Center for Louisiana Studies Archival Catalog

Transferred from 8mm film - No Audio -

Menard's Horse;
Mouton Sleep Party;
Thanksgiving Day;
Momo of Mom & Dad, Aunt, Uncle & Family

Maxie Rozas, Shirley Bergeron, Eli Ardoin, Angelas Lejeune;
00:00:00 - Jolie blonde;
00:02:40 - Falcon waltz;
00:05:10 - Love bridge two-step;
00:07:46 - La fille de la veuve;
00:10:40 - Ossun two-step;
00:13:35 - Chère tout tout;
00:16:15 - Announcement: End of contest and start of dance (plugged-in);
00:17:00 - Branche du mûrier;
00:19:40 - Colinda;

00:21:09 - Announcement of french singing contest; Judges - Gloria Harrington, Louise Perret, Catherine Blanchet, Paul Tate;

Emmeline Broussard;
00:22:38 - La chevalier du roi;
00:24:25 - La petite Jacqueline;

Tex Perrin (from Delcambre);
00:25:45 - Madelon;

Debra (Debri) Couvillon;
00:27:45 - J'ai passé devant ta porte;

Emma Dean Meaux;
00:28:30 - Quel petit homme;
00:30:00 - J'ai été au bal hier au soir (with accordion)

Cyprien Landreneau - Accordion
Delphy Soileau - Fiddle
Wallace LaFleur - Guitar
00:00:22 - La valse des meches;
00:03:24 - Jeunes gens de la campagne;

John Quebodeaux - Accordion
Vinesse Lejeune - Fiddle
Wallace LaFleur - Guitar
00:05:45 - La valse des musiciens;

Cyprien Landreneau - Accordion
Shelton Manuel - Fiddle
Keith Soileau - Guitar
00:08:58 - Lake Charles two-step;

Shelton Manuel - Accordion
Delphy Soileau - Fiddle
Wallace Lafleur - Guitar
Cyprien Landreneau - Triangle
00:11:33 - Flammes d'enfer;

John Quebodeaux - Accordion
Vinesse Lejeune - Fiddle
Wallace Lafleur - Guitar
Delphy Soileau - Triangle
00:14:14 - La valse des cajuns

Gladdie Thibodeaux - Accordion
Shelton Manuel - Fiddle
Vinesse Lejeune - Guitar & Vocals
Betrand (?) - Triangle
00:17:38 - Duson waltz;

John Quebodeaux - Accordion & Vocals(?)
Wallace Lafleur - Guitar
Bertrand - Triangle
00:21:00 - Lovebridge waltz;

John Quebodeaux - Accordion
Cyprien Landreneau - Vocals
Wallace Lafleur - Guitar
Betrand - Triangle
00:23:39 - La patate chaude (Mon bon vieux mari);

John Quebodeaux - Accordion
Vinesse Lejeune - Vocals
Wallace Lafleur - Guitar
Bertrand - Triangle
00:27:47 - La danse de limonade

October 15, 1964 - Ville Platte Cotton Festival II;

00:00:13 - Elby "Bee" Deshotel - Boitine boiteuese;
00:02:16 - George Fontenot and Ludry Soileau - Jig;
00:04:48 - Aubrey Deville and Preston Manuel - Le vieux boeuf et le vieux chariot;

Elby "Bee" Deshotels;
00:06:45 - Les souliers rouge;
00:08:50 - L'Arbre est dans ses feuilles;

00:12:00 - Louisiana waltz - for dance competition;
00:14:50 - Announcement - Winners of Opelousas Yambilee for individual instrument, group, solo singing, and dance competition; Cash prize;

October 15, 1966 - Opelousas Yambilee contest;
00:18:30 - Band warming up;
00:20:52 - Maxie Rozas and Shirley Bergeron - Drunkard's Waltz / Midnight Waltz;
00:22:45 - Announcement - Welcomes audience to french music contest; Introduces band:

