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 Walter Mouton
00:00:25 - Talks about how he started learning music; His dad had an accordion and he listened to his dad play; His dad taught him; He would keep his accordion under his bed;
00:04:30 - He would go see Cleby Richard play and he would sit in for half the dance;
00:04:55 - Austin Brasseaux had a club in Duson called the Four Roses; Tony Thibodeaux on fiddle, Bee Abshire on guitar, and Walter on accordion; They played from 4pm to 12am; PA systems; Bought a fender concert amp in 1963; Bought a full Yamaha system, then switched to Peavey;
00:08:10 - He played with the Scott Playboys for 57 years; Sat in with Lawrence Walker's band before that; They played at La Poussiere for 44 years; The first photo of his band was taken at Malthide Babineaux's place on Oak Avenue in Lafayette;
00:10:18 - He played music as a hobby; He kept playing because people kept coming see him; Played at Happy Landing Club, Jolly Rogers in St. Martinville, 'Tit Maurice, Reno Club in Kaplan, Colonial Club in Estherwood;
00:12:50 - Talks about the first time he went to the Grassroots Festival in New York; He was blown away that everyone was waltzing and two-stepping;
00:14:40 - He dad was a barber; He would listen to his dad's older customers tell stories;
00:16:00 - He is most proud of his three children;
00:17:00 - He was fortunate to have had a dependable band throughout most of his career; After U.J. Meaux passed away, he hasn't found a regular fiddle player; He watched his band members kids grow up; The band was like a family because they were together every weekend;
00:19:30 - He says he had a reputation for being hard on band members, but he just wanted people to give their best; He told his band to be kind to the audience because they are paying their salary; He used to have more people that would go see him regularly, but many have passed away;
00:22:10 - La Poussiere used to be packed every Saturday; The racetrack and other clubs and restaurants took some of the crowd away;
00:24:00 - He's been going to the Grassroots Festival for 18 years; The main difference between playing in Louisiana versus outside of the state is that older people in LA prefer waltzes, but people in other places prefer two-steps;
00:27:40 - (Conversation switches from french to english) Importance of singing in french; Belton Richard would translate english songs to french; French immersion;
00:32:00 - His favorite musicians are his father, Lawrence Walker, Aldus Roger;
00:33:40 - He remembers meeting Wayne Toups, Steve Riley, Jackie Caillier;
00:36:00 - He calls it Cajun music; Advice to younger musicians; Listen to the music first; It isn't smooth at all at first and it takes a lot of patience;
00:38:00 - They talk about his last show later this evening; He has mixed feelings about stopping; He is the parrain of the owner of La Poussiere's daughter, Nicole;
00:41:00 - He makes a mean gumbo; Okra, chicken, andouille sausage; Fricassée;
00:42:45 - If he has something to tell you, he will tell you to your face; He won't argue with someone when they are drunk; He won't get drunk at a gig because people pay money to go see him;
00:45:15 - Story about playing in Wisconsin;
00:48:00 - Talking about his first record;
00:49:15 - Grew up with a wooden stove; It would heat up the house;
00:50:45 - He used to drink coffee after a gig and sleep until noon the next day, but now the caffeine keeps him awake;
00:51:45 - For awhile, he worked 7 days a week in the oilfield and played 3 nights a week; He plans on playing occasionally after his last show at La Poussiere;
00:56:00 - Helen joins the conversation; She likes to dance; They go into the bedroom and his outfit is ready for the gig that night;
00:58:40 - Walter shows Chris Segura his fiddle and Walter gets his guitar; They talk about instruments;
Interview with Walter Mouton II
Continued interview at Walter's house;
00:00:00 - Background footage around Walter's house;
00:01:05 - Walter shows the crew his camper; Helen shows some of her art;
00:06:00 - Walter talking about his pecan trees;
00:07:55 - Walter shows the crew his motorcycle;
00:09:25 - Car ride with Walter listening to KBON; Talking about Scott;
00:13:38 - For work, he farmed with his dad; Next, he worked as a tank builder in the oil field; He points out his family property; They had a barn and cattle;
