Center for Louisiana Studies Archival Catalog
This searchable database provides information on images, documents, and audio and video recordings, made between 1934 and the present.
Interview with Rosco Chenier
Rosco Chernier:
-0:00 - Lester Chevalier
-0:20 - Lil Bob, Tommy McClain, Rod Bernard
-1:35 - Swamp pop;
-3:00 - Rosco talks about upcoming gigs; Says gigs have been steady the past few months; He wants to travel more
-4:00 - Larry says he'll help out with booking; Larry helps Lazy Lester with booking somtimes; Lazy Lester moved to Michigan where Lightnin' Slim used to live
-5:30 - Talk about playing festivals - Festival Acadien, Baton Rouge Blues Festival
-6:00 - Talks about some gigs in Port Arthur
Interview with Willis Prudhomme
Willis Prudhomme:
-00:15 - Background information; Born in Kinder, LA, September 22, 1931
-00:50 - Father was a sharecropper, he helped on the farm growing up
-01:30 - Farmed for himself for many years - soybeans and rice
-02:15 - His older brother (played bass with John Delafose) got him into playing music
-03:30 - Started playing diatonic accordion around 1970
-04:30 - Inspired by and learned a lot from Nathan Abshire. Used to watch him play in Basile
-05:45 - Time he spent with Nathan Abshire, talks about his house in the junkyard
-07:00 - Talks about Nathan's accordion - he wanted to buy it after Nathan passed away, but somebody beat him to it
-09:20 - Talking about his recording experiences - Maison de Soul, Lanor, Rounder
-12:15 - Singles on Lanor, recording with J.D. Miller
-14:30 - Band members - Cornelius Guidry, Lee Andreas Thomas
-16:00 - Casinos affecting crowds for bands
Interview with Benny Jones
Benny Jones:
-00:05 - Born August 11, 1943; New Orleans; His father, Chester Ralph Jones, and his brother were drummers
-02:05 - Started playing drums when he was 16-17; Started playing professionally around 20-21; Olympia Brass Band in the early '60s; Dirty Dozen Brass Band in '79-'80s
-03:45 - Talks about Dirty Dozen Brass Band; Names some of the band members; Named after Dirty Dozen Kazoo Band
-04:45 - He married into the Baptiste family in about 1979; He and his wife went to high school together
-07:00 - Plays at Russell's in Treme (area in New Orleans)
-07:40 - Touring and traveling with both bands around the states and internationally
-09:50 - They talk about tuba players and booking back up musicians
-10:50 - After Dirty Dozen, he joined Chosen Few Brass Band and then Treme Brass Band
-12:30 - Talk about booking musicians from other bands; Union members
-13:00 - Tuba Fats and his wife Linda run Chosen Few now; Talks about touring with Chosen Few
-16:00 - Treme Brass Band formed in about 1991
-17:40 - Talks about band lineup for Treme Brass Band
-23:30 - Different band sizes depending on the event; Normally has a 8 piece band; 10 piece for parades
-25:00 - Traveling with the Treme Brass Band overseas
-26:00 - About a half a dozen individual tours
-26:45 - Talk about Lynn August
-27:50 - No of his kids play music; Has two boys and two girls; He has 5 grandchildren; His brother Eugene Jones passed away; He played with Frogman and worked on Bourbon street
-29:00 - Audio cuts out
Interview with Crawford Vincent
Crawford Vincent:
00:06 - Born October 4th, 1921 in Gueydan; His dad played fiddle for house dances; His mother didn't play; He started playing with Hackberry Ramblers in 1940
01:50 - Stationed in Hackberry in a CC camp; He played guitar and fiddle, but they needed a drummer so he played drums; Talks about Hackberry Ramblers
04:10 - Traveled with Hackberry Ramblers; Music was a side gig
05:35 - Drafted into the Army in 1942; He was wounded and was discharged after one year; Moved to Lake Charles and started playing with Harry Choates and Leo Soileau - Jolie Blonde band
07:15 - Accordion wasn't very popular until 1948; Played drums with Leo and Harry for 3 years; Harry died in 1951
09:30 - Played with Harry on and off for 6 years; He recorded one record on Khoury with Harry: Jolie Blonde Is Gone / Lake Charles Waltz; Recorded in 1948-1949
11:20 - Started playing with Marie Falcon in the 1950s; Marie played guitar, Shuk Richard on accordion; Bertrand (?) on fiddle, and Crawford on drums
12:25 - Played with Iry Lejeune, Joe Bonsall, Marie Falcon and Shuck Richard; Played with Iry first then Marie;
13:45 - He became a barber; Went to school in barber school in Houston; Worked as a barber during the week and played music on the weekends
-Conversation jumps back to playing with Leo Soileau's band; Harry was a member of Leo's band, then had his own band; Crawford played with both groups
16:20 - Played drums with Joe Bonsall
16:40 - Cover of the Johnnie Allan photo book is Crawford playing guitar while he was at the CC camp
-Photo was taken behind the barracks in a field of salt grass--not a rice field; He wishes he had his shirt on
17:22 - Recorded with both Marie and Iry; Marie's band recorded with Khoury; Iry with Eddie Shuler at Goldband
18:45 - Played with Joe Bonsall for about four months than with Sidney Brown for a year in 1953
20:00 - Rufus played with Happy Fats and Papa Cairo; Crawford played with Papa Cairo in the 1940s with Leo's band
22:30 - Recorded one record with Sidney Brown on Goldband
23:10 - Played with a string band; Algia Breaux and Cledis Mott (Matte); String bands still sung in french but no accordion
26:30 - Made more playing music than barbering when he just started out
27:50 - Rock and roll; He rejoined the Hackberry Ramblers in 1953-1954; Continued playing for about 10 years
30:30 - Played at the World's Fair in 1984 then retired; Worked as a barber till 1970
31:00 - Hackberry Ramblers reunion; Touring
33:22 - Recording with Hackberry Ramblers in 1963; Talk about Ben Sandmel (Johnnie joins the conversation--Johnnie Allan?)
-Recorded at La Louisiane with Carol Rachou; Arhoolie; Luderin Darbonne; Frying Fish Records
38:30 - Crawford did some vocals on the most recent recording; Glen Croker, Edwin Duhon; Eddie?
Interview with George Porter Part 1
George Porter:
00:05 - Born December 26, 1947 in New Orleans in the 3rd ward; His mother sang and his dad listened to a lot of jazz
-Lot of jazz on the radio when he was a kid; Local musicians on the radio--Blues and R&B
03:50 - Popular bass players; Ellis Marsalis relation; AFO record
06:25 - Art Neville is the reason he plays the bass; Piano was his first instrument; He picked piano up quicker than Zig (his cousin?)
08:00 - The Royal Knights was his first band; He was 15-16 years old in 1961-1962; He played guitar and drums
-Him and Zig didn't get along when they were younger; The Royal Knights backed up singers (Earl King, Ernie K-Doe, etc.) at fraternity parties
11:45 - New Orleans musicians got drafted for Vietnam but he was too young and had a twisted spine
12:25 - Art hired him to play guitar for a gig; The bass player had to leave, so he started playing bass
13:30 - Learning how to play guitar; Got an acoustic guitar when he was 10; Pope (Benjamin Francis) played bass and guitar
-People used to play both bass and guitar; He'd pass Pope and his grandpa playing the blues when he'd go to classical guitar lessons
16:00 - 2 recitals; They learned popular songs in classical guitar style
-For his second recital, he played St. Louis Blues instead of the song he was supposed to play and that was the end of lessons
18:30 - Learned how to read music; Him and Pope would switch out on bass and guitar; Classical guitar set him up to play bass
20:00 - The Royal Knights - no one in that band became famous; played with them for many years
-Frat house band in New Orleans and Baton Rouge; The were hired as a backing band; Tulane more than Loyola
22:15 - He stayed in New Orleans for the Vietnam War; Aaron had a hit ("Tell It Like It Is") and Art went on the road with him; Studio on Nicholas St.
