His first job performing was at the Evangeline Club in Ville Platte. Dewey Balfa started playing with him locally as well. But after Maurice got married, he didn't play dances as much. And during a time in the late 1930's and early 1940's, the accordion went down locally with string bands dominating the musical scene.
Maurice recalls J.B. Fuselier bringing back the accordion:
"It was J.B. who started having more accordion. At the old fais do-do's, he would play with a string band; but he would bring an accordion. He'd play dances just on the accordion. The people went crazy for that. It started there."
Maurice soon started playing the accordion again as well. He played locally in his area with his group; The Mamou Playboys. In 1962, he and his band recorded for Swallow Records in Ville Platte. Floyd remembered them in a interview I did with him:
"He's a great accordion player! He and his son, they needed to make a record, so they came to see me and I recorded that in my studio."
The group returned in 1963 and recorded the "Eunice Two Step" with Maurice on the accordion, Allen West on the steel guitar, Vorrance Barzas on the drums and Roy Fontenot on the fiddle. Sadly this would be the last time the group recorded.
Judging by the four songs the group recorded, they were one of the best of this time. Floyd recalls they didn't have many songs and at this point on his label, he thought he had enough Cajun records by different bands.
As for Maurice and the Mamou Playboys, they started playing at Snook's in Ville Platte every Saturday night. The group continued this tradition for thirty five years.
Resources
Wade Falcon
Ann Savoy- Cajun Music Vol 2
Session info
Acdn, Roy Fontenot (v-1/fdl), Allen West (g), st-g, Vorrance Barzas (v-2/d)
Swallow Studio, Ville Platte LA: 1963
S 6380 Eunice two step-2 Sw 10141
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