00:17:45 - He points out the old Triangle Club; He played there when they opened; He helped lay down the floors and smashed his thumb putting in the last board;
00:21:00 - They go inside the Begnaud House; Continue driving around Scott; The Best Stop;
Walter's last show at La Poussiere in Breaux Bridge;
00:30:15 - Footage of the crowd before the band starts; Walter points out his godchild;
00:34:20 - Old Crowley Two-step; Ronald Prejean on drums, Junior Martin on steel guitar, Haas Cormier on bass, Chad Cormier on fiddle, ? piano;
00:35:30 - Chère tout tout (sound cuts in and out);
00:38:41 - Trop jeune pour marier;
00:40:32 - Triangle Club Special;
00:44:10 - La valse de Grand Prairie;
00:48:20 - La valse de grand chemin;
00:50:20 - Bosco Stomp;
00:52:38 - J'étais au bal;
00:58:00 - B.O. Sparkle Waltz;
01:00:15 - Je m'ennuie pas de toi;
Interview with Walter Mouton III
Walter Mouton's last show at La Poussière;
00:00:00 - Duson Waltz;
00:01:45 - Priests; Ken Walker, president of CFMA; Nicole Patin;
00:04:30 - Presentation honoring Walter;
00:10:00 - Gift from the Pas Tout La Club;
00:12:40 - Jackie Caillier;
00:14:30 - Walter's speech;
00:16:30 - Procession around the dance floor; Band starts again;
00:21:30 - La valse de tout le monde (Jackie Caillier on accordion, Ronald Prejean on drums, Haas Cormier on bass, Chad Cormier on fiddle, and Junior Martin on steel guitar);
Interview with Wayne Toups; Show at Pat's Atchafalaya Club;
Interview with Wayne Toups;
00:00:00 - Soundcheck and intro;
00:01:05 - He learned his first song from his brother; Grew up listening to Cajun music; First song was the Wedding March;
00:02:07 - Talks about the accordion; He uses accordion to play more than Cajun music; He's been playing since February, 1972; His first gig was at the OST Club in Rayne in November, 1972; First time he sang on stage was with Milton Adams and the Crowley Cajuns at Marie's Lounge in Kaplan when he was 13;
00:04:15 - He is motivated by the music and his culture; Playing music with an edge;
00:05:17 - Career highlights: he played for President Clinton, George Lucas' Christmas party, toured South America, Europe; His favorite memories are playing for $50 a night driving around and sleeping in his van; 21 day tour with Carole King;
00:07:35 - He is most proud of his son, Darrell; He plays the congas;
00:08:10 - Most difficult challenges as a musician; Not getting recognition through media (on the radio, for example); More stations play Cajun and zydeco music now, but not when he started; Early touring days were a struggle;
00:11:15 - Relationship between band and audience; His band loves to play, so audience size doesn't matter;
00:12:05 - Playing in Louisiana vs. elsewhere; People out of state are sometimes more appreciative because the music is uncommon; Crowd sings along and claps;
00:13:35 - Language; He built his career on this language, it's the root of his music; Passionate language;
00:15:35 - Musicians who he looks up to: Walter Mouton, Clifton Chenier, Belton Richard, Aldus Roger, Iry Lejeune, Otis Redding, Allman Brothers, Aretha Franklin;
00:17:11 - Musicians he has influenced: Damon Troy, Dustin Ray, Hunter Hayes, Kiki Bourque, Jimmy Breaux, Jamie Bearb, Jason Bergeron;
00:19:00 - Advice to younger musicians; Do it for the love, not for the money; Be able to sacrifice; Lost time with his family;
00:21:55 - He feels lucky to be a part of something special that continues to grow;
00:23:17 - Questions about licensing for his show later that evening;
Show at Pat's Atchafalaya Club around Mardi Gras;
00:24:05 - Mardi Gras;
00:26:30 - Wayne Toups and his band before the show;
00:28:50 - Greeting fans before the show;
00:31:15 - Zydecajun Train;
00:34:30 - Sugar Bee;
00:37:52 - Mon ami;
00:40:58 - Quand j'étais pauvre;
00:45:42 - La valse de couillon;
00:49:04 - Zydeco sont pas salé;
00:55:28 - La porte d'en arrière;
01:00:05 - Tupelo Honey;
Wayne Toups at Pat's Atchafalaya Club II
00:00:22 - Evangeline Special;
00:04:38 - Couillon;
00:08:37 - I Don't Want You Anymore (sound changes);
00:12:48 - Hold the Line (Don Hayes on keyboard and vocals);
00:16:30 - Let's Fall In Love (All Over Again);
00:19:48 - Grand Night Special / Grand Nuit;
00:24:14 - Johnny Can't Dance;
00:27:23 - Sweet Joline;
00:29:20 - Tous les temps en temps;
00:31:09 - New Orleans Ladies;
00:35:09 - Les flammes d'enfer;
00:39:02 - Sometimes All It Takes (Audio is hard to hear);
00:41:00 - Rock song;
