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.
Request a fileInterview with Lynn August by Ben Sandmel
Recorded circa 1990
Ben Sandmel with Lynn August:
00:00 - Grew up in Lafayette
00:40 - Had an Uncle who played accordion - Claudelle Duffy
01:30 - His main inspiration came from Ray Charles (R.C. Robinson) - playing in Four Corners
02:00 - Showed musical talent from a young age
-Drums were his first instrument. Parents were very supportive of his musical development
03:45 - His father would take him to different clubs to audition - Peppermint Lounge - Roland Dice
04:40 - Esquerita
05:15 - New Orleans Funk Beat
07:45 - Going on the road with Jay Nelson
09:00 - Starting his own band - playing with Buckwheat Zydeco (Stanley Dural)
10:30 - Status of Zydeco in the 60's - Clifton Chenier
12:30 - Worked at a Bino's Lounge in St. Martinville playing 4 nights a week solo on a Hammond B3 organ for $300 a week
13:30 - Side gigs besides Bino's Lounge
16:30 - Working the hotel circuits
17:30 - First Zydeco gig - Going on the road with Marcel Dugas
18:00 - Grew up speaking French
22:50 - Worked as choir director for churches around Lafayette
23:30 - Regional touring with lounge chains
24:35 - Worked at the Driftwood Club in Lafayette with a trio (at the Northgate Mall)
28:00 - Country artists - Ronnie Milsap, Keith Whitley, Randy Travis
29:45 - In 1988 started to get burned out so he built a studio and began writing and wanted to learn Zydeco
32:30 - How playing the drums helped him learn to play the accordion
35:00 - Blind Musicians - Blind John Davis, Henry Butler, etc
36:30 - Purchased his first accordion in 1989
37:00 - Comeback of Zydeco music
38:45 - He never let his blindness hold him back
42:30 - Singing 'Juré'
Interviews of Rusty Kershaw by Ben Sandmel
Recorded circa 1990
Ben Sandmel with Rusty Kershaw:
00:01:20 - Born on a house boat
00:01:30 - Talks about his childhood and parents - trapping, fishing, hunting
00:02:20 - Mother and Father both played music and relatives on both sides of his family played music
00:02:50 - After death of his Father they moved to Lake Arthur; French was their first language
00:03:30 - His brother, Peewee, began playing with Amedée Breaux
00:03:45 - Later his mother started a band with her sons
00:04:45 - Later started a band was called Peewee Kershaw and the Continental Playboys;
00:05:15 - Recording a record with Doug Kershaw
00:05:35 - Playing with Lightnin' Slim
00:08:30 - Recording for Acuff/Rose in Nashville
00:09:00 - Played on Louisiana Hayride
00:09:30 - WSM - Grand Ole Opry
00:09:50 - Doug being drafted into the service
00:10:00 - Recording with Roy Orbison and other Nashville musicians
00:12:00 - Separating from Rusty and Doug and going solo
00:13:40 - Recording with Neil Young
00:15:10 - Moving back to Louisiana in the late 70s
00:15:30 - Growing up in the Rockefeller Reserve - the houseboat he grew up on
00:17:30 - New Project with Johnny Ray Allen
00:18:00 - As children they listened to the Grand Old Opry on the radio
00:20:00 - Learning to speak English
00:20:30 - Peewee playing with Amedé Breaux
00:20:50 - Seeing Iry LeJeune, Nathan Abshire, Harry Choates - Playing at the Avalon Club
00:21:00 - Iry LeJeune's influence on how they play music
00:22:10 - Hackberry Ramblers
00:23:30 - Lightnin' Slim - Recording for J.D. Miller
00:24:50 - George Jones, Seeing Hank Williams as a child
00:28:40 - Swamp Pop - Johnnie Allan, Rod Bernard, Cookie and the Cupcakes
00:29:40 - Clifton Chenier
00:32:35 - Rusty and Doug - Reunion shows and reissues of old recordings
00:33:15 - Art Neville
00:38:50 - Being raised around alligators
00:39:50 - Going through songs on his new album
00:41:30 - How he came to write some of his songs / Emotions in music
00:43:20 - Experience playing Jazz Music - Murton Thibodeaux
00:47:00 - Joking around and telling stories on stage
00:53:30 - Relation to Sammy Kershaw
01:01:15 - Writing a song with Rick Danko
Interview of Terrance Simien and Dickie Landry by Ben Sandmel
Recorded circa 1990
Ben Sandmel with Terrance Simien and Dickie Landry:
00:30 - Cuts on the movie "Big Easy"
00:45 - How he finally settled on his most recent record deal
02:00 - How touring has helped the band