Eli Ardoin - Accordion
Maxie Rozas - Fiddle
Shirley Bergeron - Guitar

00:26:00 - Drunkard's Waltz / Midnight Waltz (was listed as jolie blonde);
00:27:52 - Lacassine two step (sounds like Choupique two step);
00:30:10 - Announcement for the solo contest;
00:30:49 - Shirley Bergeron - Madame bosso;

Not included in recording:
Eli Ardoin, Shirley Bergeron;
Falcon waltz;

Eli Ardoin, Shirley Bergeron, Maxie Rozas;
Two step;

Angelas Lejeune, Maxie Rozas, Shirley Bergeron;
La fille de la veuve;
Ossun two step;
Chère tout-toute;

Alma Barthelemy - ballads;

00:00:10 - Voulez-vous me traverser;
00:02:25 - La fleur de la jeunesse;
00:04:40 - La Madellon;
00:08:40 - Talks about her family;
00:12:00 - Petit oiseau;
00:14:35 - Continues discussion about her family;
00:16:22 - Au beau claire de la lune;
00:20:04 - Qui avez-vous ma chère brune (une danse ronde);
00:21:35 - Papa nous defend d'aller au-z-bois;
00:22:15 - Conversation;
00:26:50 - Nous sommes partis de Toulon (Chanson de guerre);
00:30:14 - J'ai fait une maitresse, trois jours il n'y a pas longtemps

(There is a third person talking, but he is not introduced--perhaps Alma's husband?)

Revon Reed radio program;
00:00:27 - Isom Fontenot - La bétaille dans ce 'tit arbre;
00:03:20 - Revon Reed;
00:09:05 - Normand Derbes (?) - La valse de Dimanche après-midi (It sounds like Isom again--maybe Normand singing);

Ambrose Thibodeaux and Jerry Devillier;
00:12:30 - Chère tout-toute;
00:15:45 - La danse de Patassa;

00:17:25 - Revon talks with musicians about the word "patassa"; type of fish and the name of a community;
00:18:00 - Introduces Ralph Rinzler;

Jerry Devillier, Isom Fontenot, Norris Fontenot;
00:22:30 - La valse du pont d'amour;
00:26:18 - La valse de grand Kaplan;

Norris Fontenot, Jerry Devillier, Ambrose Thibodeaux;
00:30:00 - La porte d'en arrière;

10 October 1965; Conversation with Joe Falcon (continued);
00:00:10 - Comparing differences between dances in the past to the present;
00:01:10 - Rinzler asks if Joe remembers any black or creole musicians; Babineaux; Joe says music sounded the same as white bands;
00:02:00 - Rinzler asks if he is interested in other types of music; Joe mentions Larry Brasseaux (Abbeville/Lafayette);
00:03:00 - Talks about first record player they had; Joe had some string band records; He doesn't remember much; Had a record of a dog fight;
00:05:09 - Another man asks about Segura Brothers and Leo Soileau (they start speaking french then back to english);
00:06:30 - Talk about his music career after recording;
00:07:05 - He quit after 4th of July, 1963 show in Kaplan; got an operation and lost a lot of weight;
00:08:39 - Rinzler asks if Joe ever played in Mississippi; He played in Biloxi a few times;
00:09:28 - Talks about using electric instruments; Easier to play electric, but the sound isn't as good;
00:10:08 - Talks about instruments he had in his band: accordion, drums, rhythm guitar, standard guitar, violin;
00:10:40 - Talks about when guitars became popular;
00:11:25 - Playing in Texas; Between Beaumont and Port Arthur; They talk about radio;
00:12:40 - Talks about his daughter; She didn't play music, but he taught a few other people;
00:13:25 - He saw Bob Wills in Abbeville in the 1950s; Ernest Tubb; Joe liked his record;
00:14:50 - Singing in french; They talk about drinking and playing music;
00:16:00 - Paying the band; Music as a career;
00:16:50 - Farming cotton, sweet potatoes, corn, sugarcane; Transition to the oil field; Audio cuts out;

