oui, chère Alice, donnes-moi une chance avant de mourir.

Lawrence Walker

The well-known story of Alice, Adam, and his horse Henri was popular among those around Acadia Parish.  The story was first recorded by Pointe Noir native Angelas Lejeune in his locally popular tune "La Valse A Tidom Hanks".  Over time, the story made it's way into Lawrence Walker's repertoire and he used it to accompany his "Country Waltz".  Johnnie Allan, steel guitarist in Lawrence's later years, recalls the places where he and Lawrence used to play in the country:

We performed at clubs like the OST in Rayne, the Welcome Club in Crowley, the Jolly Rogers in Forked Island, the River Club in Mermentau, the Bon Ton Rouley in Lafayette, and the Blue Moon in Lake Charles.  None of the clubs was air conditioned and the cost was usually fifty cents per person. The audience varied in age from about fifteen years old to some in their seventies.1 

Oh, Alice, go put on your little striped dress,

So look, what's that who's coming across, riding on Big Henri,

You promised me hope and to keep watching what you're doing today,

Little one, you asked for one more chance before I die.

Oh, Alice, don't blame the words that were said, come to me Alice, my little everything,

Little one, you surely know the cause of all  of this,

You know I've taken it hard, well, having to go so far away from you,

Yes, dear Alice, give me another chance before I die. 

Rayne Tribune
Dec 2, 1954

Both Lawrence and Aldus Roger had popular bands that packed the same clubs, sometimes night after night.  Allan remembers:

Generally we played from nine to one o'clock with no intermission.  The band members pitched in to set up and tear down musical equipment, there were no roadies in those days!.1

By 1962, Walker re-recorded his tune for Swallow Records as "Chere Alice". 

1. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven
2. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:
Country Waltz | Khoury's 601 A
Mamou Two Step | Khoury's 601 B

Find:

A Legend At Last (Swallow, 1983)

Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)

A Tribute to the Late, Great Lawrence Walker (La Louisianne, 1995, 2000)

Essential Collection of Lawrence Walker (Swallow, 2010)

"Boora Rhumba" - Nathan Abshire

It's the Cajun version of "La Cucaracha" with the famous Dewey Balfa on vocals singing this Tex-Mex standard.   Although the term 'rhumba' began to be used by American record companies to label all kinds of Latin music between 1913 and 1915, the history of rhumba as a specific form of ballroom music can be traced back to May 1930, when Don Azpiazú and his Havana Casino Orchestra recorded their song "El manisero" (The Peanut Vendor) in New York.  The film "Rumba", released in 1935, brought the style to the attention of the general public.

Between 1954 and 1957, southern bands were getting introduced to sounds of Cuba,  creating a short lived "country mambo" sub-genre.  With artists such as Tex Williams, Hanks Snow and Bob Wills, they recorded tunes such as "They Were Doin' The Mambo ", "That Crazy Mambo Thing ", and "Too Much Mambo".2   

La cucaracha, la cucaracha, 'gardez-donc les cheveux de cet animal là. 

J'aurais jamais cru, j'aurais jamais vu que sa maman l'avait jamais peigné.

La cucaracha, la cucaracha, 'gardez-donc la gueule à cet animal là. 

J'aurais jamais cru, j'aurais jamais vu que sa maman l'avait jamais lavé.

1950
Altas Fruge, J.B. Fuselier, Nathan Abshire,
Jim Baker, Preston Manuel

By the beginning of 1956, the rhumba was all the rage around Nashville.  Several artist wrote songs about the tango, including Jimmie Rodgers' and Hank Snow's "The Rhumba Boogie" and Ernest Tubb & Red Foley's "Too Old To Tango".3   In July of 1957, Nathan's "Boora Rhumba" (#649) hit the market, attempting to jump into the rhumba craze that swept through country music.  It didn't last long and neither did the interest in this song, making this one of the most obscure recordings by Abshire.   