00:46:25 - Big Mamou;
00:47:00 - Take My Hand;
00:53:00 - Encore;
Wayne Toups at Pat's Atchafalaya Club III; Interview with Thomas “Big Hat” Fields
Wayne Toups at Pat's Atchafalaya Club – Last song;
Interview with Thomas “Big Hat” Fields;
00:03:33 - Screen test;
00:05:12 - He played rub board as a kid; He talks about an old accordion player named Claude Fox; He was five and would play with them; When he was 44, his wife bought a French poodle and he bought an accordion;
00:06:15 - He grew up with the music; His grandmother did not speak any English; His great grandmother played accordion; Several family members played accordion; He's been playing for 18 years;
00:07:55 - He is motivated to play because he likes it; Doesn't do it for money; He danced before started playing; He didn't expect to have a band;
00:09:15 - He's enjoyed all of the gigs he's played; Played a spot called Cat's Eye in Baltimore; Alameda, Seattle, Reno, Las Vegas;
00:10:50 - He's proud of the way he was raised; The old way; He was raised by his grandparents and learned a lot from them;
00:12:45 - Differences between Cajun and Creole; A lot of people don't know the difference, even local people;
00:16:10 - His has a good band; Rodney Bernard, Morris Francis, Paul Washington, Paul "The Kickin' Chicken" Edwards, Lucas Broussard, Marty Christian; They fight sometimes, but they get along;
00:18:40 - Playing music in LA vs elsewhere; People in LA are familiar with the music and people out of state appreciate it because they don't hear it often; Story about touring;
00:21:45 - They start speaking in French; Discussing why the language is important for the music;
00:22:55 - Local musicians; Paul Harris, Clifton Chenier, John Delafose, Boozoo Chavis; Zydeco music;
00:26:00 - Younger musicians; Music today is different because people are raised different; He spoke French; People played on the back porch and played what they felt; Younger musicians are changing the music and making money, but it isn't the same as real Cajun and Creole music;
00:32:10 - He hopes that he has influenced younger people; Paul Harris told him anybody could be a copycat, but if you want to play zydeco you got to make your own;
00:36:15 - Advice to younger musicians; Keep the culture and keep a level head; Stay away from the hard stuff and take care of their business;
00:37:55 - He just wants to keep promoting the culture in the right way;
00:38:50 - They ask why his nick name is Big Hat; Cowboys; He always wore a cowboy hat; Big Hat Club in Grand Coteau;
00:41:05 - He's finishes concrete and cement; He's had a lot of jobs;
00:44:10 - His grandparents; His grandfather, Frank Senegal, came from the Cape Verde Islands; They all worked with horses; Horse treaters; His grandmother was Creole and Cajun;
00:46:45 - He was raised in Rayne; His grandfather was a farmer; Boudin was $0.05 a piece;
00:50:50 - They talk about copyright/licensing and his show that night;
00:59:30 - La La vs zydeco;
Thomas "Big Hat" Fields and his band
Thomas "Big Hat" Fields, Rodney Bernard, Morris Francis, Paul Washington, Paul "The Kickin' Chicken" Edwards, Lucas Broussard, Marty Christian;
00:01:50 - Josephine;
00:04:35 - Hound Dog;
00:07:48 - Five Long Years;
00:13:48 - Two-step;
00:17:47 - Hey Hey Therese;
00:22:36 - Madame Sostan;
00:26:54 - Tous les temps en temps;
00:31:45 - Big Legged Woman;
00:36:55 - Tu m'après marcher plancher;
00:41:44 - Kansas City;
00:45:01 - Take Off Your Shoes;
00:49:51 - That Butt Thang;
00:53:13 - Rock Me Baby;
Interview with Geno Delafose
00:00:00 - (no audio) Footage of Geno at his ranch riding horses; Horses in the stable;
00:13:22 - Interview starts;
00:14:50 - He started playing rubboard with his dad, John Delafose, when he was 7; Drums at 10, then accordion at 13; They played at Richard's Club, Slim's Y-Ki-Ki, Church Hall in Basile, Church Point, Lake Charles; Houston and Port Arthur; He's been playing for 31 years;
00:15:50 - He wants to play until he can't anymore; He is motivated by his fans; It's a way of life for him; He makes a living from it now; He also works at his ranch and for a lawn service company out of Houston; Also, a substitute bus driver;
00:17:30 - Career highlights; Getting popular around home; At first, he mostly played out of state; Touring; His van had around 212 miles when he bought it and 413,000 miles when he sold it;
00:20:20 - He wouldn't want to live anywhere else; People aren't used to seeing Creole cowboys out of state;
