Center for Louisiana Studies Archival Catalog

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'

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

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

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

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

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

Repeat of the interviews on SA1-050 and SA1-051

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

00:10 - 1st part of Jolie Blonde using "pull/push" method slowed down;
08:30 - bridge of Jolie Blonde slowed down;
09:50 - Unknown title - Fast fiddle tune;
12:40 - Second half of the Jolie Blonde bridge;
15:00 - Both parts of Jolie Blonde normal speed;
16:10 - Standard A440 tuning;
17:30 - Unisons, Octaves, Chords
25:00 - Low fiddle tunings
26:10 - Perrodin two step slowed down
29:40 - Intro to shuffle bowing
30:25 - Perrodin two step full speed
31:25 - Doubling B flat chords

Tape degraded at the beginning, cleans up after first minute or so.

00:05 - Fiddle and guitar version of Jolie Blonde;
06:15 - Fiddle and guitar version of Perrodin two step;
08:30 - Fiddle and guitar version of Grandpa's Waltz;
11:45 - Fiddle and guitar version of La valse des grands bois;
13:00 - Fiddle and guitar version of Les barres de la prison;
15:12 - Fiddle and guitar version of the Mardi Gras Song;
18:00 - Demonstration of sliding and bending notes for Port Arthur Blues;
21:45 - Rolling notes;
22:20 - Chère bébé Créole;
26:18 - Demonstrating trills with Danse Carré

KAJUN -5039

Side A
La special des jours de minuit
Mémoirs de Mama
La valse sans espoir
Marche vite
La valse du Bayou Teche

Side B
Le special du Bayou Noir;
Les larmes cadjines
Arret de trainailles dans mes souliers
Quand j'etais pauvre
Petits yeux noirs

0:00:30 – "Toutes les Soirs”
0:02:30 – Finding corner posts & choosing strings to play on
0:04:35 – Variations of G chord on second fiddle
0:06:16 – Supporting the lead with second fiddle
0:08:16 – Le Bourdon (droning)
0:10:04 – “Les Flammes D’enfer” seconding
0:11:24 – Carrying the beat
0:14:16 – “Perrodin Two Step”
0:21:29 – “Lovebridge Waltz”
0:24:03 – “Quoi Faire”
0:25:04 – Loosening up
0:27:51 – G in an A position & a little grace note
0:30:09 – A chord positions
0:31:02 – E chord positions
0:34:40 – “Madame Sosthene” in A
0:43:27 – Little run
0:44:17 – Don't forget the grace notes
0:48:18 – Moving positions; a double stop
0:55:28 – “Canadian waltz”
1:02:32 – Working on contrasting/complementing leader before rhythm
1:04:27 – Learning to place runs and double stops
1:04:57 – “Love Bridge Waltz”
1:07:55 – Developing individual style
1:08:35 – Carol England playing Dewey’s exact style
1:10:46 – Making sure runs end in the right place (DL’s singing)
1:11:48 – “Love Bridge Waltz”
1:14:20 – Options in A
1:16:02 – “Lake Arthur Stomp"
1:20:16 – “Louisiana Waltz”
1:21:31 – Walk down
1:25:31 – Hearing a harmony
1:28:31 – More grace notes
1:28:43 – Learning a run
1:34:40 – Playing without backup
1:39:32 – “Love Bridge Waltz”
1:44:44 – 1:46:00 – No sound
1:48:07 – “Les Flammes D’enfer”
1:49:20 – Second fiddle changing chords to keep harmony
1:55:19 – Cajun fiddles contradict but harmonize with each other
1:55:39 – “J'étais au Bal”
2:02:13 – Complementing the lead fiddle
2:04:16 – “Louisiana Waltz”
2:06:56 – 2:08:06 – No sound
2:10:44 – Bow work
2:22:07 – “Port Arthur Blues”
2:26:08 – “Fifteen-Year-Old Waltz”
2:33:28 – Cajun bridges
2:33:54 – Second fiddle accent on pulling bow down
2:34:42 – “Perrodin Two Step”
2:40:07 – “Fifteen-Year-Old Waltz”
2:42:48 – 2:43:09 – No sound
2:43:20 – “Fifteen-Year-Old Waltz”
2:44:18 – Watching Dewey’s bow arm
2:45:40 – Adding shuffling part
2:48:31-2:48:50 – No sound
2:52:43 – Seconding practice
2:53:14 – Melody comes in
2:55:32 – Feedback
2:57:34 – “Lovebridge Waltz” w/ Peter on lead fiddle
3:01:51 – Seconding technique w/ more Cajun rhythm
3:04:04 – 3:04:13 – No sound
3:04:13 – Single string seconding
3:12:45 – Contrasting the lead fiddle
3:15:14 – 3:16:00 – No sound
3:16:04 – “Beautiful rosy cheeks”
3:19:10 – Freedom in Cajun music

00:00 – "Chere Mom”
01:55 – “Louisiana Waltz”
07:25 – “Steppin Fast”
11:43 – "Valse de Bélizaire”
16:47 – “The Back Door”
20:50 – “Faded Love”
24:43 – "Valse de Grand Chemin”
27:33 – “Port Arthur Blues”
30:40 – “J’etais au Bal”
35:42 – “Choupique Two Step”
39:40 – “En Bas du Chêne Vert”
42:59 – "Chere Mom”

0:00:01: “Lovebridge Waltz”
0:02:37 – “Choupique Two Step”
0:05:32 – “Valse de Bélizaire”
0:10:19 – Duralde Waltz
0:14:10 – “J’etais au Bal”
Silent bit
0:18:54 – Dennis McGee Tune (with Michael Doucet)
0:20:04 – “Flammes D’enfer”
0:23:04 – Saying goodbye
0:24:16 – “Flammes D’enfer”
0:27:57 – “Tits Yeux Noir”
0:31:41 – “Lacassine Special”
0:35:44 – La valse de Grand Bois
0:39:31 – Saturday Night Special
0:43:33 – “Kaplan Waltz”
0:47:51 – “Choupique Two-Step”
0:53:26 – “B.O. Sparkle Waltz”
0:57:48 – “Veuve de la Coulee”
0:58:47-0:59:01 – no sound
0:59:14 – “J’ai Vu le Lou, le Renard, et la Belette”
1:04:08 – “Old Fashion Two Step”

00:01 – “Mulberry Waltz”
03:26 – “Midnight Playboy Special”
05:02 – "La Valse de Tout L’monde”
07:44 – “Les Veuves de la Coulée”
10:26 – “Mamou Two Step”
12:18 – “Faire Attention C’est Mon Coeur Qui Vas Casser”
15:12 – "Mom Je Suis Toujours Ton Petit Garçon”
18:45 – Unnamed Waltz
21:33 – “Laisse-moi parler à ton coeur”
24:36 – “La valse de famille”

00:26 – Playing for a sit-down crowd vs. a dance
01:27 – Mark Savoy’s and D.L. Menard’s manufacturing businesses
04:22 – “C’est dans la Coeur de la Ville”
08:29 – Instruments in newer Cajun music
10:23 – “Perrodin Two-Step”
13:35 – Cajun jigs and reels
15:58 – “Mardi Gras Jig”
18:22 – Southwestern Louisiana Mardi Gras traditions
20:42 – Different Louisiana dialects
22:46 – “Les Traces de Mon Buggy”
27:44 – “Les Zydeco Sont Pas Sale”
32:19 – “Jambalaya”
37:53 – “Wafus Two Step”
40:18 – "Valse de Grand Chemin”
45:06 – Second fiddle before the accordion