Abshire's band at the time consisted of Dewey Balfa on vocals and fiddle and Jake Mier or Darius Leblanc on steel guitar, Junior Benoit on guitar, and  Thomas Langley on percussion. The "animal" referred to here as "la cucaracha" by Balfa could be a euphemism for an unkempt woman.     

La cucaracha, la cucaracha, look at the hair of this animal over there,

I can't believe that I've ever seen that her mom ever combed it.

La cucaracha, la cucaracha, look at the mouth of this animal over there,

I can't believe that I've ever seen that her mom ever washed it.

Why a would the term 'rhumba' have anything to do with this traditional Spanish-Mexican folk ballad?    It was clear the band wasn't versed in the culture to know the difference.  It probably didn't matter to Khoury either who was only interested in selling records, waiting to capitalize on this short lived market.  It was pressed very late in his Cajun discography and done in such a rush, the labels on each side of #649 are reversed.  He even used a different label color, most likely signifying he used a different pressing plant.

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhumba
2. http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/04/hillbilly-mambo.html
3. http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/05/country-tangos.html
4. Lyrics by Stephane F

Release Info:
K-649-A Boora Rhumba | Khoury's 649-A  (label reversed on 78)
K-649-B Carolina Blues | Khoury's 649-B (label reversed on 78)

Find:
Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings Vol. 2 (Arhoolie, 2013)
Bayou Two-Step - Cajun Hits From Louisiana 1929-1962 (Jasmine, 2015)

"Johnny Can't Dance" - Lawrence Walker

As a Cajun bandleader, Lawrence Walker was a perfectionist. He carefully controlled and crafted the sound of his Wandering Aces band. He was also a gifted singer and composed several Cajun music classics such as "Johnny Can't Dance" (#615) on George Khoury's label.1

Author Raymond Francois said that his father told him the song entered the Cajun repertoire through a children's book called "The Rabbit Stole The Pumpkin", also a tune recorded earlier by John Bertrand.2  However, if you listen carefully to the intro, it sounds eerily close to the chorus of Jimmy Driftwood's song "Battle of New Orleans". 

Guitarist Sam Broussard explains some of the complexity in the song's chord changes:

Some Cajun songs are "crooked," meaning they drop and/or pick up beats. The opposite of crooked is square.  Country songs are almost always square.  Cajun music is vastly more organized, in that thee dropped beats and added pauses have become part of the song in many, many cases.  After a while you don't notice it.  A good example of a crooked song is Johnny Can't Dance.3

Khoury lined up Walker's group containing Uray Jules "U.J." Meaux on fiddle, Demus Comeaux on guitar, Valmont "Junior" Benoit on steel guitar, and Lawrence Trahan on drums.  Some had thought that since swamp pop singer Johnny Allan had played with Lawrence when Allan was young, he was the subject of the song.  However, during an interview, when asked, Johnny laughed saying:

Oh, while I am surely not a dancer, I have no idea where the song got the title.  That song was much older than me.  Lawrence could have gotten that title from anywhere.4

In 1989, Cajun rocker Wayne Toups took Walkers tune, added lyrics and created one of the most popular Cajun rock songs of the modern era: "Johnnie Can't Dance (Johnnie Peut Pas Dancer)".  

1. Cajun Music: Its Origins and Development by Barry Jean Ancelet
2. Ye Yaille Chere by Raymond Francois
3. Negotiating Difference in French Louisiana Music: Categories, Stereotypes ... By Sara Le Menestrel
4. Discussions with Johnny A

Release Info:
Evangeline Waltz | Khoury's KH 615-A
Johnny Can't Dance | Khoury's KH 615-B

Find:
A Legend At Last (Swallow, 1983)
Essential Collection of Lawrence Walker (Swallow, 2010)

"Evangeline Waltz" - Lawrence Walker

During the 1940s, the talented first cousins, Cleveland Leger and Lawrence Walker, rivaled each other at the bandstands. Patrons began to argue about which one was the best "accordion hand" in southwest Louisiana.  The rivalry between the closely kin musicians was finally settled in 1948 at Club La Lune near Bosco.  The stage was set. Tickets were printed with space for balloting for the best player.  Over 4,000 people crowded into witness for themselves who was the best accordion player. And Walker won, three to one.

