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.
Musical Performance by Lionel Leleux, Varise Connor, and Eric and Edgar Benoit
***Copy of AN1-086 and AN1-240?***
Lionel Leleux (Violin), Varise Connor (Violin), Eric & Edgar Benoit (Guitar)
Lionel Leleux:
0:00 - 'La Valse de Holly Beach'
-'Waltz de Bascom Mouton' (La malheureuse)
5:00 - Honey in the Rock
-Grand Night Special
Varise Connor:
11:10 - Untitled Waltz in G
-'If You Don't See Your Mama Every Night'
17:20 - 'Grand Mamou in D'
19:50 - 'Grand Basile'
-'Down South'
24:29 - 'Air' (St. Louis Blues?)
Interview with and musical performance by Varise Connor, Lionel Leleux and Michael Doucet
Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Michael Doucet (Violin), Eric & Edgar Benoit (Guitar)
0:00 - 'J'ai été au bal in D'
1:47 - 'Reno Waltz'
-J'ai passé devant ta porte
7:42 - Grand Mamou
-Grand Basile
11:34 - J.B. Fuselier played accordion and fiddle. Moved to Lake Arthur to play with Varise and Murphy (Varise's youngest brother) for about 3 years
-Death of Iry LeJeune. Varise never played with Iry. He played with J.B. on accordion and brother Murphy on guitar
-Weren't guaranteed pay, maybe would get 50% of door during the Depression
-Varise got tired of it and quit playing around 1930s. Crowd would come, but they didn't have the money to get in
-Then J.B. left to play with Iry after that
-J.B. Fuselier reunion after 40 years
-Andy was in the hospital and Varise decide to look him up in the phone book, call him and go visit him
-He was standing outside at the road waiting for Varise and they hugged
-He didn't play anymore and showed Varise his garden. He then told Varise he had an accordion and a fiddle inside
-J.B. was never ashamed to be on the bandstand with Varise
14:48 - String Band music. Oldest brother played bass ("bull fiddle"), youngest brother played guitar
-Varise played fiddle, first cousin played second fiddle (no harmonies, just behind)
-Joe Falcon's first record. Everybody wanted to play accordion after that
-Changed some of the music, wasn't the old fiddle music like before
-Limitations of the accordion. 10 keys/actually 20 notes. Everything sounds almost alike after 2 or 3 tunes
-Like a banjo. So many more chords on violin, C, D, G, A chords makes all the difference
-Varise does like a good accordion player like Nathan Abshire. Nathan was raised in Riceville, Varise doesn't recall playing with him
-Amédé Breaux's brother and sister. Ophé and Cleoma Breaux
-He wanted Varise to come take his place so he could go dance with a pretty woman
18:40 - Varise Connor's aunt changed religion and didn't believe in music
-They hadn't seen her in years, and one day she came home and said that it was a shame that Varise, his brother, and his father didn't play church hymns
-What they played was a sin because it's a dance music. What goes on in a man's mind when he's holding a pretty girl in his arms. Made his father laugh
-Might be a sin, but Varise won't ever change his style of playing
-Difference between string band and accordion music. Grand Mamou and Grand Basile for the accordion. Diesel?
Fiddle tunes:
-'Chère joues roses'
-'Chère bassette' (starts on turn)
-J.B. had 2 wives and named a song after each one, 'Chère bassette' and 'Chère bouclette'
Interview with and musical performance by Lionel Leleux, Varise Connor, Michael Doucet and Eric and Edgar Benoit
Lionel Leleux (Violin), Varise Connor (Violin), Michael Doucet (Violin), Edgar Benoit (Guitar)
0:00 - 'Lake Arthur Stomp'
1:58 - 'Petite flamme bleue' (frag.)
-'Petite flamme bleue'
4:22 - 'Over the Seas'
8:48 - Recording stories. Violin he (Barry?) bought with John Henry and wanted him to teach him
-The guy had dark hair and glasses; the guy was Lionel. Taking pictures
-'Flammes d'enfer' (frag.). Lionel will sing Hathway Two Step (joking)
-'Flammes d'enfer'
13:03 - 'La dernière valse' with vocals
-'Hathaway Two-Step'
21:08 - Varise tells Lionel to get closer to him. Untitled Bascom Mouton Waltz
Musical Performance by Varise Connor, Lionel Leleux, Eric Benoit and Edgar Benoit
Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Eric & Edgar Benoit (Guitar)
0:00 - 'Carroll County Blues' (St. Louis Blues?)
3:38 - Lionel knows enough to where he knows he doesn't know everything.
-Some people know just enough to think they know everything
-'Honey in the Rock'?
