Andrew Cormier and the Rambling Aces- "Seventy Three Special"

                                         

Andrew Cormier was born in 1936 and raised in Church Point. Growing up, his father played the harmonica. On New Year's Eve he would go to his grandmother's house where they played the accordion, mandolin and guitar. He grew up working as a sharecropper on Roy Horecky's land. He grew tired of Roy and his slave driving ways and went to Texas.

He found a job driving trucks and delivering freight for his brother-in-law in Beaumont. While in Texas, his brother-in-law took him to a dance to see C.J. Broussard and the Band Busters. C.J. was playing the drums and Tan Benoit was playing the accordion. But later on C.J. and Tan got into a fight and Tan was fired, leaving Andrew to play the accordion.

Andrew went on to play at the 73 Club in Winnie where he met Huey Meaux, who was a barber at the time. At the time the original Rambling Aces consisted of Harry Trehan, Roland Ledet, Hillman Doucet, but Andrew soon took over the band. Rodney LeJeune soon joined the group after Hurricane Audrey pushed him into Texas to find work.

By 1958, the Rambling Aces in Winnie consisted of Andrew, Rodney LeJeune,Roland Ledet, Chat Deville, Aaron Higginbotham with Huey Meaux on drums. The group cut their first record for Floyd Soileau's Swallow Records. "The Seventy Three Special" and "Dans La Misere" was recorded at KPAC radio station in Port Arthur and sold a astounding 500 copies. 

Hey tite monde, moi je assis moi tout seul

Plus personne pour m'aimer moi tout seul

comment je vas faire

Oh malheureuse moi je assis sur l' borde mon lit 

Mon chaplet dans ma mains apres prier pour tu t'en viens

Oh tite fille moi je assis moi tout seule

Moi j' aimerais tu t' en viens une autre

fois avant mourir

Oh chere tite couer moi je assis moi

tout seul

Moi j'aimerais tu t’en viens nous rejoinde

au seventy-three

At this point Huey wasn't just the drummer for the group, he was acting as the manager for the group. He was the one who got in touch with Floyd Soileau at Swallow Records. Floyd recalls:

"Huey was a disc jockey in Texas and he played some of our music over there on that radio station. Then he decided he wanted to make a little bit of money as a booking agent for these bands, and so he started recording them at the radio station and he wanted a label to put it on, so he sent me the copies of the tape and said "If you want to put 'em out, you can put 'em out." So, I did."

Andrew would cut two more records for Swallow before joining Huey Meaux's Crazy Cajun label. Andrew and the Aces went on to set the standard for the Texas dancehall scene, playing at the Rodair Club for 28 years.

One night at the Rodair Club, Andrew's idol, Lawrence Walker, came to see Andrew play. Andrew remembers:

He called me 'Tit Boy. I asked him, "Nonc Lawrence, do you want to play a couple of songs?" He said, No, not now." So I played a couple songs and then Lawrence got on the bandstand and told me, "I'd never thought when you was a kid that you'd pick up on my style."

Cajun musician and historian, Michael Dupuy reports that there are two recorded versions of this song with different lyrics and instrumentation.

Resources

Thanks to Michael Dupuy for help and guidance

Lyrics- Michael Dupuy

John Broven- South to Louisiana

Ann Savoy- Cajun Music Vol 2.

photos-Ann Savoy: Cajun Music Vol 2

interview with Floyd Soileau

Session info

HUEY MEAUX - ANDREW CORMIER AND THE RAMBLING ACES

(Jin 104 and 106)

Andrew Cormier (v-2/acdn), Rodney LeJune (LeJeune) (v-1/d), Shaw-ee Deville

(fdl), Aaron Higginbotham, Roland Ledet (g), unknown g

KPAC Radio Station, Port Arthur TX: 1958

J8OW 7466 Seventy three special-2 Jin 104