25:00 - Played with Irving Banister and the All-Stars; Famous for a guitar solo; 1966 was a big year
27:40 - Figuring out when he joined the Neville's; He was with Irving for 3-4 months
28:10 - About the middle of 1966 Art, Leo, different drummer than Zig, and George started playing; Sophisticated Cissy
30:00 - Art asked him if he wanted to play in a new band; They started playing at the Night Cap; Glen was the original drummer
-Lists other band members; Glen got sick and Zig filled in for him for a couple of weeks; Late 1966
32:50 - Moved to playing on Bourbon St. in 1967; Sometimes they'd play 8pm-5am; They played a lot of covers
-Art was lead vocals and George and Leo did background vocals; Zig didn't get a mic until after they recorded an album
35:00 - Allen Toussaint approached them to record with Lee Dorsey; No song titles or lyrics--just laying down rhythm tracks
36:45 - Walter Payton; Neville Ville; His parents split up and he moved to Neville Ville; He knew Cyril Neville from school
38:45 - After Lee Dorsey, Allen had them come back to record more; Alan was never in the studio with them even though he was the producer
-They wrote the first three albums in the studio
41:30 - 3 albums and 15 singles
41:50 - Touring; Chitterlings circuit; Macon, Georgia
43:00 - Band wanted to change leadership in late 1969; Art got blamed for the problems with Josie Records; Financial issues
-Marshall always had contracts to his advantage; Art left the band for a few months;
-Marshall owned the name "The Meters" and tried to make another band with Art with that name
Interview with George Porter Part 2
George Porter:
00:05 - Marshall tries to make a new Meters band with Art; George and the others were still using the name and touring
00:45 - Warner Bros. looking at Allen Toussaint; The Meters played on Allen's albums but didn't get credited
03:15 - Zig and Leo learned the business faster than George and Art; Naive about the business
-Stayed out of the business side of things
05:05 - The band broke up in 1969 and 1979; Reconnecting with Art after the first split
-Ultimatum was that they could have the Warner Bros. deal if Art rejoined the band
08:30 - They started writing songs individually for their albums; Leo and Zig knew about the publishing side of things
10:15 - After five albums, the band broke up; They stopped playing Bourbon St. and went touring two moths after Sophisticated Cissy
12:00 - Disco and DJs almost put them out of business; They'd play Jazz Fest every year
-They made money through touring and royalties
13:20 - Second breakup; Conflict of interest law: manager, booker, and producer couldn't be the same person; Different agencies
14:45 - In 1975, they toured with The Rolling Stones for 13 shows in US
-Opened for a lot of big R&B artists (Isley Brothers, The Four Top, etc.)
-They would only open for bands once because they were so good; Reviews said The Stones had to work hard following The Meters
18:20 - They would headline in clubs like Tipitina's
19:00 - In 1978, Rupert Surcouf was their road manager and tried to be the band manager; Marshall was still trying to control the band
-Cyril joined the band to play percussion in 1975 right before The Rolling Stones tour
21:55 - The band disagreed with the contract/arrangement from Rupert; After the New Directions record
-When the band split, Art and Cyril went together
23:15 - Wild Tchoupitoulas album - The Meters and the Neville Brothers
-Rupert tried to make Wild Tchoupitoulas band without The Meters; That later became the Neville Brothers
25:15 - Same situation without Art; Saturday Night Live with David Baptiste Sr. playing keyboards
26:10 - He was frustrated musically because he wasn't getting as much of a say in song writing, especially when Cyril joined the band
26:30 - They did a 1976 European tour with the stones
27:45 - The Neville Brothers got a contract; Live album
-Rupert was trying to recreate Wild Tchoupitoulas with just the Neville Brothers; Rupert put the Neville Brothers on tour
29:30 - Instead of advertising it as a new band, they just said The Meters changed their name to the Neville Brothers; They were playing Meters' songs
31:40 - Back in New Orleans in 1980, he made a band called Joyride
-When Meters weren't on the road, he would play with David Laster (A Taste of New Orleans)
32:45 - Zig and Leo played a couple of more years as The Meters
33:30 - 1980s; more rock and roll, funk-rock; 5 piece band; Joyride lasted 1 year
34:25 - He went on tour with Jimmy Buffett
34:50 - After David Laster and James Black died, he cleaned up and has been clean for 5 years
36:00 - A Taste of New Orleans
37:30 - Touring and doing sessions with people
39:10 - Started snorting cocaine in the 1980s
-Realized he had a problem about a year before getting treatment; Went after Laster and Black died
41:30 - Put out a single, "Running Partners", in 1989; Got a deal with Rounder Records
44:00 - Finished a live recording with The Running Partners at The Red Box rehearsal space in New Orleans
Interview with Walter Payton
Walter Payton:
***07/14 - no year***
00:05 - August 23rd, 1942; Nobody in his immediate family played music
-Great grandfather Henry Payton played; Grew up in New Orleans
02:00 - Mardi Gras night was the first time he went to Benny's; Jazz Fest
03:00 - He started playing music in 4th grade; He'd see brass bands pass by
-His grandmother (who raised him) bought him a trumpet; Played in school band
04:30 - Talk about Ellis Marsalis; Ellis played saxophone then piano
05:50 - He played trumpet for 6 months, then the sousaphone (tuba)
-Went see American Jazz Quintet with Ellis Marsalis and James Moody then he wanted to play upright bass
-The Haven on Claiborne St.
09:00 - String bass; Learned to read music early; Easy transition from sousaphone to bass
10:40 - He'd play with anybody who'd call; Rock groups in bars
11:20 - In college, he started sitting in with bigger groups; He went to Xavier University
-Music major and now a music teacher; They talk about the amount of talent in New Orleans
13:00 - Larry talks about Baltimore talent
13:55 - Talks about Xavier; Singing in the chorus
-Played bass for an opera; Bob Rohe was his teacher - member of New Orleans Symphony
15:30 - Playing after college; Richard Payne played with American Jazz Quintet
-Playboys Club on Iberville; 1964-1966; He'd fill in for Richard on bass
18:30 - Al Hirt had a club (Now it's Ripley's Believe It Or Not); Pete Fountain club
19:00 - Started doing session work; Did a lot with Allen Toussaint; Lee Dorsey
-Robert Parker "Barefootin'"; Red Tyler, June Gardner, George Davis, Deacon Jones
21:15 - Old Cosmo Studio; That studio closed late 1960s
22:40 - Sessions with Irma Thomas, Al Johnson; People would call him if they needed a bass player
23:50 - Started teaching in 1966
-Was playing regularly with Guitar Ray and the Unforgettables (George Raymond Washington, Earl King's brother-in-law)
-R&B and blues; Stopped playing with him until about 1970
26:15 - Composing; Plays a little piano
27:00 - After college, he stopped doing lessons; Went back to college for graduate school
-Started gigging at the Blue Room with Leon Kelner around 1970-1971
28:40 - He was gigging at night, teaching, and going to school
29:20 - Started doing less rock; Played with the house band at The Black Knight (Night?) in Metarie; Continued playing with brass band
30:53 - New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra around 1972; First European tour in 1974; Joplin's "The Entertainer" was popular at the time
32:25 - The did the "Pretty Baby" soundtrack and were briefly in the movie; Another movie called "French Quarter"
33:35 - He was still on call for session work; Not as much as the 1960s; The ragtime group mostly toured
34:14 - Jazz Festival; He would play with 10 or 11 groups; Still plays occasionally with the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra
35:45 - Preservation Hall; His house previously belonged to Jim Robinson; Played at the Dewdrop with Guitar Ray; Bobby Blue Bland
37:40 - Dewdrop; Musicians used to hangout, eat, and jam there; Johnny Adams; They'd jam until 7 am
38:40 - 1980s; Worked on a show called One More Time
39:15 - Funerals; Documentary by a group from Canada; Jacques Ledoux (?); 10 piece brass band
40:40 - Touring in Scotland
41:20 - Starting composing; He went to the Joffrey Ballet - The Rite of Spring by Stravinsky
-This inspired him to start composing; He composed music for a documentary about the school system
44:20 - Father's Day gig; He still likes the old R&B stuff
Interview with Carol Rachou
Carol Rachou:
***Warren Storm is part of the conversation***
00:07 - They are watching a documentary about monkeys having sex
06:40 - They mention Lee Lavergne; Carol doesn't know him
07:20 - Born December 27th, 1932
08:40 - Started in the business from scratch; Started playing music when he was 14-15 years old; Played horns
09:30 - Big bands in St. Martinville; Slick Signorelli; Toby's at the four corners in Lafayette; Casablanca's in New Iberia
10:40 - He went into retail business selling records and phonographs
-Floyd started as a DJ with KVPI; The first store was on Vermilion St., then Jefferson St.
