Center for Louisiana Studies Archival Catalog
This searchable database provides information on images, documents, and audio and video recordings, made between 1934 and the present.
Dewey Balfa - In-school Cajun music presentation with Rodney Balfa and Freeman Fontenot
00:00 - Artists in Schools program origins;
01:30 - Newport Folk Festival;
04:00 - Dewey explains how the grant program works;
08:00 - Dewey say's the Acadians came down to Louisiana with fiddles and percussion instruments;
09:49 - Chère Tout Tout;
12:15 - Explaining Cajun seconding on fiddle; Band Introductions;
16:25 - Example of Cajun seconding on fiddle;
18:30 - Dewey talks about the origins of the diatonic accordion;
19:58 - Demonstrating a waltz on the accordion;
22:20 - Eunice two step on Accordion;
30:55 - French in Louisiana;
Dewey Balfa - In-school Cajun music presentation with Rodney Balfa and Freeman Fontenot
00:00 - La valse de Bayou Chène;
04:30 - Dewey introduces Freeman Fontenot; Explains how old tunes were titled;
06:38 - Freeman Fontenot - Baisse bas;
09:00 - Freeman Fontenot - Untitled tune;
10:34 - Bonsoir, Moreaux;
13:11 - Freeman demonstrates a Mazurka, they go into Bonsoir, Moreaux;
16:30 - La valse des Rougeaux
18:45 - Jolie Blonde
21:45 - Les veuves de la coulée
25:25 - Hick's Wagon Wheel Special
Dewey Balfa - In-school Cajun music presentation with Rodney Balfa and Freeman Fontenot
Same performance as PR1-002
00:00 - La valse de Bayou Chène;
04:30 - Dewey introduces Freeman Fontenot; Explains how old tunes were titled;
06:38 - Freeman Fontenot - Baisse bas;
09:00 - Freeman Fontenot - Untitled tune;
10:34 - Bonsoir, Moreaux;
13:11 - Freeman demonstrates a Mazurka, they go into Bonsoir, Moreaux;
16:30 - La valse des Rougeaux
18:45 - Jolie Blonde
21:45 - Les veuves de la coulée
25:25 - Hick's Wagon Wheel Special
Freeman Fontenot - Solo Performance Recorded at Freeman's Home in 1977
From tracklist that was included with tape:
00:45 - La valse de 1916;
02:55 - Untitled two step;
04:35 - Born and raised between Mamou and Eunice, Mentions that he didn't go to school
05:10 - La valse du chemin (1924) with a short explanation for how they danced to the song;
06:48 - Blues de 1938;
08:35 - Mazurka - Freeman explains how people danced to the Mazurka;
11:00 - Two step de Bilkin;
13:24 - La Robe Barée;
16:00 - Two step de Eunice;
19:20 - Two step sans titre (similar to Jolie Bassette);
22:15 - Baisse bas;
24:52 - Petit Moreau;
27:46 - Blues Noir;
Freeman Fontenot
02:20 - Fifi Foncho
04:29 - Two step Platte
05:58 - Two step de Mamou
07:35 - Valse de Samedi au soir
09:12 - Valse de Trainer
11:02 - Deux Cousines
15:45 - Pain de Mais
17:20 - Hathaway two step
19:10 - Love Bridge Waltz
22:30 - La pointe aux pins
23:50 - Dixieland
25:12 - J'ai étais au bal
26:35 - Two step sans titre
28:11 - Contredanse
30:10 - Shoefly
Sterling and Felix Richard with Bessyl Duhon
00:08 - Les flammes d'enfer (take 1);
03:30 - Les flammes d'enfer (take 2);
06:58 - Duralde Waltz;
10:00 - Instrumental two step;
11:42 - Chère tout tout
16:50 - Kaplan Waltz;
19:20 - 99 Year Waltz
22:47 - Instrumental two step
24:58 - The Back Door
26:58 - Instrumental Waltz
29:20 - Kaplan Waltz
31:07 - J'ai étais au bal
33:50 - Madame Sosthaine
Interview of Ola Abshire on 23th august 1991
0:47 her last name was Boudreaux before she got married
1:02 she was born in January 23th
1:21 she is 74 years old
1:39 she was born at Baker
1:43 they moved to Bellville when she was 12 years old
2:20she got married at Gueydan
5:16 she was working for a woman named Zoula
5:43 she was working in a restaurant
6:35 she was a cooker and a waitress
7:43 she never went to school
9:45 she was 10 when she started working
11:09 she had 10 siblings
11:36 her mom was only speaking English and her dad was only speaking French
14:57 she wasn’t working at home or helping her mom until she got married
15:26 she only washed dishes at her parents’ house