To mention only a few places, Walker played for 17 years at the old O.S.T. dance-hall located at the outskirts of Rayne.  And he played for two and a half years at Landry's Palladium near Lafayette. He got the job by filling up a nearly bankrupt club the first night and kept it that way every Sunday night of his booking.  By 1951, George Khoury, record producer in Lake Charles, had Walker record "Evangeline Waltz" (#615). 

J'sus assis dans la port de ma maison, après pleurer,

J'sus après pleurer pour tu t'en reviens à rejoindre ton nègre,

Oui, chère 'tit monde, quand t'as quitter d'la maison,

Tu m'as dit tu pouvais, mais, p'us m'aimer,

Oh, yé yaille, mon cœur me fais mal.  

J'ai p'us personne à la maison, mais, pour m'aimer.

Oui, chère 'tit monde, si tu voudrais t'en revenir,

J'te pardonnerais pour tout ça que tu m'as fait,

C'est d'voir, aujourd'hui, j'ai p'us personne pour m'aimer

J'sus moi, tout seul, après mourir dedans l'chagrin.

Oh, bébé, mon chère 'tit bébé,

J'ai p'us personne à la maison, mais, pour m'aimer.

J'sus assis dans la porte de ma maison, après jongler,

J'sus après jongler si jamais tu va revenir,

Oui, chère 'tit monde, quand t'as quitter d'la maison,

Tu m'as dit tu pouvais, mais, p'us m'aimer.

 According to musician Chas Justus:

One of the great things the Cajuns did is the blues waltz.  "The Evangeline Waltz", that Lawrence Walker stuff, those are just blues to a waltz and I never heard that so much in other kinds of music. 

"Evangeline Waltz", that goes to that four chord, it's like the flat seven and the four chord, so it's got the blues in it. It's really bluesy.2 

Khoury lined up Walker's group containing Uray Jules "U.J." Meaux on fiddle, Demus Comeaux on guitar, Valmont "Junior" Benoit on steel guitar, and Lawrence Trahan on drums.  Musicians used their opportunity to boast, even exaggerate their careers. According to Walker, he made over 120 records.  "Evangeline Waltz" was his biggest seller.  "They are still asking for that record."1  

Daily Advertiser
Nov 4, 1949

When Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie records was slated to re-press some of Khoury's materials in 1969, George quickly responded:

Make this at once--will pay you for your trouble. Don't let no one have Evangeline Waltz!3  

I'm sitting in the door of my house, crying,

I'm crying for you to come back to your man,

Yes, my dear little everything, when you left the house,

You told me you couldn't, well, love me anymore,

Oh, yé yaille, my heart feels bad,

I have no one at home, well, to love me. 

Yes, my dear little everything, if you want to come back,

I would forgive you for all that you've done to me,

See, today, I have nobody to love me,

I'm by myself, all alone, dying in sorrow,

Oh baby, my dear little baby,

I have no one at home, well, to love me.

I'm sitting in the door of my house, reminiscing.

I'm reminiscing if you will ever come back,

Yes, my little everything, when you left the house,

You told me you couldn't, well, ever love me.

1. Interview by Mona Mel Mouton.  Rayne Acadian Tribune.  Jan 18, 1968.
2. Negotiating Difference in French Louisiana Music: Categories, Stereotypes ... By Sara Le Menestrel
3. Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Vol. 2.  Liner notes.

