"South To Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous" by John Broven

If you like this material and want more, be sure to check out "South To Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous" by John Broven.

Find:
Amazon
Abe Books
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million

"Madame Sostan" - Lawrence Walker

After WWII, many Cajun musicians that had recorded earlier in the century found a new interest in the songs they had heard and played earlier.  Lawrence Walker was one of those musicians that had recorded briefly in the 1930s, but was prepared to start all over again covering some of the tunes he loved.  One of these tunes would be an old Joe Falcon original called "Madame Sostan" (#624).

Oh Madam Sostan, mais, donnez moi Alida, 

La seul moi j’aimée, mais depuis l’age de quartorze ans,

(Vous) voulez pas m'la donner, j'vous serment j'va la voler,

J'va la passer dans la fenêtre et l’mener à ma maison.

Oh Madame Sostan, mais donnez moi vot’ chère tit fille,

La seul moi j’aimée, mais, ce tout temps, mais, tout ma vie,

(Vous) voulez pas m'la donner, j'vous serment j'va la voler,

J'la passer dans la fenêtre et l’mener à ma maison.

Sosthene Falcon and Josephine Trahan

Having been friends with Joe and his family, he would often take time out to care for their daughter, Loula.  Over time, he would remember the songs they made famous in the early years and re-record them.  

Oh Madam Sostan, well, let me have Alida,

The only one I've loved, well, since the age of fourteen,

If you don't give her to me, I swear, i'm going to steal her,

I'll climb through the window and carry her to my house.

Oh Madam Sostan, well, give me your dear little girl,

The only one I've loved, all this time, my whole life,

If you don't want to give her to me, I swear, i'm going to steal her,

I'll climb through the window and carry her to my house.

Based on the 1934 "La Valse de Madame Sosten", the song deals with Josephine Trahan's daughter, Alida, who is the love interest of a much older man. In Lawrence's version, he begs her parents to have her, even at the point of elopement (taking her through the window).  Josephine was the wife of Joe's uncle Sosthene Falcon Sr. and to this day, the origin of this lover mentioned is unknown. 

1. Lyrics by Jerry M and Bryan L

Find:
Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings Vol. 2 (Arhoolie, 2013)

"Accordions, Fiddles, Two Step & Swing: A Cajun Music Reader" by Ron Brown, Ryan A. Brasseaux, and Kevin S. Fontenot

If you like this material and want more, be sure to check out "Accordions, Fiddles, Two Step & Swing: A Cajun Music Reader" by Ryan A. Brasseaux (Editor), Kevin S. Fontenot (Editor), Wayne W. Daniel (Foreword).

Find:
Amazon
Abe Books
UL Press

"Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American-Made Music" by Ryan Andre Brasseaux

If you like this material and want more, be sure to check out "Cajun Breakdown: The Emergence of an American-Made Music" by Ryan Andre Brasseaux.

Find:
Amazon
Abe Books
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million

"Arcadian Waltz" - Adam Trahan

In 1928, as Columbia was looking for more Cajun material similar to Joe and Cleoma's music, other amateur musicians watching starry-eyed from the sidelines longed for recognition and a recording contract.  Nineteen-year-old Adam Trahan practiced his accordion assiduously after hearing "Lafayette" and eventually landed a deal with Columbia Records--$100 plus travel expenses--with the help of a local record retailer with ties to the New York--based company.  In December 1928, Columbia records released two Trahan records, one containing the instrumental "Arcadian Waltz" (#40509), before the disenchanted musician slipped into obscurity, never to step foot into a studio again.

Like most national record companies, Columbia's engineers misspelled Cajun words, in this case, his name Trehan and the word Acadian.  There is a distinct dissonance between the accordion's bass and the guitar throughout the songs. According to an interview with Trahan in the 1960s, he explained when it was time for him to go to New Orleans to make that record, his regular guitarist either couldn't (it was at harvest time) or wouldn't make the trip.  So, he picked up Edney Broussard of Milton, Louisiana, who didn't know the material. The rhythm of the guitar is perfect, but the chords are nearly 100% wrong.

According to Ron Brown, fans and club owners bombarded the musician with requests to perform for dances following Trahan's debut release, however he declined having a music career.

1. Cajun Breakdown : The Emergence of an American-Made Music By Ryan Andre Brasseaux
2. Accordions, fiddles, two step & swing: a Cajun music reader by Ron Brown, Ryan A. Brasseaux, and Kevin S. Fontenot
3. Image by Devon F.

Find:
CAJUN-Rare & Authentic (JSP, 2008)
Cajun Swamp Stomp, Vol 1 (Lumi, 2012)

"Shoe Pick Waltz" - Amar Devillier

George Khoury spent the 1950s recording a slew of music from around south Louisiana, with a strange numbering scheme that criss-crosses two of his first labels: Lyric and Khoury's.  The only record on his single digit Lyric series included the song "Shoe Pick Waltz" (#1).  Amar "Ti-Frère" DeVillier and his band, the Louisiana Jambileers, recorded it at the KEUN Radio station in Eunice, LA in 1952, however, Khoury seems to have release it between 1953 and 1954. Either during this same year or earlier, Khoury used his 100 series for R&B artists such as Clarence "Bon Ton" Garlow.  His Lyric label would eventually have a 600 series, 700 series, and a 1000 series.