20 October 1965; Leo Soileau; Old days with Mayuse Lafleur and first recordings;
00:18:05 - Leo met Jimmie Davis and Bob Wills; Leo was born in Ville Platte on a farm; Highland farm: cotton, rice, potato, corn;
00:18:35 - His parents were Fabuis Soileau and Louisa Soileau; His dad played fiddle; Learned when he was 12-13 years old;
00:19:47 - Learned tunes from listening to his dad; He plays once in a while for fun; Learned how to play from records, other people;
00:20:55 - Mayeuse Manuel, a local singer; Songs didn't have any names; Valse du bambocheur; Never bought his own record;
00:22:40 - Floyd Shrive (?) and Bill Landry were on that record;
00:23:13 - He heard music at country dances/bal de maison; Recording for the first time in 1928;
00:24:35 - Took train to Atlanta to record; Cat Doucet (Sheriff in Opelousas) went with him as a manager and Mayeuse played accordion;
00:26:04 - They recorded Grand Basile, Mama Where You At?, Your Papa Put Me Out, La valse criminelle; Mayeuse died before he could hear the recordings;
00:27:00 - Mayeuse Lafleur's death; He was 22 when he died. Leo was 25 at the time;
00:27:44 - Rinzler asks if they called it cajun or french music; Amede Ardoin; Music didn't have a different name for white and black musicians;
00:29:23 - Leo's daughter; Didn't play music, spoke some french; Leo likes hillbilly music more than cajun music;
00:30:15 - Second time recording in 1930 for Decca; In 1932, he drove from Crowley to Chicago in a Model A Ford to record; Ernest Tubb recorded at Decca;
00:31:25 - Bluebird sessions in the 1930s before Decca; Never learned accordion; audio cuts out

Interview and performance by Austin Pitre on accordion and fiddle; Austin's wife and unknown man are present and part of conversation;

00:00:08 - Flammes d'enfer;
00:00:47 - Talks about making lyrics for Flammes d'enfer; His mother always told him to be careful; Every beat has a word with it, so you have to start singing at the right time; Song doesn't work in english;
00:03:30 - Sings Flammes d'enfer slow;
00:05:30 - Renée special;
00:06:23 - He has lyrics for Renée special on fiddle, but not accordion; Talks about different rhythm on fiddle and accordion;
00:07:55 - Conversation switches to french; They talk about the song J'ai fini mes misères;
00:10:44 - Plays the old Valse de Duralde on fiddle; Different tunes from different towns; Songs would travel with musicians; Iry sings it on record but doesn't play the fiddle; J.B. Fusilier played fiddle;
00:13:40 - Colinda on fiddle; Rod Bernard; Johnson pronunciation;
00:15:55 - La coulée Rodaire on accordion; pronunciation of Rodaire; Amede Ardoin;
00:20:00 - Talks about his father;
00:20:35 - Bal de maison; Fais do-do;
00:21:20 - Bal de noces; He says he's the only one who plays the wedding march like it is supposed to go; Discuss lyrics;
00:22:35 - La marche des mariées;
00:26:00 - Conversation continues; Austin lists the instruments he plays; Work

Adam and Cyprien Landreneau at the Abbeville Dairy Festival;

00:00:08 - La valse de Dimanche après-midi;
00:02:40 - Allons à Lafayette;
00:04:43 - Jolie blonde;
00:08:08 - La talle des ronces;
00:10:17 - La valse des Cherokees;
00:12:40 - Colinda;
00:15:05 - La robe barrée;
00:17:55 - La Prairie Ronde;
00:20:40 - Les petites ou les grosses;
00:23:00 - Les pinières;
00:26:30 - La robe à Rosalie (similar to La Pointe aux Pins);
00:28:34 - T'es parents veut plus me voir;
00:31:06 - La robe à toute jolie (T'en as eu, t'en auras plus)

00:00:10 - Unknown fast song;