15:40 her mom never teach her how to cook
17:36 she was the youngest of 11 kids
18:41 she never hangout with boys when she was young
21:10 her dad never let her go to bals
23:03 she wasn’t going to church went she was young
25:07 to have meat her family was buying the animals and killing it later
30:12 her husband was few years younger than her
30:30 her husband started playing music after they got married
31:52 she got married by a judge
33:17 her dad told her before she got married that her future husband wasn’t a good person
33:30 her husband was an alcoholic
33:45 he started drinking when they got married
34:06 she said that most musician was alcoholic
37:07 she had 4 witness at her wedding
37:59 she got married Monday June 23rd
44:44 when she had kids she stayed at home with them
47:44 her husband was rarely home
48:15 she always spend her husband money the way she wanted
49:37 her husband was spending almost all the money in alcohol
49:50 Most of the time her husband wasn’t getting paid when he was playing music
58:10 she doesn’t have a car but she know someone who can bring her to Eunice if she needs to
59:44 she is having a lot of trouble for walking
Interview of Ola Abshire on 31st august 1991 in Basile
0:48 she liked the music that her husband was paying
1:37 her husband learned accordion when he was 18 years old
1:52 his uncle show him how to play
9:56 he wasn’t talking about work to her
14:10 she have no record of her husband’s music
14:41 she only have a radio
17:10 she doesn’t have her husband accordion no more
17:35 she sold her husband accordion for 800 dollars
18:05 she needed money when her husband died
23:07 when Nathan found out he had a cancer he started drinking even more
23:14 he was always drunk and never sober
25:24 her husband never wrote a song for her
27: 00 to 48:00 showing pictures of Nathan
52:41 a lot of people used to come visit at her house but not anymore since her husband died
57:17 Nathan never let anybody sing his songs
58:19 he had a very bad temper
Interview of Wilma Leger on September the 28th in Welsh
0:39 her maiden name was Blanchard
0:40 she was born June 5th 1932 in church point
1:13 her dad was Fedo Blanchard and her mom Adeline Lejeune
2:17 her dad was working with cotton
4:11 she had 2 brothers and 2 sisters
6:10 she used to clean houses
7:44 she went to balls few times
9:07 girls was going to the ball for free but boys at to pay
11:01 she met her husband when she was 15 years old
14:22 she didn’t listen to her husband music since he died
16:48 they got married at church in Welsh but it was a little wedding reception
21:00 they lived in a trailer after they got married
22:07 she had 6 kids
28:09 he learn how to play music by himself with the accordion of his dad
34:36 her husband was gone every weekend
39:24 he was playing violin too
41:36 he only wrote one song for his wife
48:21 her husband went to school in Baton Rouge
59:22 they didn’t had phone at this time so someone came tell her that her husband got in an accident and he died
1:00:36 he got berried in Rayne
Interview of Wilma Leger on September the 28th in Welsh
0:55 she wasn’t staying home to help her mom but she was working in the cultivated land
2:20 her parents was only talking French
3:47 she always been going to church every Sunday
6:45 she is doing sewing and learn at school
9:21 her mom was cooking but not baking
Interview of Artile Fontenot on September the 28th in Welsh
0:51 her maiden name was Matthew
1:08 her is born September 28th 1929 in Basile
1:59 she lived in Basile, Oberlin and Welsh
3:48 she was working in cotton in Basile when she was young
5:14 she had 11 siblings
6:15 her grandma lived 105 years
10:47 she went to school but not her older siblings
14:22 she went to school at Ulla because they didn’t had any school in Basile
14:37 all the grade was going in the same class
17:29 she went to school 6 years
17:54 she was 14 when she got married
