"La Valse De Amour (Waltz of Love)" - Sidney Brown

One of the most respected musicians in the business was Sidney Brown of Lake Charles, Louisiana.  His accordion music turned tunes like the Valse de Meche "La Pestauche Ah Tante Nana" or Sha Ba Ba" into hits of yesterday and classics of today.  Records such as these were fine examples of authentic French music at it's best.1

Oh, joues roses, quoi faire donc, ‘tit monde,

T’après m'quitter aujourd’hui dans les misères,

Tout je t'demande, joues roses, fais pas ça, bébé,

Moi j'connais t’auras du regret pour le restant d'ma vie,

Oh, joues roses, moi je vois pas, donc quoi,

Quoi tu fais pour toi-même, t’après m'quitter,

Dit-moi, c’est fait ye yaille, je m'rappelle pas, joues roses, 

Vient-toi donc, ouais, me donner une autre chance.

Crowley Daily Signal
July 16, 1959

Sidney loved accordion music at an early age; so much, in fact that he began to teach himself to play.  By the time he was 13, he had learned enough to play dances and fais do dos in his hometown of Church Point, Louisiana and was soon developing his own style and sound.  By the 1956, he teamed up with Eddie Shuler and his Goldband label to create "La Valse de Amour" (#1046).  The melody seems to be a mixture of Iry Lejeune's "Convict Waltz" and "Te Monde" but with a strong resemblance to his tune "Come And Get Me".

Oh, little rosy cheeks, what happened, my little world,

You have left me today in misery,

All I ask of you, little rosy cheeks, don't do that, baby,

I know you are going to regret this for the rest of my life.

Oh, little rosy cheeks, I don't see, so why,

Why have you done this to yourself, you left me,

Tell me, it's done, ye yaille, I don't remember, little rosy cheeks,

So come on, yeah, give me another chance.

As his record sales increased so did the offers of personal appearances and he formed a group called the Traveler Playboys to fill his many engagements.  They consisted of Vinus Lejeune and Nelson Young on fiddles, Wilus (Wallace) Ogea on guitar, Mervin Faul on steel guitar and Cliton Newman on drums.

1. Sidney Brown LP.  Goldband Records.  Mike Leadbitter.  Liner notes.
2. Lyrics by Jordy A

Release Info:
-A Highball Two Step G-1046-A Goldband
-B La Valse De Amour G-1046-B Goldband

"Noir Chaussette's Two Step (Black Sox Two Step)" - Sidney Brown

After the death of Iry Lejeune, Eddie Shuler scrambled to find other artists with such popularity as he had.   In 1956, a Cajun dancehall accordionist in Lake Charles became Shuler's next big thing.   For the remaining decade, Sidney Brown and his Traveler Playboys played to crowds around the region alongside other players such as Lawrence Walker showing off lively tunes such as "Noir Chaussette's Two Step" (#1061).

C'est les veuve de bayou qui est parti au village 

Pour achete les chaussons noir à la boutique 

Pour aller oui au bal pour un tas de  beau temps 

Ça aller, oui, toute seul, dedans chagrin.

C'est la veuve de bayou (elle est) venu au village 

Tout l'monde est content de la voir

On connait chere catin elle est belle et si migonne 

Quoi faire (elle est) comme ça, on connais pas.

Crowley Daily Signal
July 2, 1959

Black Socks Two Step takes on the same melody as Happy Fats' 1942 recording of "La Veuve De La Coulee". The 1958 song would be masked in popularity by the record's flipside "Pestauche Ah Tante Nana".  It featured Sidney Brown on accordion, Vinus Lejeune on fiddle, Bill Matte on drums, Wallace Ogea on guitar and Tilford McClelland on steel guitar.  

It's the widows of the bayou who left to go to the village,

To buy some black socks at the shop,

To go to the dance for there will be good times,

She's going to that, yes, all alone, in sorrow.

It is the widow of the bayou, she came back to town,

Everyone is happy to see her,

We understand, dear doll, she is beautiful and she is so cute,

Why is she like that, we don't know.

By the late 1960s, Eddie Shuler of Goldband records re-released the recording on 45 RPM giving it the name "Chico Two Step" yet keeping the same #1061.   Like many of Shuler's later recordings, it's believed the electric bass guitar was overdubbed, possibly by Jo-El Sonnier.