Isom Fontenot, N'oncle Dom et Tante Bus(ette) (also listed as Bassette), Wallace "Cheese" Reed, Wallace Lafleur, Jerry Devillier, and Amar Devillier;
00:02:40 - Bayou Choupique Waltz;
00:05:59 - La danse de Duralde;
00:08:30 - La valse qui me fait du mal;
00:11:44 - Radio announcements;
00:13:03 - La danse de Hathaway;
00:16:04 - Chère tout-tout;
00:19:00 - Radio announcements;

Wallace "Cheese" Reed - Fiddle and vocals
Mrs. Belleau - Guitar and vocals (Also listed as Mrs. B. Fuselier)
00:22:00 - Dans la Louisiane (Listed also as Chère 'tite fille);

Wallace "Cheese" Reed, Jerry Devillier, and Wallace Lafleur;
00:25:05 - French Breakdown (sounds like Lake Arthur Stomp) (unclear whether this song is also played by the previous band - Reed and Belleau);
00:27:45 - La Louisiane (by Harry Choates);

Elby "Bee" Deshotels;
00:31:34 - J'ai passé devant ta porte fragment

00:00:07 - Contest announcements;

Band with singing contest:

George Fontenot - Fiddle
Mr. J. L. Soileau - Guitar
Mrs. J. L. Soileau - Vocals (all from Ville Platte);
00:02:05 - La patate chaude;
00:04:34 - Saute crapaud;

Ed Deshotels - Fiddle
Elby "Bee" Deshotels - Guitar
Amar Devillier - Accordion
Jerry Devillier - Triangle and harmonica
00:06:55 - La valse criminelle;
00:09:30 - T'en as eu, t'en auras plus;

Angelas Lejeune - Accordion
Dupre Lejeune - Fiddle
Jacques Morvant - T-fer
00:12:20 - La valse de la fille de la veuve;
00:15:25 - Petite et Canaille (sounds like Mon chapeau) (previous notes: T'es petite entarer canaile);

Harmonica contest:

Deo Langley;
00:19:45 - La valse criminelle;
00:22:00 - Allons à Lafayette;

Jerry Devillier;
00:23:45 - La valse du samedi soir;
00:25:35 - Kaplan Waltz;

Isom Fontenot;
00:27:40 - La bétaille dans le 'tit arbre;
00:29:15 - Cajun Breakdown (Port Arthur Blues)

Early Lejeune - Harmonica
Dupre Lejeune - Fiddle
00:30:56 - Grand Nuit Special (continued on RI1-018)

Austin Pitre and the Evangeline Playboys at Lakeview Park;

00:00:03 - Jolie Blonde;
00:03:02 - Danse mon 'tit chou;
00:06:39 - Ma chère joues roses;
00:09:10 - Lake Charles two-step ("Le vieux Lake Charles two-step");
00:11:55 - La valse des musiciens;
00:15:20 - La valse des Mèches;
00:19:12 - Les petites ou les grosses;

(From previous notes, but not on this recording: Les flammes d'enfer and La valse des bambocheurs)

Balfa Brothers - Fiddle and guitar; (Audio comes in and out);

00:00:05 - Valse de défunt grand père;
00:01:13 - Valse de la Grande Prairie;
00:04:28 - Si j'avais des ailes comme tout les hirondelles;
00:06:58 - Chère Bassette;
00:10:53 - Valse de défunt grand père;
00:13:55 - Parlez-nous à boire (take 1);
00:17:30 - Parlez-nous à boire (take 2 - no guitar);
00:21:12 - La valse du bambocheur;

(From previous notes, but not on recording: La valse des Platins)

Bois Sec Ardoin - Accordion
Canray Fotenot - Fiddle

00:00:03 - Fifi Foncho / Poncho;
00:03:27 - La valse de Jennings (maybe Hack à 'tit Moreau?);
00:08:30 - Quoi faire;
00:13:00 - Jug au Plombeau (sounds like La valse de bambocheur);
00:17:00 - Pointe aux Pins (out); (previous notes had "out" - not sure what it means);
00:21:21 - Untitled Waltz (sounds like Jolie Blonde);