-Then another spot on Jefferson closer to campus
-Then Johnston St. next to the bowling alley, then next door to Bud's music
12:15 - He doesn't have a store anymore; Johnnie Allan represents the business
12:50 - First started recording; Charlie Ailaet big band music; Recorded onto tape then sent the master off to a press
14:00 - First recording of cajun music: Alex Broussard "Sud de la Louisiane"
-That is where he got the name La Louisianne; Recorded it in the store on Johnston St.
-He started the business in 1954; Started recording in late '50s, early '60s; The record did well locally
15:45 - Starting looking for other artists; Cajun humorists; Lil Bob; They used one of his songs in a movie
-Carol owns the copyright to the song
18:20 - Larry asks about another "I Got Loaded" but it is a different song
-They'll get some money for using the song in the movie
-Lil Bob wasn't listed as a writer with BMI, so he couldn't get paid directly from BMI
-He got Lil Bob to sign the papers with BMI
21:00 - Soundtracks; Los Lobos copied the Lil Bob song exactly
23:00 - He recorded the Shondelles around the same time as Lil Bob
-Around 1964; Other black artists: Tim Phillips, Don Frederick from New Iberia, King Carl
24:20 - Some gospel stuff; Don Frederick from New Iberia or Franklin
-Blues musician; Recorded "Big Boys Cry"
25:45 - He says to hold onto the records because some people will want them in the future
25:52 - Talk about selling Shondelles records in England
-Tommy James and the Shondelles came after this band
26:45 - Eddy Raven recorded when he was 17 years old
-Carol thinks he recorded Eddy more than anyone else
27:40 - Story about Bessyl Duhon and Eddy
-Told Jimmy Newman to give Eddy a break in Nashville; Bessyl played accordion with Jimmy
29:15 - Glen Hebert is the only local person playing with Eddy
-Jacques Leblanc; Eddy wanted to sue Carol for some songs; Carol was hurt by that
31:45 - Opry; Roy Acuff
32:30 - Eddy is probably the most successful person that started with Carol
-Jimmy Newman; Dale and Grace "I'm Leaving It Up To You"
-Sam Montel came to Carol to record a session; They cut four songs that day
35:00 - He knows a hit when he hears one
35:45 - The Shondelles; Played at the Southern Club in Opelousas
-They had a TV show, which led to the album
-It didn't sell well here; "San Antone" 45 sold well; They wouldn't air it on the radio
38:00 - "Kidnapper" and "Lache pas la patate" sold well locally
-"Kidnapper" by Jewel and the Rubies was almost a national hit
-ABC-Paramount picked it up; Warren played drums on that record
41:00 - Larry asks when he decided to leave the business: "When I got into it"
-He had some medical issues so he had to retired; He's still the boss; David Rachou is managing now
-Rex is the engineer and David is an assistant engineer; They are still recording; Cut demos
43:00 - Asks about cajun bands he recorded; List of all the singles
-They always put out a single before an album, except for Bud Fletcher
45:00 - He always tried to put out the best possible product; He'd handpick session musicians
Interview with Rufus Thibodeaux
Rufus Thibodeaux:
***Warren Storm is part of the conversation***
00:05 - Mentioned Blake Mouton; Lots of accordion players around Church Point and Sunset
00:50 - His first gig was at the Bloody Bucket in Lake Arthur when he was 6 and a half
-His dad played accordion and he played guitar; A few killings happened there; Chicken wire
02:30 - Played with the Rayne Playboys when he was 13; Born January 5th, 1934
-At 16, he went work with Papa Cairo around Crowley
-Around 17 or 18, he went work with Jimmy who was in Ville Platte
03:30 - In 1954, they recorded for George Khoury; In August 1956, they went to the Opry
-Jimmy had recorded some with Chuck Guillory and Papa Cairo
-Jimmy was on Colonial Records from New Orleans; Dot Records; Randy's Record shop
05:15 - In 1957, he went work with Bob Wills for a year and a half
-Photo from the Show Boat in Las Vegas; Liberty Record label; He played fiddle; All touring
06:38 - He went back to Nashville; Played with George Jones
-Jimmy and George would tour together, so he'd back them both up
08:30 - Session work; Only Cajun fiddler in Nashville; Off and on from 1956 till end of the '70s
-Recorded with Lynn Anderson, Neil Young; Recorded 5 albums with Neil
-Tour of Australia and New Zealand
10:15 - Talks about a picture with Mick Jagger; Dressing rooms were next to each other for Live Aid in Philadelphia; Biggest show he ever did
11:00 - He played on and off with Jimmy till about 7-8 years ago
-He knows other session musicians: Pete Drake, Charles McCoy, Russell White
12:30 - He's probably done a couple of hundred sessions/albums
-Always was homesick for Louisiana; Decided to move back when he got older
-There were some lean years in Nashville; He lived off of playing music; Decline in country music
14:15 - He plays bass, electric mandolin; He played bass in rock and roll bands
-Worked with Neil off and on since 1975; Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young recording; Rockabilly album
16:30 - Cajun band with Rodney Miller called Cajun Born
-They are playing in Houston; Playing around New Iberia and Opelousas
19:00 - Jokes and stories; Johnny and Jesse Credeur are cousins
21:40 - Plays some fiddle for a photo
23:30 - Fiddle got smashed
25:15 - Jokes and stories
Interview with Lil' Malcolm Walker; Percy Walker
Interview with Malcolm Walker:
00:48 - Percy Walker and the House Rockers; Percy on accordion
-Joe Walker was playing guitar in his dad's band; Musical family
02:20 - Played drums in high school; His older brother, Percy Walker Jr., plays drums too
-Percy Jr. played drums for their dad; Played drums sometimes
03:40 - Started going on the road when he was 17
04:00 - New CD
04:30 - Started playing keyboard, then played accordion
-His grandfather, Melvin Walker, had a band and taught him accordion
06:25 - Triple note accordion, to the keyboard, to the piano accordion
-He's been playing piano accordion for about 10 year
07:40 - He dad played piano accordion; He replaced his dad in the band
08:25 - Recordings: "On My Way"; He was still in school
10:20 - Talk about Joe being able to play all kinds of instruments
-Lil' Malcolm and the House Rockers on Maison de Soul
11:15 - First album recorded in Kinder and the second in Crowley and J.D. Miller's studio
-Mark Miller was in charge; New CD is about to come out; Recorded in South Carolina
13:35 - He toured to Sydney, Australia; Played at New Orleans Jazz Fest
Interview with Percy Walker:
17:00 - Born in Lafayette on July 17th, 1953; Melvin Walker was his dad
-His grandfather, Willie Walker, played accordion; French music
-Melvin and Willie would play at house parties--accordion and washboard; Playing drums on a cardboard box
19:30 - Didn't play any instruments in school; Drums were his first instrument
-Joe, his brother, taught him how to play; Joe convinced their dad to buy him a drums set
21:25 - End of the 1960s, they played "The Twist" and "Limbo Rock"
-Couldn't play zydeco back then
-Melvin played triple note and single note; He was in Joe's rock and roll band
23:00 - Joe, Darrell, Wade, and Percy all played with their dad
-Darrell and Wade were his younger brothers
