Austin Pitre- "Opelousas Waltz"

 Austin Pitre was born in 1918 in Ville Platte, in a time when house parties were fading, and dancehalls were replacing them. Austin grew up in this era and it had a heavy influence on his sound. 

Many landmark musicians lived nearby or played dances near where Austin grew up. Fiddlers Douglas Bellard and Leo Soileau were from the area and Amede Ardoin played around the area with Dennis McGee. The music and the life of hard work helped develop Austin's sound through the years.

The Pitre's were sharecroppers working for fifty cents a day. The boss wouldn't even pay his workers till Monday, so they wouldn't waste their money on the weekend. Despite the hard way of life, Austin's father gave him a accordion in hopes that he would learn to play with him at the house parties. Shortly afterwards, Austin learned to play and was playing alongside his father on the weekends.

Austin grew up having to work and supply extra money for his family, by working in the rice fields. He soon made himself a fiddle from a cigar box, spending his evenings watching the rice field water pumps and practicing his fiddle. Austin remembers:

"In those days it was all violins. Grandfather played the violin- they're all dead now... We had songs in the house, in the dancehalls.. we played violins together when we were young. We would play four violins together. Everybody sang in the fields then."

Austin later married and continued on with a hectic schedule, working in the fields or as a mechanic all day, while playing dances at night. During WWII he formed a string band and played for soldiers who came down from Fort Polk. Austin didn't have to go to war, as he was the only son left to help support his family.

After the war, Austin started up his band, The Evangeline Playboys. The group first recorded for J.D. Miller out of Crowley in the late forties, but for his second set of  records in the mid-fifties, he used the help of the Rhythmaires; a band led by Chuck Guillory out of Mamou.

By the late fifties, Austin was working at Bordelon's Ford Garage with Harry LeFleur. Austin would ask Harry is his band, Harry and the Louisiana Aces would work with him to cut a record for Floyd Soileau's Swallow Records. The songs they recorded were well received, so they started working together on a regular basis. The first one they recorded was in October of 1959 and was called "Opelousas Waltz".

He', tit couer, comme moi, je vas faire

Quas, moi, tout seul, chere tit monde, a la maison?

He', tite fille, tu connais j'mennuie de toi, 

quo faire, toi t'es gone, chere tit monde,

maison si loin?

He', catin, quo' faire, toi, t'es comme ca?

Quais apres me quitter moi tout seul dans les miseres?

He', tit monde, tu cannais je m'ennuie de toi,

Ouais, cher tit coeur, viens me rejoindre avant de mourir

Opelousas, Louisiana is an old city and was once an Indian Trading Post. The word Opelousas comes from an old Indian work for "dark or murky water".

"Opelousas Waltz" was among the first records to be made at Floyd Soileau's studio in Ville Platte. In the 1950's and 1960's, Austin and his band played the large dancehall circuit of the time. The band played eight dances a week at the Silver Star, Evangeline Club, Hick's Wagon Wheel- a endless list. Austin also played for KVPI in Ville Platte's Man Store an for KSLO in Opelousas for many years.

Marc Savoy recalled Austin's playing:

" Austin was a very muscular man. He would play his accordion standing without a strap to support the accordion. He had a unusual sense of timing combined with a very intricate, fast technique."

After years of hard work and constant playing, Austin's health went down. Open heart surgery and serious back problems, were too much to handle and he died in 1981.

                                  

Resources

Ann Savoy- Cajun Music Vol. 2

Raymond Francois- Ye Yaille Chere

Session info

AND EVANGELINE PLAYBOYS (106, 108) V-2/acdn, Harry LaFleur (fdl), J Audrey ‘Cabrie’ Menier (v-1/st-g), Dickey Gill (g), Eston Bellow (d) Swallow Studio, Ville Platte LA: October 1959 S-6311

 Opelousas waltz-1 Swallow 106

Austin Pitre and the Evangeline Playboys- "Flum de Faire"

                      

After Austin Pitre passed away in 1981, a box was found in his house of well used 78 rpm records by artists such as Amede Ardoin and Douglas Bellard. His love of the older music was evident from his music he chose to record through the years.

Austin was born in Ville Platte, surrounded by house parties. All of the area's musicians had a great effect on Austin growing up. His family were hard working sharecroppers making little money. His father was a fiddle player and his mother played the accordion. Soon Austin's father gave him a accordion in hopes that he would learn to play and join him at the local house parties.

Austin soon married and balanced the responsibility of working in the fields or as a mechanic all day then playing at dances at night. World War II came and Austin stayed home as he was the only son left to support his family. During this time the accordion popularity went down, Austin formed a string band to play for out of state soldiers. 

He first recorded for J.D. Miller with his group, The Evangeline Playboys. In the following years, Austin and the Playboys played many of the large dancehalls of the time. In 1957 he was recorded by Ed Manuel and the release was released on Big Mamou Records, which would be one of Floyd Soileau's first labels.