(Hack à 'tit Moreau, Shimmey, Shimmey, and Pointe aux Pins were listed in previous notes, but are missing from this recording)

Continued conversation with Leo Soileau and Ralph Rinzler;

00:00:13 - Rinzler asks Leo about Nashville musicians; Country music has more keys to play in;
00:01:08 - Talks about some of the songs he made: Easy Rider Blues;
00:01:43 - Quit performing/retired with his string band in 1953; Instruments in the band: fiddle, piano, two guitar, steel, saxophone, bass, electric mandolin;
00:02:30 - Playing in Texas; Learning different styles instead of playing the same chords in french music;
00:03:05 - Rinzler asks about current singers;
00:03:25 - Playing music for a living;
00:04:15 - Traveling with a band; Drinking and playing music--"Too much is no good.";
00:05:00 - Started playing as professional in about 1925 (?); Leo was born in 1904 and started playing fiddle in 1916; Got paid $4-5 a night playing with Amede Ardoin when he was 13-14 years old;
00:06:00 - Talk about Amede Ardoin who was born and raised in Eunice; He helped get Ardoin to Decca; Mentions Dennis McGee; They met playing a gig together in Chataignier when Leo was 14-16 years old and Ardoin was about 3 years older than him; Ardoin knew a lot of songs; Best musician in his time; Accordion, fiddle, sometimes triangle;
00:08:00 - First started using drums when he started with Bluebird in the 1930s; Got a band together in Crowley that played around the area;
00:08:55 - There were dancehalls in the country and played dances every week;
00:09:14 - When he was in Crowley in 1932, he was playing regularly at 14 different dancehalls; Every two weeks; He did that for 8 years; They averaged $5 per person per gig; He was the band leader; He would pay his car expenses, then split the rest evenly with other band members;
00:10:28 - Rinzler asks about popular singers other than Mayeuse Lafleur, Amede Ardoin, and Joe Falcon during that time and Leo says that's all they had in those days that he knew of; Mentions Cleoma Breaux--fun musician and good guitar player;
00:11:00 - Amede Breaux was more popular than Joe Falcon until he recorded and got more popular; Leo thinks Amede was a better singer and accordion player, but didn't have the name; He thinks Amede recorded with Decca;
00:12:35 - Playing on the radio;
00:13:38 - They didn't really rehearse, just on the job; Treating music as a job--hard work; Some gigs they would have a 15 minute intermission; Dances from 8 or 9 until 2am at night clubs with only one or two 15 minute breaks;
00:14:50 - Western music isn't as hard to play with a band because more people take rides; Cajun bands can't stop;
00:15:50 - He decided he had enough of it when they starting paying less and cutting musicians; He got a good job in Lake Charles;
00:16:40 - He came from a family of 10--5 boys and 5 girls; He was the only one who played fiddle; They all spoke french; Learned english when he was 11-12; Couldn't speak english at school; Went to school until 6th grade; Split time between school and helping on the farm;
00:17:55 - In 1920, there was big depression; That's when he decided to start playing music professionally;
00:18:17 - Played with Mayeuse Lafleur; Mayeuse sang more, but Leo sang Valse du bambocheur; Talks about his guitar players form Crowley;
00:19:35 - Asks if there are other songs like Valse du bambocheur; audio cuts out;

Ville Platte Cotton Festival;

Solo instrumental contest - Harmonica:

Jerry Devillier;
00:00:13 - La valse de la coulée (Previous notes said Les Veuves de la coulée--sounds like Chère bébé creole);
00:02:12 - La valse criminelle;

00:05:00 - Deo Langley - Fifi Foncheau (Foncho, Poncho);

Isom Fontenot;
00:07:15 - La valse de misère;
00:08:57 - Crowley Two Step;

