Jesse Lege was born north of Gueydan in 1951. He was the fifth of nine children and he grew up listening to Cajun French at a young age. He recalls listening to a old battery radio that sat in the window; his chair was not ever far from it.
He had a cousin that would come by and bring instruments, which they would play outside. He loaned him a Truetone box guitar and Jesse picked on it learning from a hand printed sheet with chords on it. Soon he bought a harmonica from Western Auto and play on it and his cousin's accordion whenever he could.
His cousin, Elson Mier, came by one weekend and Jesse played his accordion for him. Elson was impressed and told Jesse's father he should get him one. But the sharecropping job and side work his father was doing was enough to get by; not much else. Elson ended up loaning him one to learn on.
He started a family band at 17 and they had a few light playing gigs. Blackie Fruge stopped in one night at their show at Henry's Cafe in Midland to watch them play. Blackie's brother was looking to get the Moonlight Serenaders back together and they needed a accordion player. Jesse joined on but still played with his band as well.
From the Moonlight Serenaders, he played with Ronnie Fruge and the Cajun Kings, then Hicks Wagon Wheel Ramblers. When Joe Bonsall went into brief retirement, Jesse took his place. The band became the original Jeff Davis Ramblers, but most all of the members changed out.
Circle D Records was run by Clinton "C.E." Diehl. He ran a TV service in Jennings but also ran the Circle D, Buck and Wagon Wheel labels. Jesse had met him when he was with the Cajun Kings years before. C.E. wanted Jesse to record for the Circle D label and Jesse had some songs in mind.
It was in 1987 when Jesse and the Ramblers entered the studio to record "Jeff Davis Ramblers Special". Jesse modeled the song from Adam Hebert's "My Rope and Spurs". Joining him on the recording was Ed Credeur on fiddle, Atlas Fruge on steel guitar, Frick Laove on guitar and Morris Newman on drums.
Resources
Conversations with Jesse Lege
Photo -Wade Falcon
Nick Leigh- Cajun Records 1946-1989
Session info
V/acdn, Ed Credeur (fdl), Atlas Fruge (st-g), Frick Laove (g), Morris Newman (d), C.H.Diehl Studio, Jennings LA: c1987 LH 25004 Memories in my heart Circle D 1008 LH 25005 Jeff Davis special (instrumental) Circle D 1008
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