5:57 - 'La valse de Grand Bois'
"If you can dance a pretty waltz with a woman, she will never refuse to marry you"- Varise Connor's father
Story about Bascom Mouton preparing for a dance/rosining his bow. "People, I didn't come here to cause y'all pain." - Bascom Mouton
10:16 - 'The Rabbit Stole the Pumpkin'
Bascom Mouton tuned his fiddle so high, Varise thought it would explode. His voice was high enough to sing with it
Songs:
'J'ai été au bal'
'La vieille malheureuse in D'
'It Ain't Gonna Rain No More'
'Sabine Blues'
'Dis bye-bye à ta mame' (Mon cher bébé créole)
'Perrodin Two Step'
'Untitled Two Step'
Interview with and musical performance by Varise Connor, Eric Benoit, and Michael Doucet
Varise Connor (Violin), Eric Benoit (Guitar), Michael Doucet (Violin)
0:00 - Story of visit with Bascom Mouton and tuning high. Ulysse Fontenot was the best rhythm man Varise ever had
-'Creole Waltz'. '7th fret in B'. Lionel wrote to his son in the army and said there's something he's never heard before
-Just figured out lately how it was tuned. Easier to tune guitar up (2nd fret)
-'American Two-Step'
-'Sawmill Two-Step'. Varise never names tunes, just makes up tunes
5:30 - Lionel's visit with Varise and drinking whiskey out of teacups so ladies wouldn't know
-Lionel left with Barry but left his keys and everything at Varise's. By the time he got back to Lake Arthur, it was almost daylight
-Lionel wouldn't find his way back until he had another drink
-'Old Cajun Waltz'
9:20 - Old guitar Eric played when he was younger. Back of guitar had different colors of wood
-Hummingbirds, butterflies, flowers. From Mrs. Henry Rupert. Andy learned on that guitar
-Schexnyder from Crowley makes arch top guitars/fiddles
-He makes everything except the strings and pegs. Like LeLeux making fiddles
11:48 - 'Kentucky in G'
-'La valse du soûlard'
16:43 - 'Westphalia Waltz'
-Last dance was just as energetic/lively as the first one. Didn't have to drink to be like that. Very likable fellow
-He might not have won contests, but Varise liked his style. Cajun and Spanish music was livelier than any other music
-But Cajuns break rules by playing one tune, then taking parts of other tunes to make a new one
-Bascom's wife backed him up on guitar, "but she only knew one note" according to Varise
-He would dance in his chair and would break factory chairs. Only homemade chairs could handle him
22:26 - Bascom told Lionel about the first time he saw Varise
-There's a Connor in Lake Arthur who plays real well, but not very loud
-Big fingers on guitar look like hammerhead. Ulysse Fontenot as rhythm man
23:17 - Bascom Mouton tune - 'The Rabbit Stole the Pumpkin'
25:25 - Bascom Mouton would sing. Use of kazoo in his songs. Tuning fiddle so high and singing so high. Excited
-'You'd Better See Your Mama Every Night' (like Bascom in D/Varise plays it in G)
Musical performance by Michael Doucet, Varise Connor, Lionel Leleux and Edgar Benoit
Michael Doucet (Violin), Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Edgar Benoit (Guitar)
0:00 - Michael Doucet: 'La valse des Cherokees'
-Lionel Leleux: 'Lacassine Special' (fragment)
-'Lacassine Special' (reprise)
5:58 - Michael Doucet: 'Dans la misère'
-'Chère bouclette'
-'Chère bassette'
8:29 - 'Chère bassette in D' (fragment)
-'La valse de Grand Bois' (Doc Guidry's version) (fragment with Varise Connor)
-the same as 'Jolie blonde', 'Jolie brune', and 'La fille de la veuve' according to Lionel
12:36 - 'La vielle valse' à Bascom Mouton ('La malchanseuse')
-'La valse de Grand Bois' (with Lionel Leleux)
-'Valse sans titre in D'
17:37 - 'Westphalia Waltz in G'
20:37 - 'La valse des rangers in F', Varise prefers it in C
-'Beautiful Bunch of Daisies'
Musical performance by Varise Connor, Lionel Leleux, Edgar Benoit and Eric Benoit
Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Edgar or Eric Benoit (Guitar)
0:00 - 'Lake Arthur Stomp' (4 parts); 'Lake Arthur Stomp' (Variation)
3:21 - change of tuning; 'Lake Arthur Stomp' (variation); Swing/Blues
6:34 - 'La valse à deux temps' (Untitled); 'La valse à défunt Andy'
10:13 - Untitled Two-Step (M & S Special?); 'Le rêve du diable'
12:27 - 'Fi Fi Poncho'; 'Jolie blonde'
15:04 - 'Chère toute toute'; 'Valse à Bascom'
19:10 - 'Lake Arthur Stomp' (Variation with two violins), 'La dernière valse' (two violins)
23:17 - 'Valse à Bascom' (two violins)
Musical performance by Michael Doucet, Varise Connor, Lionel Leleux and Edgar Benoit
Michael Doucet (Violin), Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Edgar Benoit (Guitar)
0:00 - Lionel's son was at a camp in Columbia, South Carolina. Violin wood cut Oct. 1957
-1923/24/25, Lionel listening to Bascom from outside the dancehall
-Bascom Mouton dances at Red Hall in 1924/25. Had to invite girl to dance and if you danced too close, her mother would come and separate you
-Bascom was preparing to play dance/rosining up his bow and the people were watching him, so he told them, "People, I didn't come to cause you pain/misery"
-violin without varnish
3:59 - making violins; one-piece back. 70 pieces in a violin including pegs, strings, lining & purfling
-20 pieces in each two-piece back/top,18 without block, 6 blocks, head, 4 pegs, 4 strings, fingerboard, nut, tailpiece, end pin, tail gut, etc.
-'Perrodin Two-Step' (frag.)
6:59 - 'La valse de Reno'; 'La valse de Reno' (variation with vocals)
11:56 - 'Down South'; 'If You Don't See Your Mama Every Night in G'
17:22 - 'Bascom Mouton's style'; 'Sabine Blues in D'
20:33 - 'Chère toute toute'
***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***
Musical performance by Varise Connor, Lionel Leleux and Don Montoucet
Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Don Montoucet (Accordion), Barry Ancelet (Guitar)
0:00 - 'Hathaway Two-Step'; talking, offering beer and coffee
-Lionel telling Barry when to come in on 'Chère Alice'
-Lionel and Don choreographing/discussing the order of the song (turning it vs. playing it like Lawrence Walker)
6:27 - 'Chère Alice'; Practicing 'Chère Alice'
11:24 - 'Jeunes filles de la campagne'. Singing first (in wrong "gear"/key)
12:28 - Accordion starts; 'Jolie catin'/'Eunice Two-Step'
19:57 - 'La dernière valse' (frag.); 'Eunice Two Step' (reprise)
23:36 - 'Love Bridge Waltz' ('Eunice Two Step' as a waltz)
27:51 - 'Dans les misères' ('Lacassine Special' as a waltz)
30:28 - 'Lacassine Special'
***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***
Musical performance by Varise Connor, Lionel Leleux, Don Montoucet, and Eric Benoit
Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Don Montoucet (Accordion), Eric Benoit (Guitar)
Varise Connor:
0:00 - 'Chère bouclette' (J.B. Fuselier's version, almost like Chère bassette)
3:18 - 'Mazurka des Aguillards'; tuning fiddle
7:22 - Varise can play 'Sugar Foot Rag'/'Black Mountain Rag'/'Devil's Dream' ('Contredanse/Square Dance')
-Varise is having trouble playing how he wants; 'Lake Arthur Stomp'
10:29 - 'Maiden's Prayer'/'La prière de la vieille fille'; Kentucky
14:56 - 'Hobson'; 'St. Louis Blues'?