00:22:40 - He works to make a living; He always wanted to bring black and white people together through his music; His first gig at a Cajun club was at Whiskey River playing drums with Balfa Toujours; Soon after, he played there with his own band; Grant Street; Whiskey River opened up other opportunities;
00:26:40 - He is playing what he grew up listening to;
00:27:50 - At first, he worked all the time and didn't make much money; Took a long time to get his name out there;
00:29:20 - His band; They interact with the audience;
00:30:05 - Differences playing in or out of state; People out of state have learned more about music and dancing;
00:31:50 - (interview in French); His grandma did not speak English; Cajun and zydeco music is sung in French;
00:33:00 - His influences are his father, Bois-sec Ardoin and his family, Canray Fontenot, Preston Frank and his family, Clifton Chenier;
00:35:40 - Young musicians; Advice to young musicians; Finish school; A musician's life is hard;
00:39:33 - His nephew plays with them sometimes;
00:40:00 - B roll footage; Talk about licensing;
0043:40 - He talks about his friend Roland Smith who taught him a lot about life;
00:47:40 - Eunice B roll footage; Cajun music hall of fame and museum; Liberty;
Interview with Goldman Thibodeaux
00:01:25 - Bébé, Eraste, and Calvin Carrière; His mom was first cousins with the Carrières; He played triangle and rub board and sang before accordion; Mostly house dances, not a lot of nightclubs; Delton Broussard and Calvin Carrière told him he should start playing;
00:03:20 - He was 50 when he decided to buy an accordion; Elton Doucet in Richard builds accordions; His friend, Fruge, got one too; He paid $300 for it;
00:07:55 - The Carrières and Delton gave him good advice; Bois Sec Ardoin; He saw Amédé Ardoin one time in person; Tracey Schwarz; His CDs;
00:11:00 - Talks about meeting Cedric Watson; Corey Ledet; Difference between zydeco and Creole music;
00:12:20 - Clifton Chenier started zydeco; Creole music and Cajun music is first cousins, but Creole music is a little more bluesy;
00:13:30 - Story about meeting Amédé Ardoin as a kid; House dance on a Sunday afternoon; He was 8 or 9; Ardoin's accordion was in a sack tied to his saddle; He played for about 3 hours; They passed a hat around for his payment;
00:17:00 - His parents bought Amédé's records; His first record was in 1929;
00:18:15 - He enjoys playing music and helping the people; His dad was a sharecropper; He stayed and helped his parents repair their house; His mother only spoke French;
00:22:10 - (Interview switches to French); Importance of preserving the French language; French in school is different than Creole;
00:25:25 - Singing in French;
00:28:35 - The relationship between his band and the audience;
00:32:00 - Motivation to continue playing for so long; It's not about money; Radio; He listened to Grand Old Opry, Amédé Ardoin, Amédé Breaux, Joe Falcon;
00:37:30 - The Carrière's music; Bébé recorded Bluerunner, Madame Faielle, Two-step de Coteau, Two-step de Creole;
00:40:10 - *Ask Marie to translate this section*; Picking cotton; Cornbread; Dancing two-steps and waltzes;
00:46:15 - His first song on his first CD;
00:49:39 - B-roll footage of his house;
Geno Delafose and French Rockin' Boogie at Whiskey River
00:00:18 - Talking to a man in his truck;
00:01:06 - B-roll footage of Whiskey River;
00:06:35 - Talking to people at the entrance;
00:07:45 - Inside before the show;
00:10:40 - First song;
00:14:00 - Geno Zydeco;
00:17:29 - Hey chère gardez donc chère;
00:21:38 - J'aimerais te pardonner;
00:25:29 - Quoi faire;
00:28:45 - Fait pas tout ça;
00:32:00 - Une autre soir ennuyant;
00:36:00 - Oh bye-bye catin;
00:40:10 - Introduces Pat Stelly, his guitar player; It's his birthday;
00:41:00 - La pointe aux pins;
00:45:30 - Eunice Two-step / Bayou Teche Two-step;
00:49:00 - Promised Land;
00:54:34 - Chère tout tout;
00:58:34 - Everybody's Dancin';
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie at Whiskey River II; Lil' Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers at Café des Amis
Geno Delafose & French Rockin' Boogie at Whiskey River II;
00:00:00 - Oh Bye Bye;
00:03:38 - Don't Shake My Tree;
00:08:45 - Bee de la manche;
00:13:12 - Maltida;
00:16:49 - Hold That Mule (?);
00:21:57 - B-roll footage from outside;
Lil' Nathan & the Zydeco Big Timers at Café des Amis, Breaux Bridge, LA;