02:50 - Members of the band - Mark Semar, Russel Dorian, Troy Gaspard, John Esprit
08:30 - Songs on the record
11:40 - Comments on songs the band has done
14:45 - Influences of Reggae music
19:40 - How being in the "Big Easy" helped the band - Friendship with Dennis Quaid
20:50 - Meeting the Neville Brothers
24:00 - Zydeco music - distinctive sound
25:10 - Working on learning to speak French
30:00 - Singing harmony on the records
30:20 - Rockin' Sidney - "Don't Mess With My Toot Toot"
30:50 - Missing playing music locally at clubs like Slim's and Richard's
35:00 - Dickie Landry describing his recent work and musical style
35:15 - Wrote music for a Mass
(Recordings of Mass can be found in Dickie Landry Audio Collection at ACCF)
36:25 - Dickie's prior production work - Philip Glass
37:00 - Thoughts on finishing up with Terrence's album
39:00 - Record labels and contracts
Interview of Terrance Simien by Ben Sandmel
Recorded in 1987
Ben Sandmel with Terrance Simien:
00:30 - How he began playing music - Hanging out at Slim's and Richard's Club
01:05 - Church of Saint Anne's having a dance and hosting trial ride
02:45 - Teaching himself to play accordion and his influences
05:00 - Playing at the World's Fair and playing in Washington D.C.
09:30 - "The Big Easy" - writing a song with Dennis Quaid and recording it with Art Neville and Dickie Landry
10:30 - Booking Agent
11:20 - Description of his musical style
20:00 - Plans for future recording
22:10 - Parents spoke French but did not teach him, now he is trying to learn
25:45 - Soul music being worked into Zydeco music - different Zydeco styles
27:00 - Evolution of music
28:20 - Boozoo Chavis
29:30 - Clifton Chenier
34:00 - Difficulties playing music close to home and gaining respect in the local community
Interview of Brownie Ford by Ben Sandmel
Recorded circa 1985
Ben Sandmel with Brownie Ford:
00:10 - Was born in Oklahoma in Indian territory, raised by his uncle who bought and sold horses and cattle
03:00 - Wilson family - first female horse rider to wear men's clothes
-her husband was killed so she had to care for the stock
05:25 - Riding horseback to school at eight years old
07:15 - Indian Joe Keith
09:00 - Buffalo Bill - Wild West Show
13:00 - Story about the Burma Twins - Snakehorse Slim, Hook 'n Brimmer - Clyde and Claude Rogers
14:00 - Experiences growing up and the changes he has seen
15:00 - Was on a Wild West show and his experiences, Rodeo Experiences
25:00 - Moving to Louisiana
30:00 - Repairing chairs and saddles - Demonstrations at festivals
Interview of Brownie Ford by Ben Sandmel
Recording is mostly inaudible
Interview of Brownie Ford by Ben Sandmel
Ben Sandmel with Brownie Ford:
00:38 - Story about Bonnie and Clyde - Encounter with Bonnie and Clyde right before they were killed
05:00 - Marge Hamilton stories
10:30 - Thompson and Sutton family feud
Interview of Crawford Vincent by Ben Sandmel Part 1
Recorded in 1992
Ben Sandmel with Crawford Vincent:
00:10 - How he got started in music, born in Gueydan
00:20 - When he was 8 started playing the Harmonica, first learned Poor Hobo, Joe Werner
03:00 - Family members who played fiddle
05:20 - During his childhood 1930's it was hard to buy instruments
05:30 - Got his first fiddle through his sister when he was 9
18:15 - Has a love for the fiddle but plays other instruments mainly
09:30 - Got started on drums with Hackberry Ramblers because he needed a job on Saturday nights
16:40 - Lloyd Ellis
20:00 - Playing with Harry Choates, says he was a great guitar player but preferred fiddle
-Talking about Harry's life and growing up
22:10 - Story about Leo Soileau and Crawford saving Harry
24:30 - Leo Soileau - Mentoring Harry Choates and Crawford
26:00 - Harry Choates playing steel guitar - Charlie Christian
32:30 - Leo Soileau recording for Decca records with a drummer
28:00 - Some of the racism at the time effecting the music and musicians
41:50 - Driving with Iry Lejeune - stories about Iry
Interview of Crawford Vincent by Ben Sandmel Part 2
Recorded in 1992
Ben Sandmel with Crawford Vincent:
00:00 - Playing with Iry Lejeune's Uncle - Angelas LeJeune
01:40 - Lionel Leleux's story about Iry LeJeune - Iry playing music by himself