Devillier was born and raised on a farm in L'anse Meg, a rural area between Mamou and Eunice, La. His father died when he was a young boy and times were hard for his mother, Theresa and her children. Amar was forced to mature at a very early age to help support the family. It was a rugged life for the Devilliers, especially early on. The family had no electricity, running water or tractor until the 1950's.3,4    

Oh, tit fille, ton aller, tit monde,

Ton aller la bas à Choupique,

Oh, ye yaille, si j’peut voir m’a chere tit fille. 

Eh! Oh, tit fille!  Eh, hah!

Eh tit fille comment ces tu comme ça? 

Toi jolie, tit, tit fille,

À la train souffrir, assez noir.

Oh! Tit monde, hey, ma j’connais pas la pein,

Te dit ça, jolie tit fille.

Khoury's Record Store

Amar began playing in dance halls in the 1930's and 1940's and therefore was able to greatly supplement his income during the Great Depression. A prominent fiddler from Eunice picked up Amar in a car and would drive to a club outside of Cameron for $5. He played more frequently in the 1950's just about every weekend and sometimes during the week. He formed several bands that featured musicians such as Dennis McGee, Isom Fontenot, Eston Bellow, Joseph "Cabri" Menier, Ed and Bee Deshotels, Preston Manuel, and Harry Lafleur at times.3,4  

The choupique (pronounced "shoe pick") is a trash fish, known outside Louisiana as the bowfin, which isn't eaten much but can be found plentiful around Evangeline Parish, Louisiana. Choupique is also the name of a rural community north of Eunice, Louisiana, not far from a small stream called "La Coulée Choupique", in which the song refers.  According to Cyprien Landreneau, this waltz is over a hundered years old.  It was probably composed by a musician living on Bayou Choupique. The song features Devillier's harmonica accompaniment which wasn't all that common at the time.  Wallas Lafleur, who would later play drums for Shirley and Alphee Bergeron, sings and plays guitar.

Amar Devillier

Oh, little girl, go away, my everything,

Go over there to the Choupique,

Oh, my, to see my dear little girl.

Aye! Oh, little girl!  Eh, hah!

Eh, little girl, how come you act like that, 

You pretty little, little, girl,

I'm suffering, it's quite sombre.

Oh, my little everything, I know that it's no use,

To tell you this, my pretty little girl.

Nathan Abshire would use the name in a different tune recorded for Khoury around the same time called the "Choupique Two Step". Although George's recording activities went into limbo with the advent of rock n roll, he was to make a strong comeback at the end of the decade, not with Cajun music, but with a new South Louisiana sound: swamp-pop.

1. South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous By John Broven
2. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Cajun Home Music. FW02620_101 liner notes
3. https://pngran.blogspot.com/2019/06/la-valse-de-devillier-amars-waltz.html
4. Discussions with Neal G
5. Lyrics by Jerry M

Find

Cajun Honky Tonk: The Khoury Recordings Vol. 2 (Arhoolie, 2013)

"Dragging The Bow" - Harry Choates

One of Harry Choates' best demonstrations of his talent was ability to show off his solo fiddle rides on certain tunes.   Here, in early 1948, he takes the opportunity with his band to record for Bill Quinn's Houston-based Gold Star label one of his more well known instrumentals called "Dragging The Bow" (#1343).

His band had shifted some players and by 1948, the group consisted of Wilbur "Pee Wee" Maples on guitar, Red Fabacher on steel guitar, Junior Keelan on bass, Amos Comeaux on drums, and Johnnie Ruth Manuel on piano.  Throughout the song, you could hear him shift the attention to his friend Francis "Red" Fabacher by calling out his name.   Red had earlier worked with his brother Joseph in the group called Jolly Boys of Lafayette. He met Harry around the time both were helping Happy Fats during the early 1940s.

Red Fabacher, Ronald Ray "Pee Wee" Lyons,
Johnnie Ruth Smyrl, Harry Choates,
Amos Comeaux, Curly Maples

Originally recorded by Henry Hartley and the Travelers as "Raggin' The Fiddle", it's a cover of the famous western swing player Curt "Dott" Massey's 1935 Vocalion recording called "Draggin’ the Bow".  Most likely, Harry picked up the tune while playing with Shelley Lee Alley & his Alley Cats, given they recorded the tune in 1938 as "Alley Cat Stomp".  Harry had previously recorded it with Happy Fat's Rayne-Bo Ramblers in 1940 for Bluebird and their subsidiary Montgomery Ward label, calling it "Lake Charles Shuffle". The song title refers to the action of a smooth fiddle player.  While the phrase has mysterious origins, it most likely refers to a player's ability to keep the bow constantly on the strings, while moving from string to string, in one sweeping fashion. 


Goldstar would end up selling the masters to Pappy Daily's "D" records which re-released the song (#1024), sometimes changing the name slightly, such as "Draggin The Fiddle" (Starday #273, D 1023)  and "Drag That Fiddle" (Starday #258).

Harry's lifestyle was erratic.  According to Red:

I drank when I was on the bandstand, but [Harry] drank all day long.

Daily Advertiser
Feb 19, 1941

1. Country Music Originals: The Legends and the Lost By Tony Russell
2. http://www.vithefiddler.com/draggin-the-bow-fiddle-tune-a-day-day-110/

Find:
Fiddlin' country style (Melodisc, 1961)
Harry Choates ‎– The Fiddle King Of Cajun Swing (Arhoolie, 1982, 1993)
Harry Choates - Jole blon: The Original Cajun Fiddle of Harry Choates CD (D, 1999)
Cajun Fiddle King (AIM, 1999)

Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Bear Family, 2002)