25:15 - Marcel Dugas and Rockin' Dopsie were some of the only people playing zydeco
-He played with Rockin' Dopsie for a little while when he was 10
27:30 - Sat in with Clifton sometimes on drums; Joe would play guitar; They played with Marcel Dugas
28:45 - They didn't record their early stuff
-He played with Rockin' Sidney and Katy Webster in Lake Charles; His family moved there in 1966
30:50 - After the family band, he started playing accordion at house parties
-Eventually he made a band with Raymond "Toe" (guitar), Butch (tenor sax), Wade (Bass), John W. (drums)
-Joe wasn't in the band
32:20 - Played some zydeco mix with blues
33:00 - Cookie and the Cupcakes; He toured with Katy Webster in the 1970s
-Before, Katy was playing keys on the road with Otis Redding until he died
35:35 - Percy Walker and the House Rockers; They started in the early 1970s
37:15 - 1988 was first recording with Malcolm
-He bought Malcolm a little keyboard, then he started playing accordion; He played piano accordion
40:00 - He recorded one song "Going to the Country" on an independent label in the 1970s
-He never made an album; Mike Leger in Kinder
41:35 - He appeared on "Louisiana Red Hot Tribute to Clifton Chenier and Rockin' Sidney" a couple of years ago
44:40 - Conversation with Percy is over; Phone call with Rog
Interview with Bert Frilot Part 1
Bert Frilot:
00:15 - Born in April 24, 1939 in Uptown New Orleans; Moved to Chalmette when he was 12
-At 17, he went into the service for five years 1957-1951; Electronics
01:20 - Not interested in music before he was in the business
-Got a job working on equipment and electronics for Cosimo's studio
-He'd steal the manuals to learn about tape recorders
-2 studios and a disc cutting room on Governor Nichols; Two other engineers
04:15 - Cosimo would go to Audio Engineer Society meetings in New York and he'd run the sessions
-Forced him to learn; Three track machine
-Had to build your own consoles; Studio rigging; Air conditioner
08:20 - No company was mass producing consoles in the 1960s; Jone's Studio; Moving Sidewalks
10:30 - He recorded Irma Thomas, Lee Dorsey
-As well as, Ernie K-doe, Barbara George, Prince Lala, Huey Smith, Tammy Lynn, and more
13:55 - Lee Lavergne; Story about Barbara Lynn
-She changed words to a song and mentioned integration and the crowd got upset
-She had to be escorted out
16:25 - Jimmy Donley; He recorded all the Huey Meaux sessions
-T.K. Hulin; Memorial album for Jimmy
18:30 - Working with Irma Thomas;
-Used cellophane off of a cigarette pack for the rain sound on "It's Raining"
19:20 - Art Neville's "All These Things"; Lynn August
20:30 - He left not long after the Nola Label--before "Barefootin'" by Bobby Parker
-Around 1964-1965; Things had slowed down and he had a new job offer
21:30 - Worked for Bill Holford at ACA Recording Studios in Houston; British invasion
23:00 - ACA was located on Fannin St.
-Demos with Allen Toussaint when he was in the army; His band was in the Army; Alon Label
25:30 - He got along well with Allen; One of the best arrangers and producers he ever worked wit
27:00 - Marshall and Allen
28:00 - His father still lives in Chalmette; His daughter and grandkid live in New Orleans
-Cosimo recorded Bert's wedding and cut an LP
29:30 - Artists he recorded at ACA: Bobby Bland, Kenny Rogers, B.J. Thomas, Roy Head
-ACA merged with Goldstar
32:00 - Freelancing; B.J. Thomas "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"
34:15 - Junior Parker, Bobby Bland; Gospel groups
35:25 - He was freelancing--designing studios and doing sessions
-Met Mickey Gilley who was part owner of Jones Studio with Doyle Jones and Bobby N.
-Northside of Houston in the heights; They made him an offer to work at their studio
37:00 - Designed a console; He'd go to Dallas every Thursday to check on the building of the console
-He never missed a Thursday, except one week he canceled his flight
-The one Thursday flight he missed crashed and everyone died
38:40 - Jones Recording Studio; He designed and supervised the construction of the console
40:35 - The Moving Sidewalks; The first use of pan pots
41:45 - Bands would call him to record their sessions; He recorded Archie Bell and the Drells "Tighten Up"
42:30 - Bobby Bland wanted to record vocals in the corner of the studio so he can lean against the wall, put his hands in his pockets, and sing
43:00 - Larry clears up specific years
-Jones Studio turned into tape duplication business in 1974
-They use the console to make master tapes
44:20 - Other hits from Jones: Mickey Gilley "Room Full of Roses"
-Bert and Mickey flew to Nashville; Missed their flight
-Turned down by almost ever record label in Nashville
Interview with Bert Frilot Part 2
Bert Frilot:
00:06 - Continued story about Nashville - Playboy Records
00:40 - Started building Gilley's Studio in 1976; Gilley was in business Sherwood Cryer
-Studio was next door to the club; Used to be Shelly's Club before Gilley's
02:25 - Sherwood kept building out the club; Rodeo arena that double as a concert hall
-He was able to record in the studio as well as live performances in the club and the arena
-Started the Live from Gilley's radio show; Aired on about 450 stations
04:45 - Artists who played there: Merle Haggard, George Jones, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton
-Tammy Wynette, Alabama, Fats Domino, Bobby Bland, Ernest Tubb
-Johnny Lee, Roy Orbison, Paul Revere and the Raiders
07:45 - Artists who recorded at the studio (other than Mickey): Archie Bell, Willie Nelson, Jerry Lee Lewis
09:20 - Started in 1976 and stayed till it closed in 1987
09:40 - Urban Cowboy craze; Bert recorded some of the soundtrack
-It won a Grammy, but Bert wasn't credited
11:00 - Charles Mann at Jones Studio--"Red Red Wine"
11:45 - 1987 the studio closed
-Mickey started going to Vegas and wanted to tear the club down and rebuild it
-Sherwood wanted to keep it the same because it was doing well
-Mickey sued Sherwood for the name and he won
14:00 - End of the radio show and club; Bert had a mobile home next to the studio
-Tried to buy a house a few times, but stayed in the mobile home
15:45 - He started mixing for Eddie Shuler at Cosimo's, then he followed him to Houston
-He'd bring the tapes and stay in town until Bert mixed them all
-Started mixing for him in 1961; Eddie bought everything Bert needed to mix at Goldband
18:30 - Building a studio for a Latin group in Temple, Texas; Little Joe
21:20 - Freelanced between 1987-1989;
-Worked for a company that did sound and lighting designs for night clubs for almost 3 years
23:00 - Piloting; He had a hot air balloon license for Gilley's hot air balloon
-He flew Gilley around for weekend gigs, but after Urban Cowboy they had to hire a full-time pilot
-They had an airplane, two buses, and an 18-wheeler
27:15 - He and Gilley had a falling out after 21 years
28:05 - Lighting company; Started his own service company
-Joe called him to build the studio, so he moved to Temple
-Building a new studio and redoing the old studio
31:00 - Eddie Shuler; He went through Eddie's tapes to digitize and preserve them
-12,000 songs in the catalog; Master tapes; Working for Eddie
34:20 - He remembers the band from Gilley's: Paul Revere and the Raiders
Interview with Red Tyler Part 1
Red Tyler:
00:05 - Born December 5, 1925 in New Orleans; Youngest of 11 children; Only one to play music
01:20 - Drafted in the army January 5, 1945; Discharged in September 1946
-Went to Grunewald school of music because of the G.I. Bill of Rights
-Started playing saxophone; Was trained as a surgical technician
03:20 - Graduated in 1947; Cosimo was not in business yet
04:05 - School courses
05:30 - He was in school with a lot of professionals
06:30 - Joined Dave Bartholomew's band; First recording experience
-They would do a remote radio broadcast at Cosimo's studio; Recorded on old acetate masters
08:00 - He did a lot of session work
-Dave played trumpet, Joe Harris played alto, Mr. Hog/Hall played tenor sax, and he played tenor sax
10:10 - Played baritone with Dr. John's band then switched to tenor sax
10:50 - Rest of the band: Earl was on drums, Frank Fields on bass
-Ernest Mclaine on guitar, can't remember the piano player
12:45 - Dave's first session: "Fat Man"
13:40 - Sessions; They became popular session players
14:35 - 1950s; Dave recorded on a few different labels
-He left the band and started playing with Earl Williams
15:40 - Earl did a few recordings; Sang a lot of ballads and showtunes
16:00 - After Earl, Bumps Blackwell brought in Sam Cooke came and recorded a song Red wrote called "Forever"
-Bumps Blackwell brought in Little Richard; He played on all of his hits
17:30 - He played some sessions with Sam (Dale) Cooke
20:05 - Young kids would hang around the studio
-Dr. John was a guitar player who hung around
-Got put on a session with Paul Gates (?); He did well
23:30 - He was involved with Ace Records; RCA wanted to record some New Orleans music
-Allen Toussaint was hanging around the studio before he got in
-They worked together on some arrangements
-Allen's mom had to sign the contract for him
26:10 - Early sixties AFO period; Backed Barbara George on her hit
-All the sessions musicians decided to make a production company
28:15 - Couldn't maintain the production company
-Recorded a jazz album with Ellis Marsalis and James Black called "Monkey Puzzle"
30:00 - His company recorded "Tell It Like It Is"
-Leo Diamond and George Davis wrote that song
31:50 - Larry asks about the Meters and the Nevilles
-He did some stuff with Art Neville back in the day
32:50 - New Orleans style music started dying out
-Other musicians trying to imitate New Orleans style
35:00 - Playing with Mac
36:00 - He had a day job as a sales representative with a liquor wholesale company for 25 years
-He got that job because he had a wife and kids to support
-He could be picky about his gigs; Bourbon street - The Dream Room
38:00 - Played at the Dewdrop, Joy Tavern (college crowd)
40:15 - Edward Frank and Earl Williams; Edward Frank had a stroke
41:00 - Joy Tavern was in Girt-town on Pine St.
-Xavier University, Southern University; During the 1950s; AFO band took over that gig
42:30 - Played at Mason's - club inside of a motel
-People dress up to go there; Lots of clubs like that before integration
43:45 - Someone was arrested at the Dewdrop;
-Black and white musicians weren't allowed to play or record together back in the day
-Rhythm and Blues, Jazz, Bebop all came out of black clubs
45:45 - Escorito used to play piano there
-Still have occasional shows at Dewdrop
-They would sometimes play in white clubs
Interview with Red Tyler Part 2
Red Tyler:
0:05 - New Orleans clubs: Brass Rail and Texas Lounge on Canal
-There used to be more live entertainment and black clubs; Rampart St.
1:15 - In the 1970s, he freelanced; Played straight-ahead jazz in clubs
-Not as many sessions because of his day job; 10 years at Mason's
2:30 - Played at the Maple Leaf with James Booker; Tyler's Club; Rounder Records session
-First album on Rounder was "Heritage" in 1985 and the second "Graciously" in 1987
Interview with Preston Frank Part 1
Preston Frank:
00:15 - Born in Oberlin on August 30, 1947 (or April)
-His dad played rhythm guitar, but he didn't get into music till later; Played at house dances
01:50 - Got interested in music around 25 or 26 years old; Accordion was his first instrument
-Two uncles played music: Carlton Frank played fiddle and Hampton Frank played rhythm guitar
03:45 - He would hear music on the radio but didn't think much of it till he started playing
-He started in the 1970s and professionally in 1977
05:10 - Played church halls and clubs in the area
-Slim's Y-Ki-Ki in Opelousas - played there for several years; Started playing with his uncles
06:20 - Started bringing his family into it; First recording with Arhoolie in 1981
-Chris Strachwitz recorded it; 2 singles
09:00 - Album released as Preston Frank and the Soileau Playboys
-Recorded at J.D. Miller's in Crowley; Played on Classie Ballou's All Night Man album
11:30 - Singles; Keith played drums
-Name changed to Preston Frank and the Zydeco Family Band
15:15 - Cassette called Let's Dance; The whole family is on it
16:00 - Jennifer has been playing bass for the past 2 years; She's 15
-Played keyboard first; Brad plays drums and accordion
18:45 - Keith plays all the instrument
19:30 - Started playing as a family 2 years ago; Brad is 10
-His uncle Carlton plays fiddle sometimes; Mostly zydeco, cajun, blues, rock and roll
20:50 - His influences are Aldus Roger, Wayne Toups (before he changed his styles)
-Keith likes how Marc Savoy plays accordion
23:30 - Savoy Music Center in Eunice
23:55 - Recorded the LP with Lee
24:40 - Local festivals; Playing at the Plaisance Zydeco Festival this year
-Festival in Ithaca, NY; National Folklife Festival; Jazz and Heritage Festival
27:20 - Toured overseas in 1980 in Cologne, Germany
-Him and three uncles; Boogie woogie festival
Interview with Preston Frank Part 2
Preston Frank:
0:06 - Continued conversation about festivals
0:30 - Louise Frank; Books and manages band
1:40 - Liberty Theatre; 6-8pm every Saturday night
-Theater is still under construction
-The show has been at Bobcat auditorium
3:30 - Not touring too much because kids are in school; Keith is at McNeese
4:25 - Keith talks about playing trail rides
4:40 - Play about three nights a week; Late nights
6:10 - Larry wants to take pictures
Interview with Murphy Richard
Murphy Richard:
00:05 - Born in the Leonville area; Moved to Grand Coteau then back to Leonville as a child
00:45 - Zydeco back in the day; They called it La-la music; Rub-board and accordion
-Clifton and Cleveland Chenier played at a club called the Silver Slipper
-They played there every 15 days
-Clifton used to live in Leonville but was living in Opelousas at the time, then Lake Charles and Houston
02:30 - He was around 13 when they were playing at the Silver Slipper around 1950
-They weren't selling liquor; They'd play on Saturday
03:30 - When he got older, he started wanting to play music
-Borrowed an accordion to play for himself at home
04:10 - La-la music was french music - not called zydeco at that time; Origin of the name
05:20 - Farmed on his grandfather's farm from the age of ten till he got married at 24
-He was a foreman, straw boss, for a crew
-They had pigs, geese, ducks, turkeys, chickens, guineas on the farm
08:10 - His brother Joseph was on the farm too
08:40 - He got married October 1st, 1960
-Moved off the farm; Worked construction for Miller Trade (?)