1. Lyrics by Jerry M, Herman M, and Bryan L

Find:

Cajun Dance Tunes Vol.2 (Goldband, 1989)

"Pestauche Ah Tante Nana (The Peanut Song)" - Sidney Brown

Inspired by the response to Iry Lejeune's records, Eddie Shuler became more involved in recording Cajun music in the 50s.  Before Sidney Brown began making accordions, he had a successful career recording music.  With his Traveler Playboys, in 1953, they would record the "Peanut Song", also known as "Pestauche Ah Tante Nana" (#1061) for Goldband.

S’en aller chez Nonc’ 'Tave,

Ça plante la belle récolte,

Du coton et du maïs,

Et la pistache à Tante Nana.

C’est ça qu’est si bon,

Grillé à dans l’bas du "stove",

Le temps mouillasseux,

La pistache à Tante Nana.

Ils est belle et si mignonne,

Tu dis on l'aime autant, 

Ses ça j'ai t'en aller, 

Et la pistache à Tante Nana.

S’en aller chez Nonc’ Charles,

Ça plante la belle récolte

Du coton et du maïs,

Et la pistache à Tante Nana.

This is an old song about a happy farmer whos peanuts produced three nuts instead of the usual two.  Since the peanut was an American plant, the new French colonists could only compare it to a pistachio or pistache. Later, the new name cachouette was added to the French vocabulary, but here in Louisiana the peanut is still called pistache by the Cajuns.6

Originally titled "La Pistache à Trois Nana" or possibly "La pistache à quatre nanan", it was apparently a much older tune.  Brown changed it to Tante Nana, making it difficult to fully appreciate the lyrics.   It's quite possible what is "beautiful and small" is actually referring to her.  According to musician and accordion builder, Bryan L:

[There's] lot's of odd references (along with sexual innuendos) in these old songs, I imagine a lot of it was personal inside jokes. Many say the song was supposed to be "le pistache a trois noix-noix", which is a 3 nut peanut (pistachio), supposedly referencing a quality peanut. A sly word twist refers to poor Aunt Nana.

Sidney Brown

According to musician Jesse Lege:

The original & ancient version where this song comes from was "La Pistache à Quatre Noix-Noix".... "noix-noix" being a word for the nut actually.5

One may ask "What innuendo?"  Asking around, one may get different answers. According to Cajun French speakers around Louisiana, the term has an even crasser meaning:

Pistache a Tante Nana is actually derogatory for a woman's private part. That would get you slapped in the old days.

We used to sing [Pistache] as kids to be bad. That and the other perversions of the song "Colinda", which I will not post in mixed company.

Still, others had a different interpretation:

Pistache is not just used for peanut or the vulgar sense of the word. It was also used as a term of endearment. Still is actually. It opens the door to "innuendo".

I don't think [Sidney] meant it that way but that is how some Cajun's took it.  All you need to know is that the aunt had the sweetest peanut. You know how men are. We make anything sound like what we want it to be.

Even one of Sidney's godchildren recalls the song:

The change of wording was no accident; it was Sidney's sense of humor.4 

She said it always embarrassed her, but she had a copy of the record!

Going home to Uncle Octave's,

Planting the beautiful harvest,

Of the cotton and corn,

And the peanuts of Aunt Nana.

That's what's so so good,

Grilled at the bottom of the stove.

The weather is drizzly,

The peanuts of Aunt Nana.

They are beautiful and small,

You say we love them so much,

That's why I'm going,

And the peanuts of Aunt Nana.

Going home to uncle Charles,

Planting the beautiful harvest,

Of the cotton and corn,

And the peanuts of Aunt Nana.

Either way, it didn't change the song's popularity.  Eddie Shuler released the tune fairly late in 1957.   With possibly Louis "Vinesse" Lejeune on vocals, possibly Wilus Ogeat on guitar, Nelson Young on fiddle, and Cliff Newman on drums, it became the 3rd best selling Goldband album.2 Regarding Sidney's recording, Shuler stated:

Apart from the late Iry Lejeune, who was about the biggest-selling artist in the field, I had some other popular songs, especially 'Lemonade Song' by Leroy Broussard, and 'Sha Ba Ba' and 'Pestauche Ah Tante Nana' by Sidney Brown.

1. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven
2. Cajun Dance Tunes, Dance Album Vol. 1, LP GCL-109.  Liner notes.
3. Lyrics by Marc C, Stephane F, Dunn J, and Rodolphe O.
4. Discussions with Jean M
5. Discussions with Jesse L
6. Ye Yaille Chere by Raymond Francois

Find:
Sidney Brown & Shorty LeBlanc ‎– The Best Of Two Cajun Greats (Swallow, 1987)
Cajun Dance Tunes Vol.2 (Goldband, 1989)
Sidney Brown Collector's Item (Goldband)