Lionel Leleux and Don Montoucet:
17:49 - 'Jolie blonde'. Barry jokes she'll be a "Jolie grise" when she gets old/gray hair
22:22 - 'J'ai été au bal'; Guests from Washington D.C. speak a little French; 'J'ai été au bal' - reprise with voice (Barry Ancelet)
28:34 - Varise compliments everyone (Barry sang well, Leleux can't help but be good, and Don made no mistakes)
29:40 - 'Je peux pas t'oublier'
***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***
Interview with and musical performance by Varise Connor, Lionel Leleux, and Don Montoucet
Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Don Montoucet (Accordion)
0:00 - 'La valse du soûlard'; getting Varise a couple of drinks; 'Westphalia Waltz'; talking/taking photos
6:29 - 'Down South'. Learned it from Hubert Fontenot on fiddle about 4 years ago
-Heard others play it. Not old, not new either. Heard jazz bands play that same melody; tuning guitar
10:38 - 'Grand Basile in D'; 'Perrodin Two-Step' (learned it from one of his uncles who played accordion; Hayes)
16:53 - 'The Rabbit Stole the Pumpkin' (Two-Step à Bascom Mouton). "It takes a lot of steam to fire up a rusty boiler." - Varise
-Varise not content with the way he's playing; Varise knew Bascom Mouton in his prime, 1924/25
19:48 - 'J'ai été au bal'. "That's one Leleux can really play well" - Varise
-Bascom played songs like "The Rabbit Stole the Pumpkin," "Sabine Blues," and "You'd Better See Your Mama Every Night."
-He had the highest voice of anyone Varise had ever heard; noodling around with "In The Mood"
23:08 - 'Sabine Blues'; Bascom played that song, but so did Jazz bands
-He didn't have much of a band, just one guitar and two fiddles
-His guitar player was his brother-in-law for sure, maybe the other fiddler was his wife's cousin
-Both were Thibodeauxs. Bascom also played the kazoo and make it sound like a trumpet
26:53 - 'You'd Better See Your Mama Every Night in D'
27:15 - in G; not supposed to be played very fast, like blues. Sung in English
-"You don't see your mama every night, treat her right, you won't have no mama at all."
-Varise played this song with his brothers, "they could rock and roll on that."
30:54 - 'St. Louis Blues'
***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***
Musical performance by Varise Connor
Varise Connor:
0:00 - 'St. Louis Blues'. Used to play with his brothers in 1930s
-'Carroll County Blues'. Almost identical to 'St. Louis Blues'; Blues has been a part of Cajun music for a while
3:14 - 'Lake Arthur Stomp'; 'Lake Arthur Stomp' (reprise). He heard it before, but not like this
-Varise worked on it until he got it to where it is now
7:45 - 'Lake Arthur Two-Step'; switching fiddles. rocking the bow; Varise asks if they'd want the "Sugar Foot Rag"
10:48 - 'Chère toute toute'; 'Jolie blonde in A' (Don wanted to hear that)
14:54 - 'La valse à Moreau'; 'Fi Fi Poncho'
18:31 - 'Mon cher bébé créole'/'La valse de samedi soir'. At first, Varise thought it was called "Madame Young."
-Reprise sung by Barry Ancelet. Varise offers to play it in G instead of in D so it'll be easier for Barry to sing
-Barry asks Varise if he knows "Jurez my Lord/Demain c'est pas dimanche (Adieu Rosa)" or "La valse des piniers"
26:21 - 'Creole Waltz'; T'es petite et t'es mignonne
***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***
Musical Performance by Les Frères Balfa/Lionel Leleux, Don Montoucet and the Wandering Aces
Les Frères Balfa (Dewey and Rodney Balfa, Dick Richard, Nonc Allie Young, & Ray Abshire), Lionel Leleux, and Don Montoucet and the Wandering Aces (Sammy Boudreaux; Virgil Montoucet; Terry Montoucet; Hubert Maitre)
0:00 - 'Cypress Inn Two-Step'
4:17 - 'J'ai un cœur cassé' (La Valse de Chagrin); 'J'ai été au bal'
11:33 - 'J'ai été au bal reprise'; Talking on the bandstand
-Dewey's happy to be here, tells the crowd they're from Acadia and Evangeline parishes
-Lawrence Walker from Rayne? left good memories and beautiful songs
15:05 - 'Petits yeux noirs'
19:09 - 'J'ai vu le loup, le renard et la belette'. Learned while they were in France; Barry asking for lights and introduction to last song
-You had some, you ain't gonna get no more of this group (talking to crowd)
-Dewey and Rodney Balfa, Dick Richard, Nonc Allie Young, & Ray Abshire
-The Wandering Aces are coming up next and will probably go past midnight
-Bois Sec (Ardoin) is on his way, he's wet so he has to dry off first (joke)
-Groups from Québec, Belgium, France, and New Orleans want to film dancers
24:55 - 'T'en as eu, t'en auras plus'
29:12 - 'T'en as eu, t'en auras plus' (reprise)
Wandering Aces: Lionel Leleux (violin) and Don Montoucet (accordion), with Sammy Boudreaux (drums), Virgil & Terry Montoucet (accordion & rhythm guitar respectively), & Hubert Maitre (rhythm guitar):
31:50 - 'Chère toute-toute'
36:55 - 'Hathaway Two-Step'
-Hubert sends it out to Tony who works for the highway and his good buddy whose name he doesn't remember, Horace Guidry? and for everyone there tonight
42:12 - Midnight Waltz for all the French people here tonight
46:55 - 'Les flammes d'enfer' with Sammy on vocals
***Only year was included in original notes, no specific month or day***
Musical Performance by the Balfa Brothers with Allie Young and Dick Richard
Les Frères Balfa, Allie Young, Dick Richard
0:00 - Barry welcomes crowd to festival; Hicks Wagon Wheel Special
2:24 - Waltz of No Return
6:15 - Pleure pas mes chers petits yeux bleus
8:34 - Hack à Moreau?
