Alex Broussard- "The Year 57"

                                         

Alex Broussard started his recording career with the start of Carol Rachou's La Louisianne Records in 1959. The second record he recorded was a song about one of the deadliest hurricanes to hit south Louisiana named Hurricane Audrey.

Raised in the Acadian area, Alex started playing a variety on instruments at a early age. Growing up he had a musical ear and played a variety of instruments. In 1959 he approached Carol Rachou about recording some songs. 

Carol owned a local stereo and record shop in downtown Lafayette called the Music Mart. He had been experimenting recording a few groups in the back of his store and released them on his Jazz at the Music Mart label. When Alex approached him about recording, he felt it was wrong to release them on this label; so he started La Louisianne Records.

Alex had been playing with his friend, Leroy "Happy Fats" LeBlanc, combining Cajun and country music. Together they played around southwest Louisiana. For the first session in 1959, Alex brought Happy Fats, Doc Guidry and Sleepy Hoffpauir to the recording session.

The second song they recorded was "The Year '57" (L’annee de cinquante sept). The song was about Hurricane Audrey which was the first storm of the 1957 hurricane season and it made landfall on June 27th. It was the deadliest hurricane to strike the United State since 1928. Hurricane Audrey's strong winds generated rough seas offshore Louisiana, with wave heights of 40–50 ft occurring in the Gulf of Mexico. It caused much damage to south Louisiana and the people there.

Dans l'année de cinquante-sept

Dans les mèches de la Louisiane

Droit dans la mer est venu un' lame

Qu'a couvert le sud de l'État

Tous les biens des habitants

Ont flotté sur l'eau salée

On va se rappeler de l'ouragan

Dedans l'année de cinquante-sep

Tous les bêtes de la Grande Chenière

Ont été noyées dedans les mèches

Les habitants de la Pacanière

Ont été ruinés par l'eau salée

Et les résidents des îles

Avec tout le courage du monde

Ont retourné dessus les îles

Dedans l'année de cinquante-sept

Tout le reste de la Louisiane

A prié pour le sud de l'État

La charité a été donnée

Pour les résidents des mèches

Et le monde de Cameron

Avec des larmes dedans les yeux

Ont retourné à Cameron

Dedans l'année de cinquante-sept

Aujourd'hui la Pacanière,

Les Chenières et Cameron

Est le paradis pour les chasseurs

Les pêcheurs et les piégeurs

Dans les mèches de la Louisiane

Les résidents sont tous contents

On va se rappeler de l'ouragan

Dedans l'année de cinquante-sept

Alex continued playing with Happy Fats during the early 1960's. Both Happy and Alex had radio shows on KSIG out of Crowley. They performed at many festivals during this time as well. Their main outlet was "The Marine' Show" which they hosted every Sunday morning on Channel 10, KLFY out of Lafayette.

                                          

Resources

http://www.lalouisiannerecords.com/lalouhis.htm

lyrics- cajunlyrics.com

John Broven- South to Louisiana

Jodie Broussard

Session info

V/g, Doc Guidry, Sleepy Hoffpauir (fdl), Leroy Leblanc (g) remainder unknown,

La Louisianne Studio, Lafayette LA: 1959

8020 The year ’57

(L’annee de cinquante sept) La Louisianne 8020

Happy Fats and Doc Guidry- Bayou Lafourche

                                              



After recording with Happy Fats and the Rayne Bo Ramblers in 1936, Doc Guidry had broke away to form The Sons of the Acadians with his brother Nason and cousin Ray. But Doc returned to Happy's band in 1947 when they recorded for J.D. Miller's Fais Do Do label. Together they were Miller's star act.



As the fifties rolled on, Happy and Doc's radio shows were listened to all through Acadia Parish. Happy, always the salesman, had sponsorship with Budweiser and Evangeline Maid Bread. They also were regular guest on the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport. But with rock and roll dominating the  new sound, Happy and Doc's music seemed to belong to another era.

By 1956, times got hard for Cajun musicians. Happy had to find work outside of music and with the help of Jimmie Davis, he got a job with the Wildlife and Fisheries Department. Doc had better luck, playing fiddle with Vin Bruce's band.