09:55 - Bought an accordion in 1984 or 1985; Played for fun
-Joseph starting playing a couple of years before him
10:50 - He was part of the house band at Roy's on Thursday nights
-Started with a triple note then switch to a single note; Now he plays both
12:10 - Him and Joseph started the band together; Jockey, Chester, and Fred joined them
-Morris had a band called the High-Steppers, then started playing with different bands
-He started on bass
14:00 - His brother died mid-1990s
15:30 - He and Jo would alternate on accordion
-Jo played the piano accordion and he would play single and triple note
16:00 - He went overseas in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, and 1997
-He went to France, Germany, Vienna, Switzerland
20:15 - Left the band around 1998; After his brother died, Morris played some piano accordion
21:15 - Made a CD at the Friendly Club for a German label - "Live at the Friendly Club"
-Two CDs with Lee Lavergne called "Boiled Crawfish" and "Come to Party" in the mid-1990s
27:00 - Recorded the last CDs in Eunice at Fred Charlie's
27:50 - Friction with the band
-People assumed he and Joseph were the band leaders because they played accordion
30:40 - New band lineup: Albert Davis on bass, Philip Chenier on drums, Roger Charles on scrub board, and Toe
31:30 - Retired; Not raising hogs anymore
32:20 - Bluerunners; First cousins with the band; Album with Rosco Chenier; They are third cousins
35:00 - His mother was Mary Gradnigo; Her brother was David and he had three sons who played music with him
36:40 - They asked him to play with them, but he wasn't playing music at that time
37:54 - Back on his grandfather's farm; His sisters live on the property too
-One sister died; 37 acres; His aunt and uncle have 80 acres near there
39:00 - Morris "Big" Chenier - blues guitar player from Opelousas; Related to Rosco
40:10 - Jockey played with Guitar Gable for a long time; He used to go listen to him
41:20 - Foreign tours; Ralph (Rolph?) Hubert booked them
-Met him at the Hamilton Club when he was scouting bands to tour
-Met him first at Maple Leaf then at El Sido's with the Creole Zydeco Farmers
-Sampy was playing with them - he possibly came up with the name
45:45 - Sampy wants to start a new band, but Murphy won't play with him unless he quits drinking
Interview with Albert Davis
Albert Davis:
00:25 - Father Molette was their pastor; He was a farmer; Born May 6th, 1936 in Leonville
-He went to school with Murphy till he was 12 then he went to school with Gabriel
02:15 - After the Swing Masters, he made his own group: The Blue Eagles
-He sang and played guitar; They played until some of the guys went into the service
-They called Clayton "Fats"
03:30 - Recorded with J.D. Miller but it was never released
04:40 - King Carl; Joseph Zeno; Story about playing at the rec center in Lafayette for teenagers
-They actually made double than what Joseph told them; Another story in Franklin
-Joseph kept extra money for himself, so Albert stopped playing for him
08:10 - After Blue Eagles, he joined a group from Opelousas called the Reboppers
-Played with them for about 4 years until he moved to Lake Charles
10:00 - Played with Katy Webster in Lake Charles
-Katy Webster recorded at J.D. Miller's studio; Warren Storm
12:00 - Story about playing with Katy; Bamboo Club in Lake Charles
-He met Otis Redding and he asked him to play, but he had a family
13:50 - Eddie Shuler; George Khoury
14:15 - Band after Katy: Mitzi and the Mystics; Mitzi was the best female singer after Katy
-Played in a lot of clubs; He played guitar
15:10 - Big Ike; Played with Mitzi for 5 or 6 years
16:25 - Beginning of the 1970s; Played with The Cupcakes
-Cookie was in California but Shelton Dunaway kept the band going; Hot Rod
17:25 - Rosco Chenier; Gradnigo boys
18:30 - Murphy lived across the Teche from him
19:40 - Joe Walker joined the Cupcakes; Didn't get along with Shelton
-He did a lot of recording with Joe; In the 1980s
22:45 - Worked at Conoco - oil refinery
24:00 - He played guitar on some CDs with Joe recorded with Lee Lavergne
25:00 - Joe went overseas twice, but he didn't go with him
25:30 - Played with Rosie Ledet; He traveled with her
-Then played with Roy Carrier; He went overseas with Roy
27:20 - 50 years of playing music; Story of how the band started
-Jerry Morris was a drummer; His brother, Joe Morris, started playing bass
Interview with Joe Walker, and Raymond Randle (part II); Interview with Nathan Williams Sr.
Larry talks to Joe, Raymond, and Felton; Interview continued from BE2-076:
Interview with Joe Walker:
00:01:10 - Jones auditorium
00:01:40 - One man band; Drum machine; Started playing gospel music on keyboard in the 1980s
00:03:00 - He was making a living playing as a one man band
00:04:00 - After, he branched into zydeco; Played with Boozoo Chavis when he was 15 or 16
00:05:15 - Touring with a zydeco band; Played with Lawrence Ardoin, Buckwheat Zydeco, Rockin' Sidney
00:07:40 - End of interview
Interview with Raymond Randle:
00:08:25 - Born in Opelousas on February 28th, 1948
-His dad, Clarence Randle, had a zydeco band, so he started with them; Clarence never recorded
00:09:30 - Started playing around 12 years old; His dad played accordion
00:11:30 - Picked up guitar then started playing professionally 5 years later when he was 17
-Played with his dad's band for about 5 years
00:12:15 - Played around Louisiana and Texas; Made his living playing music
00:13:00 - Band wasn't reliable so he left
-His band backed up Oscar Perry, Lightnin' Hopkins in the 1960s
-Some new members and some from his dad's band
00:15:00 - Blues was doing good even during the disco era; He never opened up for a band
00:16:30 - In the 1970s, he worked some odd jobs but mostly played music
00:17:25 - The first recording he made was with Lee Lavergne
00:18:15 - In the 1980s, he played with different zydeco bands; June Taylor and the Burning Flames
-Roy Carrier; Chubby Carrier; Roy's Club in Lawtell
-He's playing with Roy tomorrow night at the Holy Ghost Catholic Church
00:22:45 - Roy wants to Raymond to record with Lee on Wednesday night
Interview with Nathan Williams Sr.:
00:24:15 - His three year old son plays scrub board with him; From St. Martinville, LA
00:24:50 - His mom liked to go to zydeco dances
-She'd go see Clifton almost every weekend; He would hear music all the time from his uncle
00:26:15 - He'd go see Clifton but couldn't get in the club
-He didn't start playing accordion until 1985; He moved to Lafayette in 1979
00:27:30 - His brother Sid bought an accordion from Buckwheat for him
-Then he bought one from someone he met in Romero Music Shop in Lafayette
-Japanese accordion; He got it for $250
00:30:20 - He always played the piano accordion; He got sick in 1986 and was in the hospital for 8 months
-Thyroid issue; He'd play accordion in the hospital
00:31:30 - Play with feeling; Personal style
00:32:25 - After the hospital, he started practicing with a band
-Then Sid opened the club and they started playing there on Friday nights for free
-Buckwheat encouraged him - they were close friends
00:33:50 - Started playing Saturdays at different clubs
-The Tee Connection (?) in St. Martinville, Double D's (changed to Daulphine's Club) in Parks
-Hamilton Club in Lone Plantation (Lafayette), El Sido's, Richard's Club in Lawtell
-Slim's Y-Ki-Ki, Blue Diamond Club in St. Martinville (burned down), Tipitina's in New Orleans
00:36:45 - Toured to Boston, New York, Hartford, North Carolina, South Carolina
00:39:45 - Played at a cajun festival in Long Beach; Big Easy Festival in Rhode Island
-Frog Island Festival in Detroit; Names some of the bands at the festivals
00:44:25 - Local concerts: Golden Wheel Club with Millie Jackson, Denise Lasalle, Tyrone Davis
-Yambilee in Opelousas with Bobby Blue Bland; Jesse James
-Don Apollo Wilson and John Ford booked all these shows
00:47:00 - The radio station helped him out
Interview with Felton Marlborough and Joe Walker (part I)
Larry talks to Joe, Raymond, and Felton; Part II is BE2-075
Interview with Felton :