11:39 - Intro to 'Jolie blonde' by A.J.? LeBlanc
-Camera crew from New Orleans Channel 6 wants to film the "Cajun National Anthem" and dancing
-Dewey introduces the band: Ervine "Dick" Richard (fiddle (also plays steel guitar)), Nonc Allie Young from Basile (accordion and store owner), Rodney Balfa (guitar and vocals; brick layer)
14:02 - 'Jolie blonde'
18:27 - 'Les flammes d'enfer'
22:36 - 'La valse criminelle'
28:34 - 'Diggy Diggy Lo in G'
32:20 - Intro to 'Tous les soirs.'
-Traveling to university in the north and finding out it's not originally a Cajun song, but an English tune called "My Conscience is Clear";
-'Tous les soirs'
39:20 - 'Parlez-nous à boire'
43:34 - 'Colinda'
-Many people believe "Colinda" is a name of a girl, but it's actually a type of dance that the old women didn't want their daughters to dance to
46:58 - 'Les barres de la prison'. (Barry Ancelet on vocals?)
***Only year was included in original notes, no specific month or day***
Interview with and musical performance by Varise Connor and Eric Benoit
Varise Connor (Violin), Eric Benoit (Guitar)
0:00 - La Valse à Elise Mallet. Learned tune from his father; 'Goodnight Waltz'
4:18 - 'Polka à Varise'; Lionel Leleux talking in the background
-La Mazurka d'Eugene Michon
-Danced between polka and waltz, but not sure because that was before his time/he was too young to remember
8:32 - Hobson; 'Drunkard's Waltz'. "Shorty" LeBlanc's theme song
12:53 - 'Down South'; 'Westphalia Waltz'
17:03 - 'Kentucky'; 'La Caroline'; 'Lake Arthur Shuffle'
-Varise wants Lionel to come play some, but Barry wants Varise to fill up one tape before Lionel comes to play
21:51 - 'Jimmy Bryant's Waltz'; 'Aguillard Two-Step'
24:59 - 'Le rêve du Diable'; discussion of the Aguillards. They were brothers?/old-time fiddlers
-They're dead now; 'Valse à Abe'. Aguillards were from Eunice
27:43 - 'Andy's Waltz'. Varise and Lionel just learned the tunes, they didn't make a note of what the names were
-'Lake Arthur Stomp'; l'histoire du violon de Varise. Got it from his first cousin, Adlar Connor
-He sold it to Varise and Varise's father about 50 years ago. Lionel fixed it up for Varise. He wouldn't trade it for any other fiddle
-Varise's family of musicians - His father, uncle, and cousins played music and got Varise interested
-It took a few years before a musician got to playing real good
-Varise began playing at 12 years old. Took him about 5 years? before he did well?
Interview with and musical perfomance by Dennis McGee
Dennis McGee:
0:00 - Les filles de Benglaise (fragment; Rye Whiskey); Informal discussion on rosin and bows
2:04 - La reel du sauvage; Dennis retuning his fiddle
-Fragment of "La valse qui me fait du mal"
-Tante Aline. Iry LeJeune did "Viens me chercher."
4:47 - La valse des orphelins/La valse des musiciens/Trop jeune pour te marier; Eunice Two-Step
8:05 - Evangeline/Saturday Night Special? (originally cataloged as "One-step de chameau")
11:23 - Valse des Frugé (Louisiana Waltz/Mon papa by Robert Bertrand)
-origins of Tante Aline. Aline was an old black lady
Musical performance by Dennis McGee, Michael Doucet and Jeanie McLeary
Dennis McGee, Michael Doucet, Jeanie McLeary:
0:00 - La valse à Jean Billeaudeau (Port Arthur Waltz)
-There was a pretty girl who went to school, and he'd follow her home stop at the rose bush/thorn bush and sing to her
-"La belle bouclette de Choupique." Dennis never recorded that one; La valse à Guilbeau Pelloquin
-Killed in the Civil War. Played this waltz on his coffin before he got shot
-Bee Deshotels wanted to learn it from Dennis, and so said he put it on an album
-But Dennis said it didn't sound like it should. It's a hard waltz to play. Mississippi, Florida, Georgia
-He left maroon and got caught/shot by riflemen
6:35 - La valse à Napoléon Bonaparte. Napoleon played fiddle
9:17 - La valse des Marcantel (Rosalie?); La reel des Marcantel
11:51 - Pa Janvier (played then sung). Discussion of the song. 80-100 years old
-An old Native American lady would sing, and her husband would play that for marriages. Sad song
15:03 - "La marche des mariés" by Joe Falcon from Crowley/Lafayette. Dennis didn't know his songs
-Dennis played a little with Amédé, Cléopha (accordion)), and Ophé Breaux, more with Ophé since he played guitar
-Fiddling around; how Dennis started playing with Amédé Ardoin
-Both worked for the same man, Oscar Comeaux, in the fields. Boss liked music and put Amédé and Dennis together to play at night.
-Started playing together for good when Oscar sold to a black man, and both moved to Eunice
-Dance hall on the other side of Bayou Queue de Torture, Luma Arpin owned it. Another dance hall in Kaplan
-Brought so many people, Luma put a fence and people would jump the fence to go. Joe Falcon would come watch them.