02:00 - Watching Amedé Ardoin play with Leo Soileau
03:00 - Late 30's - people didn't want to hear the accordion
04:00 - Trends in music - how styles change
07:00 - How they began playing at the Showboat
10:00 - People wanting more Western Swing than Cajun music
12:30 - Time when people looked down on the fiddle
12:50 - Trouble getting paid, other conflicts with clubs and musicians
19:30 - Otis and Floyd Shreve
21:00 - Reliability of musicians
Interview of Geno Delafose by Ben Sandmel
Recorded in 1990
Ben Sandmel with Geno Delafose:
00:30 - Plays accordion and drums
00:55 - What Geno likes about the album, favorite songs
01:40 - Comments on each song on the album
03:00 - Country musicians he likes and listens to
04:00 - Alvin Cormier
Interview by Ben Sandmel with John Delafose
Ben Sandmel with John Delafose:
00:20 - John talking about the make up of the new album
01:05 - Comments on each song
02:30 - Country musicians he likes
07:55 - Pride in his son's (Geno and Tony) playing music
Hackberry Ramblers on NPR's Fresh Air
Hackberry Ramblers:
00:00 - Intro and band info
00:55 - Hackberry Ramblers 1936 recording of Jolie Blonde
02:10 - Luderin talking about how the band got started
03:25 - Ben talking about joining the band
04:20 - Incorporating Western Swing/Hillbilly Music into Cajun music
04:35 - Playing in dance halls without electricity and ways they figured out how to power the amplifier
08:15 - Luderin learned to speak French as a child but was told to speak English when he went to school
09:10 - 1930's recording of Eh la bas
11:50 - Recording for Chris Strachwitz's Arhoolie Records in the 1960's
-Story about how Strachwitz was able to locate Luderin Darbone
13:15 - Black Bayou Rag recoded in the 1960s
14:15 - What it is like for Luderin to play music at his age
16:20 - Hackberry Ramblers Theme song
Interview by Ben Sandmel with John and Geno Delafose
Repeat of the interviews on SA1-050 and SA1-051
Interview by Ben Sanmel with Lee Atwater
Ben Sandmel with Lee Atwater:
00:30 - His interest and background in Blues
00:40 - Listened to WLAC late at night as a child
01:45 - Musicians he would go out and listen to at clubs
02:15 - Music as a profession
02:30 - Backing up musicians like Lee Dorsey, Eddie Floyd, Percy Sledge
03:00 - Leaving music and getting into politics
05:00 - Working with musicians - helping them gain exposure
05:30 - Knowing and playing with other blues musicians
07:30 - Bassist and Drummers needing to work together as one unit
08:00 - Learning from watching musicians and playing with them
09:00 - Mixing music and politics
Interview by Ben Sandmel with Snooks Eaglin
Ben Sandmel with Snooks Eaglin:
01:00 - Companies he's recorded with
01:45 - The change he sees in the public and the type of music they like
02:00 - Recording for Harry Oster (Folkways Records) - his opinions on these early recordings
03:00 - Playing radio shows and high school dances
03:30 - Born in New Orleans
04:00 - His father was an harmonica player and used to jam with his father in the evenings
-Recording on family's acetate and tape recorders
05:00 - How he began playing at clubs - Eddie Bo
07:45 - Attending the School for the Blind in Baton Rouge
10:20 - Becoming the band leader - naming band members - playing with Allan Toussaint
13:00 - Modern music being played on the radio
14:15 - Playing with Art Neville
15:25 - "Caddo" - Crowd demanding him to play "Mother in Law"
17:25 - Playing with Eddie Bo and Joe Smith
19:30 - Playing at the World's Fair
21:30 - Stories about a guitars and amps falling apart during his gig
22:40 - Playing at Tipitina's - amp catching fire
23:45 - Smiley Lewis
25:00 - Teaching himself to play, listening to music growing up
27:00 - Talking about Ray Charles and his ways - playing gigs with him
29:50 - Joe Turner
31:30 - Talking about his style and how he can twist his fingers
33:30 - White Audiences at Blues shows
37:10 - Going to London with Professor Longhair
40:00 - What Snooks feels gives his music a different feel from most blues musicians
43:30 - Feelings about country music - Hank Williams, Jim Reeves, Lefty Frizell
44:20 - Snooks' wife talking bout being married to a musician and traveling some with him
50:30 - Issues they had while playing gigs