00:35 - Born March 12th, 1934 in Opelousas
-Started playing guitar when he was 14 and was playing dances when he was 15; No radio or TV
02:25 - Blues music; Would listen to a blues radio program from 11-11:15 pm
03:46 - Had his own band at the age of 15
04:15 - He recorded one record when he was 15, but he doesn't know what happened to it
05:10 - He stopped playing music to do construction work at 21
-In 1973, he got burned at the chemical plant
-Took 8 years to recover and during that time he started playing again
07:05 - Went back to construction in 1980, but had a back injury and surgery in 1983
-Now he only plays guitar
07:45 - Got in a wreck in 1987 and had to get neck surgery
08:50 - He did one record with Lee Lavergne in 1975 or 1976; Classie Ballo;
11:05 - When he was recovering, he played with different bands in the Lake Charles area; Katy Webster
12:00 - He played with Clifton Chenier, B.B. King, Fats Domino, Lightnin' Hopkins when they played around Opelousas
13:45 - Turned down playing with Clifton because he was more into blues instead of zydeco
15:10 - Plays gigs with Joe and Raymond; Made recordings with them
15:45 - They play maybe once a week together; Talk about gigs
17:40 - Talk about the record; They recorded parts at different times
Joe Walker:
21:00 - Born December 13th, 1944 in Lafayette
-Started playing the blues on guitar when he was 6
-Influenced by Lightnin' Slim, Jimmy Reed
22:45 - Played with Rockin' Dopsie when he was 15
-A few gigs with Clifton; Familiar with zydeco
23:35 - Recorded when he was 16 with Rockin' Sidney - "Just To Spend My Life With You" / "Our Last Goodbye"
-Recorded with Eddie Shuler; He played guitar and keyboard on the recordings
26:20 - Larry offers to help with booking
-Chubby Carrier; Story about Nathan Williams playing in New York
-How much bands get paid in Baltimore
34:30 - Lee recorded another LP with Joe with zydeco music; Not out yet
35:35 - Played on some sessions at Goldband; One solo that wasn't released
-One album with Rockin' Sidney
-Recorded a single with Henry Randle and the Zydeco Soul Express in 1984 at J.D. Miller's
39:00 - Lil Alfred and Charles Mann are playing, but Larry has to miss it
41:00 - At the beginning of the 1960s and into the 1970s, he had his own band; Rock and roll and blues
42:10 - Things were good while the oil industry was doing well, then it went down
-They used to have a lot of gigs; One man band
44:00 - Bon Temps Rouler Club, Grant St.
45:30 - Recorded with Roy Simon (Joe Simon's brother)
Interviews with Bobby Charles; Johnny Allan; Cosimo Matassa; Lynn Ourso; and Luther Kent regarding John Fred
Interview with Bobby Charles:
00:45 - John Fred's recording of "Shirley"
01:15 - Recollections
02:00 - Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
03:10 - Talking politics
04:00 - Discussing the Clean Water tour with Dr. John
04:30 - Cosimo Matassa getting back into recording
06:50 - Baseball song idea
Interview with Johnny Allan:
09:00 - Tour with Rod Bernard, Buck Rodgers, Jimmy Clanton, John Fred - Promoted by Sam Montel
10:45 - John Fred - helping Johnny with collecting photos for the Memories book
12:30 - John's illness
13:45 - Johnny mentions John Fred's modesty
15:00 - Discussing "Judy In Disguise"
Interview with Cosimo Matassa:
20:00 - Auditioning and turning down Sonny and Cher
21:00 - Talking about John Fred and his music
Attempting to call Sam Montel (Montelbano)
Interview with Luther Kent:
29:30 - Introduction
31:00 - First time sitting in with John Fred and eventually opening shows for him
33:00 - Sam Montel
34:15 - Current band
34:50 - Born and raised in New Orleans, talks about how he met John Fred
35:30 - RCS Records - Cyril Vetter
36:15 - Taste of the Senate show; Jazz Fest
39:50 - Montel sessions at La Louisianne
43:00 - Cold Grits Record label; Ode label
Interview with Lynn Ourso regarding John Fred and the Playboys
Lynn Ourso:
01:00 - Publishing rights
02:00 - Boogie Chillin'
04:00 - Started working with John Fred in 1960
04:45 - Starting playing bass with John Fred and The Playboys, switched to guitar
08:00 - La Louisianne Records - Carol and David Rachou
09:15 - John's recording gap 1962-64
13:00 - Gigs that The Playboys would play around the state
15:00 - Soul versus Pop music
16:30 - Music company and the Playboys
17:30 - Returning to manage and produce the group in 1967
19:30 - The band playing on the Johnny Carson Show
23:30 - John meeting Elvis and the Beatles; Overseas tour
26:30 - Last album
27:00 - Russ Regan
29:00 - Amy Bell Single
30:00 - Sugarcane Label
34:00 - Montel Studios - converting the old mono studio into a multitrack studio
42:30 - Poorly written eulogy in an Opelousas newspaper
44:30 - Fred's kidney issues, transplant
Radio show with Pete Bergeron and Houston Lejeune from 1985
Lache pas la patate - Jimmy C. Newman;
Leroy Broussard - Lawtell Waltz;
Adam Hebert - Mon tour vas venir;
Doris Matte - Trop jeune pour marier;
Camey Doucet and Wayne Toups - Pan Pe Po (To the melody of Les flammes d'enfer);
Ed Gary - Joe pitre à deux femmes
Iry Lejeune - 99 year waltz
Jim Olivier - La valse de Tolam
Hadley Castille - La dernière valse
Hector Duhon and Octa Clark - Bosco Stomp
Paul Daigle - La nouvelle valse d'anniversaire
Advertisement for CODOFIL;
Fred Charlie - The Good Times are Killing Me;
Leeman Prejean -
Radio show with Pete Bergeron and Houston Lejeune in 1985
00:03:00 - Link Davis - Madeline;
00:07:30 - Leeman Prejean - La valse de tout le monde;
00:11:15 - Paul Daigle - La valse des jeunes marriers;
00:14:30 - Belton Richard tune - Mom and Dad's Waltz;
00:19:36 - Jo-El Sonnier with Michael Doucet - Jolie Blonde (recording from unreleased live performance);
00:24:50 - Austin Pitre - Opelousas Waltz;
00:29:20 - Lawrence Walker - Chère Alice;
00:32:00 - Houston talks about seeing Lawrence Walker live;
00:34:55 - Shirley Bergeron - La dernière fois
00:37:42 - Spot with Harold Hollier, L.J. Alleman Principal
00:40:16 - Nathan Abshire - Kaplan Waltz
00:49:00 - Ivy Dugas - Offshore Waltz;
00:53:39 - J.B. Fuselier - Chère Bassette;
00:57:15 - Belton Richard - Chère tout tout;
01:03:15 - Camey Doucet - Moi et mon cousin;
Les douze jours de Noel
Les douze jours de Noel - version francais
On va les embter
On va les embterTape was sticky, a better recording is available in BE3.010
Beausoleil France 1976 Copy of master tape #1
Tit MauriceJohnny CanÕt DanceJeunes filles de la campagneTravailler cÕest trop durC.I.A.Take it to me
Beausoleil France 1976 Copy of master tape #2
Bayou Teche WaltzJohnny CanÕt DanceLove Bridge WaltzLa valse de Grand CheminBosco Moscow two stepArc de triomphe two step
John Dubois sings 10 from his collection of Cajun folksongs
JÕŽtais au balAllons danser ColindaTÕes petite et tÕes mignonneJÕai passŽ devant ta porteLa chanson a AndrŽSaute CrapaudUn petite bonne hommeCÕest les Hip et TaieauLes maringouins ont toute mangŽ ma belleAllons ˆ Lafayette
Tommy McClain and Freddy Fender Live show at Municiple Auditorium part 1
Sweet DreamsHard LovinÕ MeetingIÕll make you mineThat woman of mineCatfish John?When a man loves a womanWhen Will I be lovedgood golly Miss MollyJolie Blonde
Tommy McClain and Freddy Fender Live show at Municiple Auditorium part 2
Jukebox SongsShame on youI would never hurt you
Len Harrington - Louisiana Hidden Corners
Chere la LouisianeFleur de lisOld Cajun MazurkaChanson de noceLacassine SpecialCajun BluesLovers LamentEunice two stepCool Summer NightTwo step de Moua KieWish You WellIf Knot for You
On va les embeter (master tape)
Interview with George Visser
00:00 - Visser was a former schoolboard member
00:35 - Working for Union when he wanted to go back to school. He ended up not going back to school and worked for Union for 42 years;
02:40 - First contact with the oil industry in 1940 - Started as a roustabout; Laid pipelines by hand in the marsh;
03:30 - Describing how they built drill rigs;
04:45 - Cajuns were used to the marsh and did well working in marsh conditions - Talking about their impact on the oil industry
Tape degraded badly, Audio breaks up
Interview with Amanda Hanks.