Release Info:
Evangeline Waltz | Khoury's KH 615-A
Johnny Can't Dance | Khoury's KH 615-B

Find:
Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)
A Tribute to the Late, Great Lawrence Walker (La Louisianne, 1995, 2000)

Essential Collection of Lawrence Walker (Swallow, 2010)

"Tu Le Du Po La Mam" - Lawrence Walker

Melodies played in the cultural-plexes of Vermilion and Iberia parishes produced different themes and titles in the areas around Calcasieu and Evangeline parish.  While the Segura Brother's were singing about mosquitoes and their family's appearances, further north, Cajun fiddler Dennis McGee and his musical family were using the same melody to sing about chasing women.  The Fawvor brothers, natives of Calcasieu, had originally recorded the tune in 1929 as "Valse De Creole".  McGee recalls:

I stayed with Theodore McGee and one day he said, "Well Mac, I believe I'll buy a violin for you.  I'm going to Ville Platte."  No strings!  There was nothing on it. He bought some strings and the pegs. He knew how to play a little. He tuned it up and played "Tout Les Deux Pour La Meme".  He said, "Now, you're on your own."  I said, "Not really!".  "Yes, here!" he said, "Go! Go play!". I went to my little room. I had a little room in back. I sat on the side of my bed and you know what? Before nightfall I played the waltz, "Tout Les Deux Pour La Meme".  Oh yes, I learned it during the day.2  

Crowley Daily Signal
July 2, 1959

Tous les deux pour la même,

Ni moi ni toi qui l'aura,

Tous les deux pour la même,

Ni moi ni toi qui l'aura,

C'est pas la peine (que) tu me dis non,

T'auras toujours pour me dire oui,

C'est pas la peine (que) tu me chagrins,

T'auras toujours pour me marier.

J'ai parti de la maison,

Z-avec ma jogue au plombeau,

Le pistolet dans ma poche,

Et ma vie dans ma main,

J'ai parti pour te chercher,

T'amener-z-à la maison,

C'est pas la peine tu me dis non,

T'auras toujour pour me dire oui.

Lawrence Walker

Songs like this which influenced McGee were eventually picked up by Lawrence Walker in which he recorded the song for George Khoury in 1950.  The title was a corrupted form of the phrase "tous les deux pour la même" inferring that the singer and another are "both going after the same woman".  It's possible that Lawrence had Mitch David on fiddle, Valmont ‘Junior’ Benoit on steel guitar, and probably Simon Shexneider on drums. 

Both of us for the same,

Neither me nor you will have her,

Both of us for the same,

Neither me nor you will have her,

It's not worth you telling me no,

You have to say yes, forever,

It's not worth you hurting me,

You have to marry me, forever.

I left the house,

With my saddle horn jug,

The gun in my pocket,

And my life in my hands,

I left to come get you,

Take you to my house,

There's no need to tell me no,

You have to say yes, forever.

That same year, while Lawrence was using the Fawver song for his recording of "Tu Le Du Po La Mam", Nathan Abshire was using the Segura song for his own song "La Valse De Holly Beach".  According to musician Johnnie Allan:

Lawrence was a big factor in French music, he and Uncle Joe [Falcon] were playing music along about the same time. His songs were all the sad melodic type songs, he was a very good accordion player, very well known in this area. I remember I played steel guitar with him for six years and the crowds were just tremendous almost everywhere we played.1

1. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven
2. Ye Yaille Chere by Raymond Francois

Release Info:
A Tu Le Du Po La Mam | Khoury's 607-A
B Ton Papa Ta Mama Ma Sta Da All | Khoury's 607-B

Find:
Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)
A Tribute To The Late Great Lawrence Walker (La Louisiane, 1995)
A Legend At Last (Swallow, 1983)
Essential Collection of Lawrence Walker (Swallow, 2010)

"Ton Papa Ta Mama Ma Sta Da All" - Lawrence Walker

Cajun accordion player Lawrence Walker grew up listening to the great players around south Louisiana.  Although he grew up in Orange, TX, he was born in Duson, LA and was bilingual enough to sing both French and English tunes throughout the 1920s and 1930s.   He played music with his siblings and eventually recorded with RCA in the 1930s before declining a recording career in 1936.   Walker wouldn't enter the studio again until 1950.

