Robert Bertrand- "Drunkard's Two Step"

 

                                                

Elias "Bobby" Leger was the leader of the Lake Charles Playboys and was among the many accordion players born in the Rayne area. Bobby also had a offshore job with Chevron Oil. He was always worried that Chevron would be upset; if they thought he wasn't getting enough rest when he was home and did not want his name on the record. So the records were sold under Robert Bertrand's name.

Robert Bertrand was influenced growing up by his relatives playing music and started playing at a young age. He played with Iry LeJeune and was a member of Nathan Abshire's Pinegrove Boys.  He soon joined Bobby Leger's group, The Lake Charles Playboys.

Bobby never did like singing and because of this he was always in need of Robert to handle vocals and fiddle. Bertrand understood the situation and took full advantage of it many times. Sometimes Robert would hold out for more money and would often walk out because some other band offered more money. There were times Bobby would play for free so he could pay Robert Bertrand.

Here Robert and the Playboys cut "Drunkard's Two Step", which conjured up woozy images of Saturday night revelers absent mindedly tripping over the dance floor. On the recordings is Bobby on accordion, his son Leroy on drums, Robert on vocals and fiddle and the steel guitar of Louis Fournerat. Recorded in 1959, this is pure Cajun honky tonk.

Hier au soir j'ai été au bal

J'ai été mais moi tout seul

Pus personne qui voulait me recevoir

Mais je m'ai saouler 'sus mon bon vieux whisky

Ma belle-mère, alle était si cassée

Mon beau-père il était de bonne humeur

Ils ont passé la journée avec moi

On s'a saouler sur un bon vieux whisky

Mon vieux cheval il est proche crevé

Pus de maïs dans mon magasin

J'ai tout vendu à l'enfer

Pour moi faire mon bon vieux whisky

Mon linge il est tout déchiré

Pus de manière pour moi aller à la mer

J'ai pus rien pour me tracasser

Mais j'vas m'saouler 'sus mon bon vieux moonshine

Bobby and Robert both had long recording careers. Bobby went on to record for Miller on various labels, and Robert for Eddie Shuler's labels. 

One has to wonder about the record. J.D. Miller stopped using the "Fais Do Do" label in 1949 and introduced his "Feature" label. He used the Feature label until 1955. When the rock and roll era hit, Cajun music became obsolete. J.D. abandoned Cajun music for the new market of Southern blues and rock and roll.

In 1957 Floyd Soileau started recording and releasing Cajun on his label. Not having a studio, he used Miller's in Crowley. Perhaps J.D. saw the new interest in Cajun music; because in 1959 he revived the Fais Do Do label to release Robert and the Playboys on 45 rpm. Also in 1959, J.D. would introduce two new labels devoted to Cajun music. 

He would go on to use the Fais Do Do label one more time with a collaboration between Robert Bertrand and a hot new accordion player named Jo El Sonnier.

                                        

AND THE LAKE CHARLES PLAYBOYS (1000)

V/fdl, Bobby Leger (acdn),Louis Fournerat (st-g) .Leroy Leger (d)

J.D.Miller Studio, Crowley LA: 1959

F 401 Lost love waltz Fais-Do-Do 1000

F 402 Drunkard’s two step FDD 1000, BCD17206

Resources

Broven- South To Louisiana

Lyle Ferbrache- Acadian All Star Special

lyrics- cajunlyrics.com

Jimmie Choates and His Fiddle- "Little Petite"

Jimmy Choates was born November 23, 1921 not far from Abbeville. Growing up had three brothers: Joseph, John and Charles. All four of them started playing music at a early age. Being a distant cousin of Harry Choates, he used the same style as his cousin. He wasn't shy about using the Choates name and used it to his advantage.

One of his first jobs was playing with the Abbeville Playboys on KVOL in 1948. Soon he had his own band where he played fiddle and guitar. They played Cajun fiddle music, country and western, western swing and the occasional pop hit of the day. The band had no trouble finding work and they first recorded for J.D. Miller's Fais Do Do label in 1948. In the 1950's they recorded 2 records for the Khoury's label.

By 1961, the music was changing. Jimmy and his band recorded one side for Eddie Shuler's Goldband label in Lake Charles. They recorded two songs; "Little Petite" and "The Last Waltz". On "Little Petite", Jimmy's fiddle playing is in fine shape on the recording. Sadly, there's no steel guitar on the recording and is replaced with a over dubbed piano. 




When the music business slowed down, Jimmy and his brother would take their families and head to Houston for work outside of the music business. Outside of agriculture, jobs around Abbeville were hard to come by. Jimmy and his brother would keep busy, working day jobs and booking dates around Beaumont, Houston and Port Arthur. 

He continued recording after the Goldband in 1961. In the 60's he made two more records, one for Miller's Cajun Classics and finally in 1967 for the O'Day label. It is said that he also recorded for Gold Star, like Harry before him, but those recordings seem to have gone unissued. He passed away March 29, 1990.


Resources
Acadian All Star Special- Lyle Ferbrache
Cajun Records 1946-1989- Nick Leigh
Early Cajun Music Blog

Robert Bertrand and Jo El Sonnier- "Memphis"

Robert Bertrand was influenced growing up by his relatives playing music and started playing at a young age. He played with Iry Lejune and was a member of Nathan Abshire's Pinegrove Boys.  He soon joined Bobby Leger's group, The Lake Charles Playboys. After a while he started his own band called "The Louisiana Ramblers". They recorded for J.D. Miller's labels, Fais Do Do and Cajun Classics.

 Jo El was influenced by Iry Lejune growing up.  He won many  accordion contests before recording with Swallow at 13 years old. When he finished school, he moved to Lake Charles where he joined Bertrand's Louisiana Ramblers.

Miller started his record label after the success of Harry Choate's "Jole Blon". He started the Fais Do Do label in 1946 and continued it until 1949. He then recorded Cajun Music on Feature Records from 1950-1954.



In the late 50's, Miller started recording Cajun music again. Although he stopped using the Fais Do Do label in 1949, he mysteriously brought it back in 1959 for a Robert Bertrand release. He then used it once more in 1965 for a recording of Bertrand and Jo El Sonnier.










The 1965 recording with Jo El doing a cover of Chuck Berry's "Memphis"  backed with "Mother's Day Waltz" was more successful. This time around it was the new group; Robert Bertrand and His Louisiana Ramblers. Around this time, Rock and Roll and Swamp Pop dominated over Cajun Music. Some of the musicians mixed  Cajun music with Rock and Roll to create some truly interesting results. Just as Johnnie Allan mixed the accordion with Chuck Berry's "The Promised Land",  Sonnier and Bertrand added Cajun accordion and fiddle to compliment this unique cover.

On the 1965 recording of "Memphis" and "Mother's Day Waltz",  Jo El sang the lead backed by Bertrand, Hilrae Mott, Herman Rhodes, Dusty Rhodes, and  Garland Domingue. In 1966, Jo El would go on to record with Bertrand on Goldband after these recordings . Afterwards Jo-El would start his solo career on Goldband. Robert Bertrand would have a string of recordings on Goldband through the 70's.

Resources

John Broven- South To Louisiana

Lyle Ferbrache-Acadian All Star Special