-'Tit Nèg" Schexnyder (Shine Mouton's uncle) played with Amédé and Dennis. He makes guitars and plays well
-Dennis's son would put him to shame playing guitar. McGee family reunion May 27th in Port Barre
20:30 - T'en as eu, t'en auras plus; Rosina (Michael Doucet, violin)
-La valse à Tophile Young? (similar to Rosina; La valse à Jean Billeaudeaux); La valse des Ballots
Musical performance by Dennis McGee, Michael Doucet, and Jeanie McLeary
Dennis McGee, Michael Doucet, Jeanie McLeary:
0:00 - Kathleen; La valse de l'Anse Maigre (La valse du soûlard)
-Played that with Frère Devillier (took his life). Dennis wrote a few songs
-La valse du Côteau Magnolia (a tune Dennis composed)
4:20 - La valse des Frugé (wrote this one too; Louisiana Waltz/Mon papa)
-Dennis made this song, but the Frugés played it; Dennis didn't think he could sing when he first started playing fiddle
-Sang more when younger and had whiskey (opens up everything)
6:27 - Two-Step de Frère Devillier (Enterre-moi pas). Playing with Courville. Frère was a good accordion player
-La valse criminelle with some extra stuff in it (version A, in C?); La valse criminelle (version B, in G?)
10:53 - Oh Irene, You Gotta See Big Joe. Funny type of tune, accordion can't play it and he doesn't have a seconder
-La valse de la pénitentiaire de Bâton Rouge (Louisiana Waltz/Mon papa?)
14:47 - Eunice Two-Step (pour Amédé Ardoin). Dennis hasn't played a whole lot of Amédé's songs since he died
-Tante Aline (pour Amédé Ardoin). Iry LeJeune's "Viens me chercher," Iry played all of Amédé's songs
-Love Bridge Waltz. Amédé called it something else, but same song
18:51 - Two-Step à Abe (Eunice Two Step)
-Two-Step de chameau (Bois Sec plays the same song, but calls it "Quoi faire" and doesn't turn it)
21:40 - La valse du Côteau
-Dewey Balfa learned this tune and sang it on a record, but he doesn't do it justice according to Dennis
-La valse à Wade; Les veuves de la coulée/Adieu Rosa?
Interview with and musical performance by Dennis McGee
Dennis McGee:
0:00 - Bayou Pon Pon - Angélas LeJeune and Ernest Frugé recorded that
-big/long notes (bows?) in older music as compared to shorter notes (bows?) in newer music
-La valse de Guilbeau Pelloquin
-From Civil war, he played that on his coffin before he was shot and killed. Hard bowing on the turn
4:01 - La valse de Napoléon; Dennis is the only one who plays these tunes with that type bowing
-The bowing is what makes it hard. Barry notices he uses a lot more of the bow than other fiddlers
-Dennis says it's because you need a lot of bow to follow the note; La reel des Frugé
7:33 - La valse du bambocheur (La valse de Rebot) (Dennis' version); La valse à Pop
10:40 - Mardi Gras Song. Dennis doesn't care for it. Mardi Gras run in Mamou and Tasso, not in Eunice
-Arkansas Traveler (learned from his father-in-law, Eraste Courville)
-Dennis' father, John McGee, and his uncle, Ulysse McGee played fiddle. Ulysse played left-handed
14:15 - La danse du crapaud; Oscar and Valsin Aguillard were brothers from Port Arthur
-Will McGee. Oscar McGee, Joseph McGee's son were all good fiddlers. They all played old tunes; Tuning
16:57 - La reel des Deshotels; La reel des Courville (Contradance?). Turn reminds Barry of a certain song
-People quit dancing reels when Dennis was no longer a kid
-Contradances were still danced when Dennis was young, but people had forgotten how to dance reels
-Reels were hard to dance to and took good legs, had to jump
-Contradances were easier since you'd just turn around and dance to the beat
22:56 - La danse carrée (contradance)
Musical performance by Don Montoucet and the Wandering Aces
Don Montoucet and the Wandering Aces (with Lionel Leleux, Virgil [18 years old] and Terry Montoucet, Hubert Maitre, Sammy Boudreaux (Don's son-in-law))
0:00 - Elle savait pas j'étais marié
4:06 - Hubert announcing to go see Deon Tegre? and Beausoleil at Booboo's
-"Allons à Lafayette/Lafayette Two Step" the "old way" for Mr. Jimmy Domengeaux
-Sammy thanks everyone for coming out tonight, especially the people from Belgium
7:48 - La valse du Grand Chemin (pour Barry Ancelet, his brothers and sisters and his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Elmo)
15:14 - Jeunes gens de la campagne, mariez vous-autres jamais (pour Mr. Baudoin)
-Hubert noodling around with "Pine Grove Blues."