After the war, according to author Dr. Barry Ancelet,

Cajuns began to show signs of learning to better negotiate the American mainstream in a way that would allow them to preserve their own cultural identity.  Musicians were among the first to announce the change by returning to traditional sounds.1

Eh, ton papa et ta mama m'a jeté dehors,

M'a jeté dehors d'm'a maison, m'a maison que j'aime tout l'temps.

Eh, chère tit fille, mais, pour quoi donc, mais, tu m'fait ça?

Moi, j'connais j'mérite pas, mais, tout ça que t'es après faire.

Eh, malheureuse, moi, j'connais une jour à venir,

Tu vas revenir pour pardonner à ton vieux nègre, il y a pas longtemps.

Crowley Daily Signal, August 1949

They were able to do so in large part because record company officials were more interested in expanding markets than in regulating minority cultures.1  Walker resurrected his recording career in 1950 with a series of recordings in Lake Charles with George Khoury.  There, with the help of vocalist Mitch David, they covered the classic 1928 tune: Leo Soileau and Mayuse Lafleur's "Your Father Put Me Out".  The phrase shown here "sta da all" in Khoury's title "Ton Papa Ta Mama Ma Sta Da All" (#607) is the corrupted spelling of "jeté dehors".

His work on KPLC radio station in Lake Charles with what got Khoury's attention. According to Shelton Manuel:

We'd do the broadcast at the same time that we had a dance in the vicinity. The broadcast was on the route to the dance.2  

Hey, your dad and your mom tossed me out,

Tossed me out of my house, my house which I've always loved.

Hey, dear little girl, well, so why, well, have you done that to me?

I know I don't deserve this, well, all that you've done.

Hey, oh my, I know one day in the future,

You will return for forgiveness from your old man, over there not long ago.

1. Southern Music/American Music By Bill C. Malone
2. "Accordions, Fiddles, Two Step & Swing: A Cajun Music Reader" by Ron Brown, Ryan A. Brasseaux, and Kevin S. Fontenot
3. Lyrics by Jerry M and Stephane F

Release Info:
A Tu Le Du Po La Mam 607-A Khoury's 
B Ton Papa Ta Mama Ma Sta Da All 607-B Khoury's

Find:

Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)
Bayou Two-Step - Cajun Hits From Louisiana 1929-1962 (Jasmine, 2015)

"Mamou Two Step" - Lawrence Walker

One of Lawrence Walker's most recognized tunes.   It originally started as a recording by Nathan Abshire during his years playing with Happy Fats and his Rayne-Bo Ramblers.  The basic origins of the tune come from a song called "One Step De Morse", recorded in 1935 for Bluebird.  Lawrence would re-work the tune, adding it's signature bridge section and naming it after a small town in Evangeline Parish. According to author Sara Le Menestrel:

The replacement of one title with another in order to make a personal contribution to an existing song is a time-honored practice.  

Recorded as "Mamou Two Step" (#601) it was one of George Khoury's earliest pressings with one of his most well known and best selling artist.   The 1950 recording included possibly Houston Fruge on guitar, Mitch David on fiddle, possibly Valmont "Junior" Benoit on steel guitar, and possibly Simon Shexneider on drums.  Shelton Manuel, who occasionally played drums with Lawrence recalled:

Crowley Daily Signal
Nov 18, 1949

Lawrence Walker was a very good musician.  He was precise in his music, especially on his tune-ups.  He made sure everything was tuned right, and we wore uniforms back then. We wore white shirts with ties.  We'd travel around in a station wagon. We had a local broadcast at KPLC.2 

After Khoury folded up his Cajun music venture, Lawrence recorded shortly with Swallow records before moving over to La Louisianne Records in 1961.   There, he modernized the tune, adding a bass guitar and twin fiddles to the song. Modern artists such as Wayne Toups gave the song new life by recording it in rock n roll style during the 1980s. 

