Leroy Broussard- "Lemonade Song"

                                        

The history of Cajun music is filled with songs that have been passed down, borrowed from and rearranged. "Lemonade Song" is among those songs and is filled with interesting history.

The song's beginnings start with a recording by Columbus Fruge in 1929 called "Point Clear Blues". Jimmie Choates transformed the song into "Petite Negres" in 1948 along with Blackie Dartez. The song was recorded again in 1957 by a musician from Rayne who named it as "Lemonade Song".

Leroy Broussard was born November 8, 1921 to parents who played the accordion. Like many families, Leroy's family made the move from South Louisiana to Texas following work. Growing up, Leroy listened to Nathan Abshire, Lawrence Walker and J.B. Fuselier. When Leroy was twelve years old he moved back to Louisiana and for a while even played with Nathan Abshire.

He moved back to Texas in 1948 and started playing with Joe Cormier's band; playing every day except Monday's. Leroy recalls:

"They'd come from Houston, they'd come from all over, and they went for the French music. They had people who had come to that bandstand and said they had never heard it, but they liked it."

Leroy and his band, The Happy-Go Luckies, became a big hit at the B.O. Sparkle Club around this time. He continued to play in Texas for nine years, then he quit. He came back to Louisiana and worked in the oilfield for some time, then he started working for the city of Lafayette and began playing music again. He would eventually return to Texas and run the Sparkle Paradise for a while.

After 1955, Eddie Shuler was focused on recording more Cajun musicians. He had had some success with Sidney Brown's accordion based recordings and was open to record Leroy when he came to his studio and recorded "Lemonade Song".

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.

Moi je bois du vin et moi je mange des dattes, et tout ça, ça me coute pas rien,

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 de Kary-On.

His band at this time consisted of himself on accordion, Freeman Hanks on fiddle, Robert Thibodeaux on drums and Charlie Babineaux on guitar. Leroy and his band would record only four songs at Goldband studio, he would go on to record for La Louisianne and also Kajun Records. He would continue to claim he wrote "Lemonade Song". One night Leroy met legendary accordionist, Moise Robin at a bar and struck up a conversation about songs. Leroy insisted he wrote the song and Moise reminded him that Columbus Fruge wrote it first. The argument became heated and Moise told Leroy:

"I told him, "You're wrong!"  He got angry.  I said, "Okay, but someday I might find 'Boy' Fruge's record, and even if I have to go to your home, I'll find out where you live and I will show you that it's not you who made that record."

                                       

Resources:

Ann Savoy- Cajun Music Volume 2

Wade Falcon- Early Cajun Music blog

Session info:

LE ROY BROUSSARD & HIS FRENCH ACCORDION BAND (1048) 

V/acdn, Freeman Hanks (fdl), Charlie Babineaux (g), Robert Thibodeaux (d), 

Goldband Studio, Lake Charles LA; 1957

-A Lemonade song Goldband 1048

Cleveland Crochet and His Hillbilly Ramblers- Sugar Bee

When Cleveland Crochet was 12 years old he built his first fiddle out of a cigar box, beginning his journey that would lead to a hit record and years as a regular on the Cajun dance circuit. 

He had recorded for Folk Star and Khoury's in the mid 50's. He originally named his group The Hillbilly Ramblers. But he and his band had been working on a new sound. Eddie Shuler of Goldband Records was always looking for new sounds to record. He found it with Cleveland and his group's new take on Cajun Rock and Roll.
Eddie Shuler recalls:

"One day in 1960, they walked into my office. They had something they wanted me to hear. I knew at last I had found the sound I was looking for. We set a date and the result was 'Sugar Bee'."

It featured Cleveland on fiddle, "Shorty" LeBlanc on accordion, Jay Stutes on steel guitar and vocals, Charlie Babineaux on guitar, Bradley Stutes on bass and Cliff Newman on drums. Although the group had been together for 6 years with only moderate success; they now had a hit on their hand.

The song featured Jay's shouting vocals, roaring accordion from LeBlanc and a short solo from Crochet. "Sugar Bee" stood out because it was sung in English and the accordion was made to sound like a blues harmonica.

Shuler took the record to Beaumont's KJET in hopes of getting airplay. The DJ there was Eddie's old friend Clarence Garlow, and he assured him it was a hit. After getting airplay on KJET, the record took off and had the station's switchboard lit up for weeks.

Goldband had national distrubution by Bill Lowery's NRC organization out of Atlanta. When NRC filed for bankruptcy afterwards, the sales were hurt. Goldband escaped the episode and regrouped. The record continued in the same fashion where Shuler assumed the writing credits for most of the records he released. Sadly not giving credit to the real songwriters.

Cleveland and his group tried to follow up the success of "Sugar Bee" with other songs in the Cajun rock and roll format to no avail. As so happens after the arrival of success, the group went their separate ways. The sounds they created could never be duplicated. Jay Stutes took over as leader from Cleveland when the band was renamed the Sugar Bees. 
They resorted to a more traditional style of Cajun music, playing clubs around the Golden triange. They split up in 1965 when Shorty LeBlanc passed away. Jay joined Blackie Foriester's group and even showed up on Jo El Sonnier's album in 1980.

                                                       
 Cleveland Crochet -Sugar Bee
 Goldband 1106
Recorded at Goldband Studios, Lake Charles, La
1960                                                         

 Resources
 John Broven- South To Louisiana