-Play "Martin Webb et les Marais Bouleurs" at Ester Herbert's place, presented tomorrow night at USL in Bayou Bijou, Student Union at 7 pm
-People selling beer need change, so people need to buy beer according to Barry
22:03 - Love Bridge Waltz
-They would like to stay all night/all year to play all of the requested songs, but they probably won't be able to get to all of them
-"Faire l'amour dans les rangs de coton" (same tune as "Hollybeach Waltz/Tous les deux pour la même")
-Thanks Mr. Pat Calais from the Lafayette City Council and Mr. L.J. LeBlanc from the Lafayette Police Jury
32:41 - Le Two-Step du vieux temps (Catch My Hat). Request for "Hey Mom"
36:48 - Midnight Waltz; Virgil Montoucet takes accordion and shows how music is passed on from father to son
41:49 - Jambalaya (Grand Texas); Virgil is 18 years old and "ready to get married April 15th" according to Barry
-The music in Louisiana is not dead
47:24 - Hathaway Two-Step
***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***
Musical performance by Don Montoucet, Lionel Leleux, Canray Fontenot and Lawrence Ardoin
0:00 - Allons à Lafayette
3:25 - J'ai passé devant ta porte
8:50 - Chère toute toute
14:00 - La dernière valse
18:40 - Présentation des danseurs de Namur, Belgique - Philippe Gustin, V.P. Perret
21:38 - Les musiciens de la Belgique
24:33 - Une valse (untitled) - Les musiciens de la Belgique et Lionel Leleux
28:45 - Une ronde - Les musiciens de la Belgique; Roll Out The Barrel
Canray Fontenot and Lawrence Ardoin:
38:11 - Quoi faire
41:45 - Je peux pas t'oublier
45:42 - French Blues
Musical performance by Bois Sec Ardoin, Canray Fontenot and the Ardoin Family Band
Bois Sec Ardoin, Canray Fontenot, Ardoin Family Band:
0:00 - La robe barrée
3:09 - Le chicot à Bois Sec
6:31 - La valse de la Grande Prairie (fragment)
7:29 - Two-Step de Eunice
10:48 - Les bars de la prison
14:37 - La valse d'Oberlin
18:47 - Bernadette
22:51 - Les blues de Bosco
26:37 - Tu peux cogner mais tu peux pas rentrer
***Only year was included in original notes, no specific month or day***
Musical performance by Hector Duhon, Octa Clark, Dewey Balfa et. al
Duhon Family House Party: Hector Duhon (Fiddle), Octa Clark (Accordion), Dewey Balfa (Fiddle), Bessyl Duhon (Guitar), R.L. Duhon (Guitar), U.J. Meaux (Fiddle), Michael Doucet (Triangle)
0:00 - B.O. Sparkle Waltz
4:34 - Jolie blonde
9:18 - I'm Not To Blame (Rodney LeJeune's version)
12:16 - Bosco Stomp
16:06 - Balfa Waltz. Dewey didn't recognize it because Octa plays it differently on accordion
19:42 - Love Bridge Waltz; Messing around with "Back o' Town Two-Step"
22:43 - Drunkard's Dream
26:49 - Step It Fast
***Only year was included in original notes, no specific day or month***
Musical performance by Dewey Balfa et. al
Duhon Family House Party (Musique à trois violons): Dewey Balfa (Fiddle), U. J. Meaux (Fiddle), Hector Duhon (Fiddle), R. L. Duhon (Guitar)
0:00 - Allons à Lafayette in D
1:44 - Petit Maurice / 'Tit Maurice
3:35 - Perrodin Two-Step; Allen (Touchet?) good second fiddler according to Dewey
5:43 - Tous les soirs
7:12 - Tous les soirs (reprise with key change). Dewey thought it was originally a Cajun tune, he didn't know it was a country song; Diggy Liggy Lo? (fragment)
8:59 - J'ai passé devant ta porte
***Only year was included in original notes, no specific day or month***
Musical performance by Don Montoucet and the Wandering Aces
Don Montoucet (Accordion) & the Wandering Aces; Lionel Leleux (Violin); Sammy Boudreaux (Drums); Hubert Maitre (Guitar & Vocals); Unknown steel guitar player (Melvin Sonnier?)
0:00 - Evangeline Special (for Horace Guilbeau)
5:08 - Evangeline Special reprise
7:25 - The Wild Side of Life
8:09 - La valse des Cherokees (for people from Québec, Canada)
13:13 - Pauvre hobo
18:35 - Let's Rock and Roll (fragment)
19:19 - La valse de tout le monde (for Mr. Moreau)
24:11 - J'ai été au bal (for Keith & Mary Granger)
Musical performance by Don Montoucet and the Wandering Aces
Don Montoucet (Accordion); The Wandering Aces; Lionel Leleux (Violin); Sammy Boudreaux (Drums); Hubert Maitre (Rhythm guitar); unknown steel guitar player (Melvin Sonnier?); unknown vocalist
0:00 - Don talking to friends from Canada and France in the audience
0:52 - Le hack à Moreau
-Don messing around on accordion
-Lionel messing around on fiddle
7:59 - Creole Stomp
11:21 - Creole Stomp reprise. Lionel starts it on the fiddle
-Hubert announces there is a request for "Dans le cœur de la ville" and that it'll be the last song
Musical performance by Don Montoucet and the Wandering Aces
Don Montoucet (Accordion); the Wandering Aces; Lionel Leleux (Violin); Sammy Boudreaux (Drums); Hubert Maitre (Rhythm guitar and Vocals); unknown steel guitar player (Melvin Sonnier?)
0:00 - Allons à Lafayette (for Barry)
5:24 - Jolie blonde (La fille de la veuve/Ma blonde est partie) (for people from Québec, Canada)
10:06 - Bayou Pon Pon
15:02 - Chère Alice
19:29 - La valse d'orphelin (La valse de musicien/Trop jeune pour te marier)
22:14 - Lake Arthur Stomp
25:20 - Lake Arthur Stomp (reprise)
-Don messing around with Lake Arthur Stomp on accordion
27:21 - La porte d'en arrière
Musical performance by Don Montoucet and Lionel Leleux
Don Montoucet (Accordion); Lionel Leleux (Violin); Barry Ancelet (Guitar?)