After the impact of rock and roll, Happy discovered that the older audiences still wanted Cajun and Country music. He teamed up with Alex Broussard and formed the Bayou Buckaroos. Together they played the dancehalls of Southwest Louisiana and even had a radio show on KSIG. 

The La Louisianne label was founded in 1959 by Carol Rachou. Carol was a musician who played in dance bands in the early fifties. He got interested in Cajun French music and built a studio for his new label. Among their first to record for the label were Alex Broussard, Doc Guidry and Happy Fats.

Happy kept busy with his Marine'  television show on KLFY. The show featured a spicy mix of Cajun, Country, Folk and spiritual songs. Around this time Happy teamed up with Doc again to record for Carol's new label. In 1961 they recorded "Bayou Lafourche" a classic they had previously recorded for Miller's Fais Do Do label. Also of note is Doc Guidry's fiddle playing, which he had started to double track on recordings in Carol's studio.

Bonheur tous les matins
J'peux voir mon vieux papa
Partir à  la pêche dessus la mer.
C'est su' le Bayou Lafourche
Il vient toutes les dimanches
À l'église du bon dieu pour prier.

Y'en a pas qu'est si riche.
Y'en a pas qu'est si pauvre.
Juste les bons Acadiens, p'us pour envie.
Et c'est là  j'sus parti
Pour la balance d'ma vie
Sur le côté du beau Bayou Lafourche

The mid sixties found Happy recording again for Miller for a series of political records. In the late 70's he recorded for Swallow records; he always seemed eager to entertain. He had been a major Cajun personality since the 1930's and remained loyal to the Cajun-country music he performed. 

J.D. Miller had this to say about Happy:
  "I've got so much respect for Happy Fats and other's like him, they just went on as if nothing happened. He kept on playing his country music and making real Cajun and country records."

Resources:
John Broven-South To Louisiana
lyrics: cajunlyrics.com

Session info:

HAPPY FATS AND DOC GUIDRY
V-1/g, Doc Guidry (v-2/fdl) Jimmy Gardner or Jack LeBlanc (g), st-g, g, b, acdn-2
La Louisianne Studio, Lafayette LA: c1961
LL 8023-1 Bayou Lafourche-1 La Louisianne 8023,
LL103
LL 8023-2 Allons a Lafayette-2 La Lou 8023, LL103

Lawrence Walker- "Chere Alice"

Lawrence Walker and his brother first recorded for Brunswick in 1929. After the depression, they recorded again for Bluebird in 1935. It would be 15 years before he recorded again, this time for the Khoury's label. After a string of recordings on the label, he recorded for the Swallow label and by the 1960's he moved to La Louisianne Records in Lafayette.

Carol Rachou founded La Louisianne Records in 1959. His first release was by Alex Broussard but in the following years, such greats as Lawrence, Aldus Roger and Happy Fats were recording for his label. Lawrence would finish out his recording career with the label, cutting 12 songs in total on 45 rpm.

  

Around Acadia Parish the story of Alice, Adam and his horse Henri was well known. Angelas Lejeune had previously used the story for his song "La Valse A Tidom Hanks". The story involves Adam "Tee Dom" Hanks and Alice Royer. The two were lovers but Alice's father didn't approve of the two being together. Adam loved to ride his horse, Henri, while drinking whiskey from a jug and this was enough to make Alice's father not like him. The two seperated and eventually married others. But Adam's love for Alice never died. He composed a song about his love for Alice called "La Valse a Tee Dom" and would sing the song on his accordion with tears streaming down his face at house dances.

As for Lawrence, Adam told him the lyrics to the song at a dance one night near Bosco. He used the melody from his "Country Waltz" on Khoury to transform into his song "Chere Alice" recorded in 1962 on La Louisianne Records featuring the great fiddling of Doc Guidry. It would be one of the last singles he ever released.

Lawrence and his Wandering Aces kept kept the Cajun dance hall fire going in the late 1950's and 1960's. But soon Rock music influence would soon dominate the scene. Lawrence's steel guitar player was Johnny Allan and would use Lawrence's band to play as the Krazy Kats. Lawrence soon got aggravated at the situation and abandoned playing. He passed away in 1968 at age 60.



Resources
Early Cajun Music Blog
Johnnie Allan: Memories