Harry LaFleur recalls working with Austin in the early 1950's. He would go watch Austin at the Dixie Club in Eunice and like his playing. At the time both Harry and Austin were working at Bordelon's Ford Garage. Austin asked Harry if he and his band would back him on a record.

Austin's first release in 1959 was on Floyd's Swallow Records. It was a double sided affair, paying tribute to two artists Austin listened to on those 78 rpm records. The A side was a cover of a Amede Ardoin song, but the B side became a hit.

The B side is a cover of a pre war Cajun song recorded by Douglas Bellard. Douglas was a black fiddler from Bellaire Cove, not far from Ville Platte. In 1929, he recorded "Mon Camon La Case Que Je Suis Cordane"; which was also known as "The Flames of Hell". The song is derived from another classic Creole song called "Adieu Rosa".

Austin and his new band recorded their version of the Bellard classic but used the title it was known for; "Flum De Faire" or Flames of Hell. The song is a Cajun classic that Austin made his own with the desperate plea plea to a loved one to "pray for me, save my soul, I am condemned to the flames of hell.."

Hey, maman

T'as tout l'temps dit

J'aurais pleurer

J'vas regret j'sus gone

C'est une belle tite fille

Elle etait si fine

J'sus parti la avec

Pour un bon temp

Quand moi, j'ai vu

J'sus condamné

J'sus condamné

Les flammes d'Enfer

Priez pour moi

Sauvez mon âme

Sauvez mon âme

Les flammes d'Enfer

Hey, maman

Priez pour moi

J'sus condamné

Les flammes d'Enfer

J'ai ité a la porte

Disait 'Tite Tante

Qui c'est qu'est la?

---C'est ton neveu

---Qui c'est tu veux??

Priez pour moi

J'sus condamné

Austin's session was recorded in Floyd's first studio next to the Platte Theatre. Floyd recalls the session:

"I used a delayed echo system that I  devised from using a voice of music recorder and that little space between the recorder head and playback head gave a reverb sound where you could split the mic and feed it back in to get as much echo as you wanted from it. I didn't like the sound at first and held back on releasing it. I finally released it and  it sold well on the jukeboxes and became a hit. My first million seller."

This first record was a hit for Austin and the Evangeline Playboys. Austin recorded extensively for Swallow Records between 1959 and 1971 recording many classic songs. He is largely responsible for keeping some of the old classics alive, many of which he had on the old 78 rpm records. His music is a prime example of the powerful dancehall sound of the time.

Session info

AND EVANGELINE PLAYBOYS

V-2/acdn, Harry LaFleur (fdl), J Audrey ‘Cabrie’ Menier (v-1/st-g), Dickey Gill (g),

Eston Bellow (d)

Swallow Studio, Ville Platte LA: October 1959

S-6312 Flum de faire (Flumes dans faires)

 (Flames of hell)-2 Sw 106

Resources

Conversations with Floyd Soileau

Wade Falcon- Early Cajun Music Blog

Broven- South to Louisiana

Ann Savoy- Liner notes to Arhoolie CD 452

lyrics- cajunlyrics.com

Austin Pitre -"Dont Shake My Tree"

In 1959 Austin Pitre had one of the first biggest hits on Swallow records with "Flum De Faire". He continued on with a series of recordings on Floyd Soileau's Swallow Records. Austin and the Evangeline Playboys made the rounds of the large dancehall circuit of the 50's and 60's. The band played eight dances a week at the Silver Star, Evangeline Club, Hick's Wagon Wheel, Jungle Lounge and on and on.

Austin grew up hearing his parents play music after working in the field all day. On his 6th birthday his father gave him a accordion and by the time he was 11 years old he was playing music with his father. At age 22 he formed his own band, the Evangeline Playboys. His flamboyant playing style and energetic vocals set him apart from other Cajun musicians of the era. Austin and his band became one of the most sought after Cajun bands in the area.

The "don't shake my tree" verse has a long history in popular music, It appears as the chorus of a unpublished song composed by Irving Berlin in 1914. Bessie Smith's "Mamma's Got the Blues" includes the line as well. William Harris's "Hot Time Blues" recorded in 1928 used the phrase as did many popular blues songs. When the Beatles covered Carl Perkins's "Matchbox" they included the "don't shake my tree" verse. What version Austin drew inspiration for his cover is unknown.

Austin and the Evangeline Playboys recorded their version in 1963. It was backed with "Jungle Club Waltz" on Swallow 10146. Playing on the session with Austin was Harry LaFleur on fiddle, J Audrey "Cabrie" Menier on steel, Dickey Gill on guitar and  Eston Bellow on drums. Austin and his band would continue recording  for Swallow until 1971.



Resources
John Broven -South To Louisiana
Wade Falcon