0:00 - Je peux pas t'oublier (Lionel doesn't think it's "La petite fille du village") (fragment)
-La valse de Reno (Lionel starts in on fiddle. Barry practices singing it. Lionel keeps on playing it)
3:48 - La valse de Reno (reprise with accordion)
7:31 - Lacassine Special
-Request for "Joe Turner Blues". Someone missed the first session
9:03 - La valse du Grand Chemin. Don calls it "La Valse à Hubert [Maitre]"
15:02 - Petit mulet cotton maïs (actually starts Bois Sec's "Quoi faire")
-Talking about Bois Sec
16:20 - Peit mulet cotton maïs (old song)
-Barry tells Don he can't sing "Chère toute toute," so Don says jokingly that Lionel can do it
-Barry can sing "Fi Fi Poncho" (joke), but Varise says you can sing that song/there are words to that song
20:24 - Chère toute toute
-Varise says dancing with a pretty girl you want to marry, she could never refuse
25:18 - Pauvre Hobo
-First song Don learned. Reprise so that Lionel can show Barry something
-Amédé Breaux. Request for a Bascom Mouton song
***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***
Musical performance by Don Montoucet and Lionel Leleux
Don Montoucet (Accordion); Lionel Leleux (Violin); unknown guitar player and vocalist
0:00 - Don and Lionel messing around with the "Drunkard's Waltz"
0:56 - La dernière valse
4:46 - Les flammes d'enfer
***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***
Interview with Lionel Leleux
Conversation for Archives of Indiana University with Lionel Leleux:
0:00 - From Leleux, LA 10 miles south of Crowley on Hwy 13, description of musical development
-First getting interested in the fiddle, first violin from Sears and Roebuck in 1924 for $4 and something
-Bascom Mouton music in 1923, untitled Bascom Mouton waltz
5:47 - Broken bow in 1925, making bows, repairing violins in 1927, building violins, first violin made
-Playing accordion music in 1929, 1931-1932
-Played with Felix Trahan, Joe Brasseaux, Nathan Abshire, and Angelas LeJeune in dancehalls, Nathan Abshire drinking moonshine
10:53 - string music in 1932 with Happy Fats and the Rainbow Ramblers, quit playing in 1935 (for 19.5 years) when first child was born
-playing with Adolphe Martinez, 'Tit Neg Broussard, Joe Falcon, Lawrence Walker; accordion tunes in the 1930s
14:27 - J'ai passé devant ta porte
16:28 - Chère Alice; Favorite accordion players--Nathan Abshire's timing, Joe Falcon
20:01 - Joe Falcon was Lawerence Walker's idol, then Walker developed his own style
-He could play many dances on the accordion that others could not
-Lawrence Walker modernized Cajun music; Elias Badeaux second fiddle; Lawrence's "Country Waltz" becomes "Chère Alice"
24:45 - Difference between old French and modernized French music, smoothness of modern Cajun music
-Iry LeJeune playing like Angelas Lejeune, Amédé Ardoin's old style in the 1931
-played fast; musical development throughout the years
Interview with Lionel Leleux
Lionel Leleux:
0:00 - Playing with Don Montoucet after Lawrence Walker died in 1973
-Lionel (fiddle), Jr. Benoit (guitar), Don Montoucet (accordion), Simon Schexnyder (drums)
-Don was a bus driver and mechanic and his father, Jacques, played as well
-Lionel had the most fun since playing with Lawrence. Don had to quit because of his health
-learning to play violin by ear; What is a musician?
4:56 - Playing for Codofil, 1st time Codofil sponsored Cajun music
-National folk festival in Virginia, touring in Central and South America; Some people think that musicians are no good
-role of the musician on the bandstand
-making violins from 1927-1932 without tools (breaking bottles for scrapers, cutting bones for finger board and saddle board nuts)
-eventually bought tools and wood; no one to show him how to do it. He had to learn on his own
11:16 - First violin sold; Second violin was made for Doug Kershaw
-Wallace Touchet's violin; finding geometrical formulas to build violins using trigonometry
-formulating varnish with a formula used by chemical engineer Josef Michaelman from Cincinnati Ohio--1600/1700s Italian violin curves
15:50 - Early schooling. Lionel almost didn't go to school; Violin making book--des grands mots
-what Lionel missed by quitting school; first violin; Lionel thinks his violins are well worth it
-The people who purchase them like them too
20:20 - Playing Strad. and Guarnieri violins for dances. Lionel got them in 1949
-First time Lionel saw good violins owned by an eye doctor from Abbeville who had no family down here. They were all up north
-When he died, they had an estate sale and Lionel's friend bought it, and Lionel bought it from his friend--Stradivarius and Guarnarius violins
25:04 - Borrowing money to buy violins. Lionel had 4 violins and people wanted to buy them
-He didn't have enough money to buy the Strad and Guanarius. He liked them and sold his 4 others after getting his hands on them
-compares his he makes to those 2 nice violins; Lawrence liked the Strad. more; "La 'tite noire/la 'tite négresse"
-difference between Stradivarius and Guarnarius violin --Strad. smooth and sweet/ Guarnarius robust. Lionel likes them both
Interview with Lionel Leleux
0:00 - Description of violin making from beginning to end; use of spruce and maple
-Use maple to make the back, ribs, and head
-Spruce is top and usually made with 2 pieces. Back can be made with either 1 or 2 pieces
3:06 - Making the curve--checking frequency; measurements of ever cut of wood; resonant tones/making wood sound
-use of hot iron; neck and end block; carving scroll and cutting neck. All by hand
-fingerboard, pegs, and older tailpieces made of ebony 'la touche'/Tailpiece made of airplane metal makes it light
-making his own varnish, Joseph Michaelman
-he can't say how long it takes to make a violin, because he does it when he's not cutting hair or fixing violins, "au temps perdu."
-2.5 months to cut the wood. 1.5 years to make a violin
6:42 - Invented machine to degrossir (thin) wood. Don Montoucet did his welding. It's hidden under a sheet
-Concept of machine from Carr's machine, but not exactly same
-Albert H. Carr--professional violin maker, professional musician and violin appraiser from Albuquerque met in 1967
8:45 - Visiting Carr. First time talking to a real violin maker
11:27 - Carr made 1.5 million bows during WWII at a factory in Independence, Missouri
-Quit mass production because he didn't couldn't compete with prices of other makers
-special order from $100/150 a bow and $1,000 a violin, some maybe more; childhood dream of violin making full-time
-dreamed of making violins before he dreamed of playing
Musical performance by Lionel Leleux
Lionel Leleux:
0:00 - La dernière valse
3:11 - Le special de '73; Marié avec une et en amour avec une autre
8:11 - La petite flamme bleue; Weeping Willow. Howard Mire and Lionel played it in A (while playing with Joe Falcon)
-While playing with Lawrence, Lionel played "Nobody's Darling But Mine" and "Weeping Willow" because Lawrence had to take a break
-Lawrence asked what Lionel had played
-That was the last time he played that song with Lawrence (because it was in the wrong key/couldn't play it in that key on accordion?)