00:10:08 - Hilton Thibodeaux - La valse des Cadiens (like Cherokee Waltz) (Sound goes in and out);

Musical group contest:

Amar Devillier, Jerry Devillier and Elby "Bee" Deshotels (not sure who plays what);
00:12:35 - T'en as eu, t'en auras plus;

George Fontenot and J.L. Soileau (Announcer says J.L. Soileau, but previous notes say Leo Soileau);
00:15:00 - Contre-danse;

00:17:15 - Announcing the winners;
Singing contest:
1st - three way tie - Mrs. Murphy Vidrine, Elby "Bee" Deshotels, and Felix Soileau;

Instrument - Fiddle:
1st - two way tie - George Fontenot and Deo Langley;
2nd - Eloi Vidrine;

Instrument - Accordion:
1st - three way tie - Ambrose Thibodeaux, Cyprien Landreneau, and Amar Devillier;
2nd - Joseph "Rigo" Fontenot;
3rd - two way - Noe Young and Estelle Vidrine;

Instrument - Harmonica:
1st - two way tie - Jerry Devillier and Isom Fontenot;
2nd - Deo Langley;
3rd - Hilton Thibodeaux;

Musical group:
1st - two way tie - Amar Devillier group and J.L. Soileau/George Fontenot;

Mamou Jam Session at Cazan Hotel;

Deo Langley and Cyprien Landreneau;
00:21:17 - Jolie Blonde;
00:25:14 - La valse criminelle;

Deo Langley and Jerry Devilier;
00:27:11 - Fiddle Tune (sounds like Blues de cadien);
00:29:50 - Blues Tune;
00:30:55 - Grand Mamou;

Deo Langley - Fiddle;
00:00:12 - Jug au plombeau;
00:03:30 - Eagle Dance;
00:04:40 - La Coulée Rodaire;
00:06:49 - Corrina;
00:10:20 - Les Dégos sont tout malades (contredanse);

Lezan Deville;
00:13:15 - Si j'aurais des ailes;
00:14:24 - Laurita;
00:16:20 - Les deux boeufs et le vieux chariot;
00:21:22 - Chanson de mariage (fragment);
00:22:32 - Laurita;
00:23:39 - Pauline est trop jeune;
00:25:00 - Tom, ton marrions;
00:27:02 - Hack à Moreau;

Emmeline Broussard;
00:00:10 - Petit Paris (original poem);
00:01:50 - La petite Jacqueline (original);

A. B. Dugas - Accordion
Henry Adams - Guitar
00:03:40 - Hicks Wagon Wheel Special;

00:06:10 - John Thibodeaux - Viens me chercher;
00:09:20 - Houston Lejeune - Love Bridge Waltz;
00:11:45 - Hilbert Diaz and Hilton Thibodeaux - Chère Tout tout;
00:14:35 - Bluegrass Boys - Chère 'tite fille;
00:18:13 - Harold Swire (Suire?) - Step It Fast;
00:19:25 - Jerry Devillier - La valse criminelle;

Deo Langley;
00:22:50 - La Coulée Rodaire;
00:25:40 - Les Dégos sont tous malades;

Isom Fontenot;
00:28:12 - La valse de Bayou des Cannes;
00:30:20 - Mardi Gras Song;

Adam Landreneau and Ambrose Thibodeaux;
00:01:25 - La valse de la Louisiane (La valse de cadien);

00:06:35 - Isom Fontenot - Saute crapaud;

Adam Landreneau and Ambrose Thibodeaux;
00:08:45 - German harmonica presented to Isom;
00:10:40 - Two-step à Ambrose;
00:13:25 - Jolie Blonde;
00:17:14 - Chère tout tout;
00:21:05 - Les pinières;
00:23:50 - Radio announcements;
00:25:40 - Treville t'es pas pêcheur;
00:26:55 - La valse de 99 ans (La valse de bambocheur);

Gladdy (Gladdie) Thibodeaux and Sanders Bertrand (vocals);
00:29:05 - La valse de 99 ans;