Ervin LeJeune & Jake Bertrand with the Calcasieu Cajuns- "Lacassine Breakdown"

                                       

It was only natural that Ervin Lejeune follow in his father's footsteps. He remembered as a small child that his father would put him on  his lap and let him play his accordion. Being his father was Iry Lejeune, it would be only a matter of time before people started asking him to play.

Ervin grew up exposed to Cajun music and musicians. At the age of 9 he began playing at dances where the band would let him sit in with them. In 1963, Ervin played at a tribute to his father in Bridge City at the Sparkle Paradise. By 1963, he moved to Sulphur for work and began playing with musicians in the area. One of those musicians he met was Jake Bertrand. 

Jake was playing in a group at the time called the Calcasieu Playboys. The group was started in 1947 by Louis Lopez from Elton. Louis never had a set group of members for his group and sometimes use a pick up band.

 By the late 1960's, the group had members that included Garland Domingue, Atlas Fruge and Lenis Lapoint. The group would play clubs though out southwest Louisiana including the Blue Moon and The Shamrock. Sadly, Louis never made any recordings with the group and passed away in the 1970's. It seems when Jake took over the group they changed the name to the Calcasieu Cajuns.

But it was in the late 1960's when Ervin met up with the group and started playing with them. Buck Records was a early label of Clinton "C.E." Diehl out of Jennings. It was around this time that the Calcasieu Cajuns with Ervin recorded one 45 rpm record for the Buck label. The record seems to be the first recordings of Ervin.

At Diehl's studio in Jennings, the group recorded a cover of one of Iry's first recordings called "Lacassine Special" and titled it "Lacassine Breakdown". 

Ervin's accordion playing on the record shows a eerie resemblance to his father's playing. On the recording with him was Jake Bertrand on fiddle, Atlas Fruge on steel, Lennis Lapoint on guitar, Elwell Brashear on bass and Tan Benoit on drums.

As for the Calcasieu Cajuns, the group disbanded after Jake Bertrand became ill and passed away. Ervin had been playing with Jake's son Robert and would join him in the Louisiana Ramblers.

                                    

Session info:

ERWIN LEJEUNE, JAKE BERTRAND + THE CALCASIEU CAJUNS

V/acdn, Jake Bertrand (fdl), Atlas Fruge (st-g), Lenis Lapoint (g), Elwell Brashear 

(b), Tan Benoit (d)

C.H.Diehl Studio, Jennings LA 1971

SH 1575 Calcasieu Playboys waltz Buck 501

SH 1576 Lacassine breakdown Buck 501

Resources

Ron Yule- Iry Lejeune- Wailin the Blues

Ron Yule- Cajun Dancehall Heyday

with thanks to Jesse Lege and Jo El Sonnier

Iry Le June Jr- "Love Bridge Waltz"

A artist that recorded for Goldband Records was listed as "Iry Le June Jr.". To some this name draws puzzled looks and questions. Who was Iry Le June Jr.? This artist recorded 2 records for Goldband and Jador. But the idenity of the artist is none other than Ervin J. Lejeune, Iry's oldest child, who was not named for his famous father.


Ervin began playing at house dances around the age of nine or ten. He played his father's accordion around the house but his mother Wilma, keep it guarded. In 1963, Ervin played at a tribute to Iry at the Sparkle Paradise in Bridge City. By 1966, Ervin moved to Sulphur for work and began playing with musicians in the area. He was underage at the time and club owners would let him sneak in and play.


Ervin had been playing with Jake and Robert Bertrand at clubs in the late 1960's. After some time, Ervin joined the Louisiana Ramblers. Robert wanted to record and talked Ervin into recording, even though he was leery of Eddie Shuler and his buisness practices. This uneasiness came from Iry's unfavorable dealings with Eddie and Goldband. Ervin wanted to step out on his own playing music as a solo act.

In the early 1970's, Ervin set up a recording session at Goldband like his father before him, with the recordings being produced by Eddie Shuler. "Lawtell Two Step" and "Love Bridge Waltz" was recorded with Robert Betrand on fiddle. When Ervin went to the studio to pick up some records to sell, he discovered Eddie had used the Iry Le June Jr tag and a argument ensued. Eddie had used this as a tactic to sell more records and Ervin, who was trying to establish his own musical identity wasn't happy. This conflict between Ervin and Eddie over mislabeling would happen once more before Ervin had had enough.


Joining Ervin on the session was Robert Bertrand on fiddle, Ronnie Anderson on drums, and T-June Benoit on guitar.


Reflecting on the session and dealing with Shuler, Ervin stated:

"Iry had already been down that path before and I decided not to go there."

Ervin continued playing at festivals throughout Louisiana and Texas. He recorded with the Calcasieu Cajuns, Louisiana Ramblers, and the Sundown Playboys. Along the way he also took up accordion building. He passed away on January 26, 2018.

Resources
Ron Yule-Iry Lejeune- Wailin'The Blues Cajun Style