Mamou Two Step - Khoury's - 1950

Mamou Two Step - La Louisianne - 1961

1. Negotiating Difference in French Louisiana Music: Categories, Stereotypes ... By Sara Le Menestrel
2. Accordions, fiddles, two step & swing: a Cajun music reader by Ryan A. Brasseaux, Kevin S. Fontenot

Release Info:
A Country Waltz 601-A Khoury's
B Mamou Two Step 601-B Khoury's

Find:
Louisiana Cajun Music Volume 4: From The 30s To The 50s (Old Timey, 1972)

Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings, Volume 1 (Arhoolie, 1995)

A Tribute to the Late, Great Lawrence Walker (La Louisianne, 1995, 2000)

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

Essential Collection of Lawrence Walker (Swallow, 2010)

"Shamrock Waltz" - Nathan Abshire

Nathan Abshire was a musician that helped ressurect the Cajun accordion after WWII.  He recorded for George Khoury in Lake Charles for years between 1949 and 1957.  Eventually, Khoury—who was also now recording rhythm and blues and country music—shifted Abshire to the Lyric and then the Khoury imprint. Abshire recorded for Khoury until 1956, cutting several classics including “La Valse de Holly Beach,” “Musical Five Special” “Lu Lu Boogie” and “Shamrock Waltz.” Abshire didn’t record in the late 1950s, but he and Pine Grove Boys stayed busy, working for several years at the infamous Shamrock Club in Lake Charles. His melody, previously recorded by Lionel Cormier as the Welcome Club Waltz, was an ode to this popular dancehall.

Tu m'a quitté, pour t'en aller,

T'en aller au Shamrock,

Tu connais ça t'as fais,

Avec moi il y a pas longtemps.

Ils rappelle, tout ça t'as fais,

Ça fais moi (z)avant d'partir,

Tu connais j'ai pris ça dur,

Pas connais, tu vas te voir.

Milton Vanicor recalls that, while he was playing with Iry Lejeune, many times Nathan Abshire and Dewey, after playing at Jones Bar north of Lake Charles, would come to the Shamrock Club in north Lake Charles and play until 1:00 a.m. The two groups would join in a jam session everyone enjoyed.3 Around 1965, Jo-El Sonnier moved to Lake Charles from his Acadia Parish home and played with Robert Bertrand and the Louisiana Ramblers at the Shamrock.  The place featured other Cajun musicians such as Phil Menard and Bobby Leger.4  They played the Shamrock Club, the hot-spot at the time, as well as other local clubs.”2  Bands that were featured at the Shamrock advertised via radio many times from the dancehall's stage with a live performance.4  One local remembered it most out of all the other clubs:

I believe the Shamrock was the very largest. The walls breathed in and out on Friday and Saturday nights at that place.

Shamrock Club
Larry Miller, Cleveland "Cat" Deshotel,
Nathan Abshire, Thomas Langley,
Jr. Benoit
Photo from the Johnnie Allan Collection
Center for Louisiana Studies
University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Celebrating his success at the club, Nathan recorded one of his last songs for Khoury in Lake Charles in 1956 known as the "Shamrock Waltz" (#652).  It's possible the vocalist is drummer Thomas Langley, but it's unclear.  He had Junior Benoit on guitar, possibly Cleveland Deshotel on either fiddle or bass, and either Darius LeBlanc or Jake Miere on steel guitar.

You have left, you went away,

You went away to the Shamrock,

You know what you've done,

With me, over there, not long ago.

They remember, all that you've done,

That was done to me, before leaving,

You know I took it hard,

Don't you know, you're going to see.

