Folklore cajun (7) - 1940-1950
1940s-50s
Description : Early local recordings after World War II, from regional labels like Feature, Fais Do-Do, Folkstar, Opera, etc. Special thanks to Lyle Ferbrache for his generous contributions to preserving and documenting this little known era of Cajun music! More essay to come.
The great Harry Choates is surely in everyone's Cajun Music Hall of Fame. He made an important contribution to local pride with his wildly popular version of the crossover hit, Jolie Blon, to the point that some people still call it the Cajun national anthem! A short but brilliant life, some would say wasted, he was a casualty in his twenties of a raucous, honky tonk life style, but boy was he fun when he was on! His signature cry Eh Ha Ha! epitomized the music of the 1940s and early 50s at its most joyous. Hear Oh Mignonne, a swing reworking of Leo Soileau and Mayeuse Lafleur's Ton Papa M'a Jete Dehors from the 20s! You might think the fiddling on C'est Pas La Peine (What's the Use?) sounds suspiciously like Nashville, but no, it's the other way around! He and fiddlers like Chuck Guillory and Rufus Thibodeaux influenced the Nashville sound immensely. Brilliant!
Valse de Hadacol is one of our theme songs around here. The lyrics are in the form of a testimonial from a satisfied customer thanking Nonc Dudley, i.e. Dudley J. LeBlanc, the maker of this "miracle" tonic.
Mon petit garçon a plus des crises
Ma vieille a plus des rhumatismes
Sont plus malades at all at all
Depuis ils ont pris le Hadacol
Sois garanti, tu prends quelque doses
Tes yeux sont claire, tes joues sont roses
Prends quelque bouteilles et je te promets
Tu vas jongler pour courtiser
J’ai fait serment dessus la Bible
Me sentir mieux. C’est pas possible!
Moi qui te dis je peux remercier
Le Hadacol à Nonc Dudley
Si t’as des douleurs mais tout partout
Dans tes jambes et dans ton cou
Si t’as besoin des vitamin
Le Hadacol peut le mettre within
Si les docteurs t’ont décompté
Y a une sauce pour t’as cassé
Y a une chance pour ta santé
Le Hadacol peut te le donner
Viens faire serment dessus la Bible
Te sentir mieux. C’est pas possible!
Moi qui dis qui a remercié
Le Hadacol à Nonc Dudley
"Pendant longtemps j’ai miséré
Sus juste du lait et du pain grillé
Asteur c'est bien, je me bourres des huitres,"
Say Nonc Ignace a L'Anse la Butte
"J’ai pris le tonique à Nonc Dudley
C'est ça ça pris pour m’engraisser
Asteur ma vieille me trouve si mieux
Elle me prend pareil qu’un amoureux."
J’ai fait le serment dessus la Bible
De me sentir mieux. C’est pas possible!
Moi qui dis je peux remercier
Le Hadacol à Nonc Dudley!
transcription by Christian Landry, Daniel Blanchard, and Neal Pomea
Lee Sonnier of Crowley was the first Cajun to record with the accordion following World War II. He was recorded by J.D. Miller in 1946. The "post-War" accordion sound really took off with the Houston-based Opera label release of Iry LeJeune with the Oklahoma Tornadoes, Love Bridge Waltz. If anybody has information on the name of this tune please contact me by e-mail. From there on a slew of accordion players recorded, including Austin Pitre, Nathan Abshire, Lawrence Walker, Lionel Cormier, etc., and a boom was on for dancehall music. The rest, they say, is history!