00:25:13 - B-roll footage of Café des Amis before show;
00:28:25 - My Squeezebox;
00:33:22 - Song (title?);
00:37:36 - Song (title?);
00:38:47 - Song (title?);
00:41:24 - Zydeco Heehaw;
00:44:10 - I Got Loaded;
00:49:00 - Song (title?);
00:52:35 - We Gonna Party;
00:58:40 - Boozoo song / Mardi Gras;
01:02:07 - Why;
Moriah Istre Interviews D.L. Menard and Merlin Fontenot
00:01:35 - D.L. explains how he got into playing music. His uncle had a Cajun band, he went to a practice session and fell in love with the guitar;
00:02:30 - D.L. ordered a guitar from a catalog that cost $11. He tells a story about growing out of that guitar and needing a better quality one. He was sent a more expensive guitar than he had ordered;
00:04:00 - Played his first gig 6 months later in 1949 and has been playing ever since;
00:05:25 - Talks about his Country & Western influences. He says that in those days, a Cajun band that couldn't play Country music was more or less, not considered a good band;
00:06:30 - Sang Country songs for 3 years before he started singing French tunes - Talks about meeting Hank Williams in 1951;
00:07:10 - D.L. Talks about being called the "Cajun Hank Williams" It came from an article in "Sing Out" in 1973 after playing the National Folk Fest at Wolftrap;
00:08:00 - Highlights of his career - Traveled to 45 states, 38 countries. Talks about his experiences in China. He taught them how to say "Hot Dog;"
00:09:30 - D.L. talks about his time spent in the Shetland Islands. He says they were some of the nicest people he ever met;
00:10:45 - Touring Asia with Rickey Skaggs and Jerry Douglas;
00:11:30 - Talking about some of his other tours, meeting a fan from Holland on the streets; He says "La porte d'en arrière" brought him all over the world;
00:15:24 - D.L. tells the story about writing "La porte d'en arrière" while working at a gas station and translates the lyrics;
00:17:40 - D.L. says that he's most proud of his family and the songs that he's written; He mentions how much he loves meeting people through playing music;
00:19:45 - Talks more about Hank Williams' influences on his music and on how he treats people;
00:21:20 - Says that he didn't make money from record sales - they mainly cut records to get better gigs;
00:22:30 - Talks about playing with Terry Huval and Jambalaya, he jokes and says that they are about the only band who would put up with him;
00:24:50 - He talks about his relationship with fans; Hank Williams told him "You have to live your songs on stage."
00:26:10 - Differences between playing at home and out of the country - dancing crowds versus seated crowds;
00:28:00 - Interview switches to French;
00:28:10 - Talking about why it's important to preserve Cajun French when he writes his songs;
00:30:00 - D.L. mentions being forced to learn English in school;
00:32:20 - Talking about other musicians he likes - Simon Saint-Pierre, Bois-Sec Ardoin, Belton Richard, Aldus Roger, Lawrence Walker;
00:35:15 - Talking about young musicians he has influenced - Doesn't name anyone but says that "La porte d'en arrière" is always one of the first songs young players learn;
00:36:20 - Advice for younger musicians - Play what you like, don't try to be someone else, be clear with your lyrics;
00:38:00 - Close up footage for B roll; Talking about the hat that he's wearing;
00:40:50 - D.L. talks about his CA Guitar;
00:42:10 - D.L. performs "La porte d'en arrière;"
00:46:00 - Footage from the outside of Randol's Cajun Restaurant;
00:47:15 - Interview with Merlin Fontenot begins;
00:50:30 - Merlin talks about the different types of music he plays - Says he had to learn different genres of music so that he could get gigs; plays by ear;
00:52:20 - Started playing when he was 8 years old. Made his own fiddle because they were too poor. Made it out of a cigar box, screen wire, thread, cow horn
00:53:00 - His first real fiddle was ordered from Sears Roebuck. He talks about his favorite fiddle that his brother in law brought home from Germany after WWII;
00:55:30 - Difference between violin and fiddle - No difference other than the kind of music you play.
00:56:00 - Merlin plays a few "jazzy" licks; Talks about how he's learned different types of music;
00:57:30 - Motivation to continue playing - Merlin says he loves it because he's always learning;
00:59:55 - Highlights of his career - Playing at the Grand Ole Opry with Faren Young, Patsy Cline;