By the mid-1950s, many Cajuns had relocated from Southwestern Louisiana to points as remote as New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Morgan City, Houston, Beaumont and even California in search of employment. They enjoyed their newly found wealth, but they still loved their food, culture and music. As a result Abshire and the Pine Grove Boys started traveling to dances far from home.  Eventually Khoury began recording rhythm and blues and country music, however, kept his music store open for business.  As far as the building, patrons had fond memories of the place:

Parking was tight. The club was a long narrow building parallel to the highway. On the other side was a chain link fence about 3 or 4 feet from the building. On the other side of the fence was a grave yard. People would say "When I die I won't have far to go".5

In 1968, Nathan used the title "Shamrock" for a fast accordion-driven instrumental, similar in feel to the better known "Zydeco Sont Pas Sale". 

1. http://www.offbeat.com/articles/masters-of-louisiana-music-nathan-abshire/
2. http://louisianadancehalls.com/dance_hall/shamrock-club/
3. Louisiana Fiddlers by Ron Yule
4. Cajun Dancehall Heyday by Ron Yule
5. Discussions with Jerry M

Find:

Nathan Abshire & the Pine Grove Boys - French Blues (Arhoolie, 1993)

"La Valse Kim Fe Du Mal (The Waltz That Hurts Me So)" - Lawrence Walker

"Valse Qui M'Fait Du Mal".  Lawrence Walker was both near Duson, Louisiana who joined his father Allen and his brother Joseph Elton to record traditional fiddle tunes between 1928 and 1932 as the Walker Brothers Band. By mid-1930s, young Lawrence has learned to play the accordion. While other accordion bands were beginning to give way to more popular string bands, Lawrence continued to perform and record, adapting his music to include popular American tunes.

Oh, 'tit monde, moi je me tarde de me voir,

M'en aller z'à la maison, y a p(l)us personne pour me recevoir,

Hé Jolie, tu connais j'prends ça dur, 

Petite, prends ça dur, cher 'tit coeur, j'peux p'us pleurer.

Oh, 'tit monde, comment j'vas faire z'ave(c) ça, 

Petite, tu connais, moi j'veux plus t'oublier, 

Oh, 'tit monde, j'ai que(l)que chose pour te dire, 

Petite, tu connais, ça fait du mal juste à jongler. 

Crowley Daily Signal
June 3, 1950

Even the Walker accordion finally succumbed to the flood of string bands during the late 1930s and early 40s. He returned, however, along with Nathan Abshire, Austin Pitre, and others, after World War II to take his place in the Cajun music revival. In the 1950s, Walker became an immensely popular band leader, bringing outstanding musicians like Dick Richard, Ulysse Joseph "U.J" Meaux, and Lionel Leleux into his Wandering Aces band. Together, with Mitch David on fiddle (and possibly vocals), possibly Valmont "Junior" Benoit on steel guitar, and either Simon Shexnaider or Lawrence Trahan on drums,in 1950, the young group recorded "La Valse Kim Fe Du Mal (The Waltz That Hurts Me So)" with George Khoury on his new label. (#606). His smooth accordion style and original compositions in traditional and contemporary styles made Walker a favorite among dancers throughout South Louisiana and into the Golden Triangle of Southeast Texas.  

Oh, my little everything, I long to see,

Myself going home, there is no one to greet me,

Hey Jolie, you know I take this hard,

Little one, I take it hard, dear little sweetheart, I can't cry anymore.

Oh, my little everything, how will I deal with that?

Little one, you know, I don't want to forget you anymore,

Oh, my little everything, I have something to tell you,

Little one, you know, that makes me feel bad just thinking about it.

His many fans invariably describe him as perhaps the best accordion player and singer in Cajun music. Yet, his popularity seems to have remained in the dance halls and in the memory of the crowds who were lucky enough to have heard him perform.

1. http://www.flattownmusic.com/Lawrence-Walker.aspx.  Brief History by Dr. Barry Ancelet
2. Lyrics by Stephane F and Bryan L

Find:
A Legend At Last (Swallow, 1983)