00:10 - Jack mentions that Amanda is co-owner of Chenier aux tigres;
00:58 - Amanda tells about her life growing up on an Island along the gulf coast. Mentions that they were very isolated and made it with what little they had;
02:20 - Talks about traveling through the canals in Vermilion Parish - was safer than using the Gulf;
03:40 - Teaching in a two room school house on Chenier aux tigres, 36 children attended the school, Worked her way through school at SLI;
05:05 - Living during the depression and how it changed people's perspective;
10:00 - How the first generation of Cajuns handled the oil industry coming to Louisiana - Improved their homes, bought refrigerators, automobiles, etc;
11:10 - The effects of the oil industry on the younger generations;
14:00 - Speaking about current education needs;
16:55 - Genteel Acadians, plantation owners around Vermillion Parish;
25:00 - More commentary on Cajun people;
27:00 - Positive impacts of the oil industry on South LA people;
Interview with Sanders Gaspard.
00:35 - Importance of land to Cajun people - Land was the most important thing in his life. Says he worked as hard as he could to own land;
01:35 - Says that younger people today aren't as interested in owning large amounts of land to farm;
02:20 - Problems of salt water coming into the marshes; Mentions that the land isn't able to be used anymore for farming or for grazing animals;
04:55 - Saltwater intrusion in Vermilion Parish became really bad in the 1960s;
07:00 - Possible solutions for saltwater intrusion issue;
Interview with Sanders "Boo" Gaspard
00:55 - Historical background. His Father was police Juror in Forked Island;
01:30 - "Cuz" Gaspard and grandfather were engineers for canals;
02:25 - 1880 to 1900 - His Grandfather helped with designing and digging canals in Vermilion Parish. They were mainly used for irrigation and drainage purposes. Eventually oil companies used the same canals for their purposes;
03:20 - Discussing his father's dealings with the owners of the oil companies - permits;
04:05 - His father's work was mostly farming rice, goats, and cattle. Wasn't very involved in oil leases;
06:00 - Sanders' involvement in the community - City Councilman, says he just tries to help all people in any way he can;
07:25 - Buying his first piece of land in 1946, about 100 acres. Discusses his farming career Southwest of Gueydan;
10:15 - In 1953, a huge flood destroyed 172 acres of rice; Hurricane Audrey also destroyed all of his rice in 1957; Had to refinance his farm 3 times - Says it was rough, but he made it;
11:40 - Weren't many oil wells in his area in the early 50s;
12:40 - Says there are currently oil wells next to his property, discusses dealing with the oil companies;
14:50 - There's not much trust between locals and the oil companies;
17:00 - Health effects on locals from oil companies' use of chemicals;
20:45 - Dump sites, open pits and the eventual clean up of these sites;
23:00 - Positives of oil companies for his farm;
24:30 - Concerns about chemicals on the health of the people;
25:00 - Cajuns never went hungry before or after oil companies came into town, they were resourceful;
28:00 - Effects of oil industry on the family units and family farms;
30:05 - The impact of the Cajuns on the oil industry;
33:00 - His mother's father, Mr. Primeaux, bought land and told his children he was going to start a town call it Primeaux Ville but the area was already Forked Island;
34:00 - Mr. Primeaux gave land to build the church and school. He was a talented woodworker, used Cypress
C.J. "Bubba" Montgomery
00:30 - Mr. Montgomery describes himself as a Jack-of-all-trades - hunter, crawfish retailer, farmer;
01:25 - Inflation and the grain embargo and the impacts on local economy;
04:15 - Oil revenue helping land owning farmers;
06:00 - C.J. Montgomery, Sr. - Part owner and president of the Kaplan, LA Rice Mill. Sold the mill in 1975. It had a milling capacity of approx. 750 barrels of Medium Grain rice per hour and 700 barrels of long grain per hour;
07:40 - Kaplan rice mill ran off of steam power from 1920-1975; Was one of the last rice mills in the country to convert from steam to electricity;
10:00 - Discussion about coastal erosion; Lock systems in canals effecting erosion on the gulf coast and coastal canal and marshes;
11:00 - Impact of oil industry on shrimping and fishing industry;
11:45 - Drilling mud and trash being dumped off rigs and polluting water;
12:50 - Commercial divers, construction work and cleaning up debris under older drilling rigs;
14:00 - Government regulations to make oil companies clean up their pollution - Items found under drilling rigs: drilling mud and chemicals, I-beams, forklifts;
15:00 - Long-term effects of drilling mud and caustic chemicals on the fishing industries;
16:30 - Dumping and cleaning of platforms done under the cover of night so the Coast Guard wouldn't see the actions of the companies;
17:30 - Oil industry separating families for longer periods of time, but pay and jobs where plentiful;
19:00 - Cajuns know the oil industry better than any other group;
21:30 - Some Cajuns have shunned their roots and family backgrounds;
23:50 - Man-made coastal canal erosion doubled or tripled the size of the canal;
26:30 - 1973-1981 was the boom time for growth and drilling; Larger companies bought out local specialty service companies in the oil business;
31:40 - Discusses his career as a diver; labor pay is one of the most affordable parts of the oil industry but was the first to be cut. Costs on rental supplies and equipment stayed the same;
33:30 - Cajun workers were not taken care of if they were injured;
34:00 - Law protecting divers from working in unsafe conditions;
Interview with C.J. "Bubba" Montgomery III
00:40 - Importance of the land to Cajun culture - livelihoods depend on their land;
01:15 - Condition of the land is deteriorating, oil companies responsible for erosion in coastal canals;
02:25 - A study at LSU, concluded that the canals that oil companies dug are responsible for 80% of the coastal erosion;
03:25 - Bubba says that the cleaning chemicals used and vacuuming mud from under offshore drilling platforms is more of "a show" than actually helping clean up the environment;
05:20 - Mentions that not as many locals are working in the oil business;
06:50 - Offshore divers being paid less than in previous years and companies are exploiting new arrivals to the business;
07:45 - Local companies have more experience and knowledge than northern companies when it comes to drilling in the marsh