Nathan Abshire- "Lemonade Song"

                                                    
The 1960's were the beginning of a Cajun Cultural renaissance. Interest in more traditional Cajun music emerged after years of Rock, Pop and Country influence and one of the leaders was a accordion pioneer; Nathan Abshire.

Nathan's popularity rose in the late 1940's recording for the Khoury's label. The label slowly faded out of the Cajun music scene and the beginning of the 1960's found him recording for J.D. Miller. While Nathan and his new band made some great recordings on the label; Nathan wasn't happy with Miller's antics.

By 1963, he wanted out. Floyd Soileau had started up a label and was having success releasing traditional Cajun music. Nathan approached Floyd about recording for Swallow Records in the mid 1960's. Sadly, Nathan was still under contract with Miller at this time. Nathan ended up hiring a lawyer to get out of contract with Miller to record with Floyd.

Floyd Soileau recalls:

“I went to see him when he was working at the Basile dump, People were starting to cover ‘Pine Grove Blues’ and I researched the song at BMI but couldn’t find it. Khoury never registered the song but Nathan had recorded it as ‘Pinegrove Blues’ for J.D. Miller. He registered it at BMI, but wasn’t paying Nathan royalties. I told Nathan that if he signed a publishing contract with me, I could get him his writer’s royalties. I took him to a notary and he put his X on a contract. I cleared the song with BMI. J. D. contested it, but I had a contract. J.D. claimed his got burned in fire. But Dewey Balfa, who played on the Miller sessions, said nobody signed anything with J. D.”

So in the 1965, Nathan gave recording another try. He assembled a band who had recorded with him earlier in the decade. Dewey Balfa had recorded before as a Pine Grove Boy and had a good working relationship and friendship with Nathan. Their musical careers would continue till Nathan's death. Junior Benoit and Thomas Langley were also mainstays in Nathan's band at this point.

In 1966 they entered Floyd's and recorded a number of sides at the Swallow studio in Ville Platte. Nathan knew he needed to cut some 45's to help with local bookings, so at this session; Nathan and the Pine Grove Boys reworked a song Columbus Fruge had recorded in 1929 as "Point Clear Blues". 

Moi j'aime cousin et moi j'aime cousine mais j'aime mieux la cuisinière.  
Samedi, ce soir, moi courir au bal, je m'ai saoulé comme un gros cochon. 
Dimanche matin, il est tout manière malade,
Passez lui le verre à limonade.

L'hiver arrive, l'hiver arrive, ton p'tit nég a pas de couverte,
Samedi, ce soir, l'ai courir au bal, je m'ai saoulé comme un gros cochon,
Dimanche matin, j'ai tout manière malade, 
Passez moi le verre à limonade.

Moi j'aime cousin et moi j'aime cousine mais j'aime mieux la cuisinière.  
Samedi, ce soir, moi courir au bal, moi saoulé comme un gros cochon. 
Dimanche matin, il est tout manière malade,
Passez moi le verre à limonade.

Nathan had paid tribute to earlier pre war Cajun songs before. He had transformed the Segura  Brothers "Mosquito Ate My Sweetheart" into "La Valse De Holly Beach"and turned "Fe Fe Ponchaux" into the "Musical Five Special". Previously, Leroy Broussard had recorded a version of the "Lemonade Song" in 1957 for Goldband, but it seems Nathan's version is the most well known version and rightfully so.

From 1965 to 1972 Nathan recorded for Swallow Records with great success and it seems these recordings are what he's best remembered for. Nathan hit his stride as a recording artist in these years, turning out a string of remarkable records for the Swallow label.

Floyd Soileau remembers:

“That was when I had my first little studio. “We did some things with the Balfas and some with other musicians Nathan rounded up.  If you sold 1,500 copies of a Cajun single, then you jumped up and shouted ‘Hooray.’ Most of Nathan’s singles did 1,500 to 2,000, with a lot being sold to juke box operators."

With this new success, Nathan appeared with Dewey Balfa and The Balfa Brothers at the Newport Folk Festival in 1967. Along with Dewey , Nathan devoted much of his time in the 1960's and 70's to promoting Cajun music through appearances at festivals, colleges, and schools throughout the United States. Nathan stayed with Swallow until the mid-1970's when Soileau slowed down his recording activities.

                                      

AND HIS PINE GROVE BOYS (10170, 10173 & 10175)
V-1/acdn, Dewey Balfa, Dewey Balfa and Will Balfa (fdl), Darius LeBlanc, Junior
Benoit (g), Thomas Langley (d)
Swallow Studio, Ville Platte LA: 1966



Resources
Picturing the Cajun Revival: Swallow Records, Album Art, and Marketing
Early Cajun Music Blog
https://64parishes.org/entry/dewey-balfa