-"Shirt-tails were flying"
13:28 - Chère Bassette; Pauvre hobo (for Keith)
19:39 - Madame Sosthène; Over the Waves
26:27 - La porte d'en arrière
Musical performance by Bois-Sec Ardoin, Canray Fontenot, and the Ardoin Family Band
Bois-Sec Ardoin, Canray Fontenot, Ardoin Family Band:
0:00 - Untitled Creole Waltz (May be a version of "Rainbow Waltz"/"Trop jeune pour marier"?)
-Le Nouveau Cucaracha
6:28 - Lacassine Special; Quoi faire
12:51 - Johnny Can't Dance; La valse de Grand Bois (Alleman Waltz)
16:43 - Cadien de Church Point
21:17 - Mermentau Waltz (99 Year Waltz/Convict Waltz); Bachelor's Life (Happy Go-Lucky)
28:24 - Blues song (sung by Clarence Ledet)
***Only year was included in original notes, no specific day or month***
Musical performance by Bois-Sec Ardoin, Canray Fontenot and the Ardoin Family Band
Bois-Sec Ardoin, Canray Fontenot, Ardoin Family Band:
0:00 - French Blues
3:06 - Danser avec moi (Hey Maman, Hey Papa)
9:03 - Josephine est pas ma femme; Mathlida (fragment)
13:05 - Madame Edouard (Petite ou la grosse); Oh petit monde / Oh 'tit monde
20:46 - Oh yé yaille, ça me fait du mal (Marche pas aussi Vite?/Camey Doucet's song)
-(group singing)--Black Ardoin recording with E. Poullard; I Don't Want Nobody Else But You
28:17 - Games People Play; Lâche pas la patate; Blues (fragment); Games People Play (reprise)
***Only year was included in original notes, no specific month or day***
Musical performance by Bois-Sec Ardoin, Canray Fontenot and the Ardoin Family Band
Bois-Sec Ardoin, Canray Fontenot, Ardoin Family Band:
0:00 - Cadien de Church Point
***Only year was included in original notes, no specific month or day***
Musical performance by Sidney Hebert and the Hebert Brothers
Sidney Hebert (Harmonica and Accordion) and the Hebert Brothers with Sammy Boudreaux (Guitar), Antoine Hebert (Violin), Eddie Hebert (Triangle), Doris Hebert (Snare) and Don Montoucet (Accordion)
0:00 - La valse de grand chemin
4:43 - Chère toute toute
8:56 - Chère toute toute (reprise with harmonica); Untitled Waltz (Cowboy Waltz turn/bridge?)
12:56 - Cher bébé créole; Drunkard's Waltz
18:11 - Untitled Waltz (1st part sounds like Cowboy Waltz, 2nd part sounds like Eunice Waltz/Crowley Waltz/Lafayette Playboys Waltz/Mon vieux homme)
-Untitled Polka (Joe Falcon's version)
***Recorded over two days: 08/19/1977 and 08/20/1977***
Interview with and musical performance by Sidney Hebert and the Hebert Brothers
Sidney Hebert (Accordion) and the Hebert Brothers with Sammy Boudreaux (Guitar), Antoine Hebert (Violin), Eddie Hebert (Triangle), Doris Hebert (Snare) and Don Montoucet (Accordion)
0:00 - Eunice Two-Step (Jolie catin); How Sidney Hebert began to play the accordion. Had band before they got married
-Didn't play dances, they played party/bouquet dances Monarch Accordion
-Family and musical brothers. 6 brothers and 3 sisters
-Oldest brother (Whitney) played accordion and fiddle, but can't play anymore because of his stroke
4:44 - Sidney sold Monarch and gave up music for 30 years
-There's now 9 years he's had his new accordion, he had forgotten everything; how Antoine Hebert began to play the violin
-Was in the service from 1942-1951, Started up again with Wilson Wright off and on
-Sidney played at parties, Antoine played a few dances; family history from around Maurice/Coulée Île des Cannes
-old time music--valse à vieux (deux) temps, mazurkas, polkas; father's music (danses du vieux temps)
-Sidney learned that polka from a record of Joe Falcon the other day
-Didn't learn from father, played new songs like "Fi Fi Poncho," "Pauvre hobo," "La valse qui m'a apporté en terre."
-Father didn't play that kind of music; Sidney is 66 years old, Antoine 56
-Sidney can't play like he used to; Timing is key for dancing
8:36 - Fi Fi Poncho; Assi dans la fenêtre de ma chambre (flip side of "Saute crapaud"?)
12:43 - Bayou Teche (Columbus Frugé); Valse de Grand Bois (La valse des Mèche; old way)
-Don says there's 3 ways to play that song
18:44 - Beginning dances with waltzes (playing two or three waltzes and then a two-step throughout the night)
-Valse de Grand Bois (modern way). Reprise on turn (Don Montoucet on accordion)
22:49 - Valse de Grand Bois (in the style of Mr. Caliste Richard). Reprise on turn
Musical performance by Sidney Hebert and the Hebert Brothers
Sidney Hebert (Accordion) and the Hebert Brothers with Sammy Boudreaux (Guitar), Antoine Hebert (Violin), Eddie Hebert (Triangle), Doris Hebert (Snare) and Don Montoucet (Accordion)
0:00 - La valse du Pont d'Amour
4:15 - Ma blonde est partie (Jolie blonde/La fille de la veuve) (Sidney on vocals)
Copies of 78 rpm recordings
Amédé Breaux:
0:00: - Poor Hobo
Nathan Abshire:
2:49 - Pine Grove Blues
5:37 - Valse de Kaplan
8:35 - Two-Step de Choupique
11:20 - La valse à Bélizaire
14:32 - Pine Grove Boogie
***No specific year of recording, 1950s?***