18:55 she never date her husband she just meet him one day and he asked her if she wanted to get married
19:05 her dad wasn’t happy about it
20:05 she got married at St Augustine Church in Basile
20:44 her dad didn’t want to sign because he wasn’t happy so her brother sign the marriage license
22:43 she used to not go out without her brothers because they were her chaperon
27:35 her mom show her how to cook and clean
29:50 she had 6 kids 2 boys and 4 girls
37:25 she never played music with her husband
45 to 54 hard to understand
56:41 she bought a sewing machine to start working
1:00:07 she was going to religion class when she was younger
Interview of Artile Fontenot on September the 28th in Welsh
4:45 her husband was drinking a lot when he was playing
14:14 they were only speaking French in her family
14:30 her mom died when she was 57 years old
21:41 her mom used to beat her but she gave her a good education
25:05 she has no regrets in her life
Interview of Euna Bolfa on September the 13th in Eunice
0:44 her maiden name was Marie Euna Fontenot
1:07 she was born in Mamou
1:23 she lived all her life in Mamou
1:50 she didn’t went to school for long because she was always sick
3:04 her sister finished school
4:00 her dad was a farmer
6:40 she used to work with her dad and hate this job
9:02 she used to go to balls when she was younger every 2 weeks
11:25 she was a very good dancer
16:54 she knew her husband family before she met him
19:18 when her husband was her boyfriend he cheated on her so she didn’t talk to him for 3 months
23:47 he went ask her parents before he married her
25:47 her wedding reception was big for the time
26:35 she got married in the Catholic Church in Mamou
27:21 she got married in 1936
27:53 she’s born August 19th 1918
35:58 she used to go listen when her husband was playing
38:49 she stopped going to balls to listen to his music 9 years before he died
45:47 she never worried about her husband when he was gone
47:50 her husband went play in France
54:46 her husband was drinking whisky and beer
55:38 her husband was saying that alcohol was helping him to sing and play better
57:30 her husband never bought her gif when he was traveling
Interview of Euna Bolfa
3:25 to 16:58 they are talking about a woman who had a baby and wasn’t married
18:49 the woman had 6 weeks off work when they were pregnant
19:45 she never had problem for delivering her children
35:16 the man wasn’t taking care of the babies but some of them was helping more at the house
38:50 her husband was different because he was helping her with the kids
40:24 she named her kids after people from her family
41:25 they have stories about went the belly button of a baby was falling down. If you bury it under a fig tree the baby will sign well
43:47 her grandpa used to say when an eclipse was coming
48:43 when her future husband proposed to her they decided they will get married in 6 weeks
54:03 when they got married they were very poor and she was worried about money
Interview with Naise Fontenot
histoire de famille; lÕŽcole; la recolte, ramasser du coton; des patates; les enfants; la maison; les amusements; faire cuir du ma s tendre; faire cuire des patates avec de la crme; les priŽres en franais; lire; lÕeducation des filles; des jupes; des bloomers; du riz; la crme; la cuisine; stove en bois; boucaner de la viande; le glacire; lÕŽctricitŽ, travailler;
Interview with Naise Fontenot
du coton; la taufe; lÕouvrage au magazine; le marriage; les noces; la maison; faire lÕamour; le mensruation; les boucheries; la mauvaise viande; une femme en famille; le franais; les maladies; les docteurs; les femmes sages; la naissance; soigner des enfants; la morte du mari; Oregon;
Interview with Naise Fontenot
deuxime marriage; les clos dÕhuile; le baptisme;
Interview with Naise Fontenot
la musique de Freeman Fontenot; les contredanses; des robes; des petits enfants; des maladies; la messe; les noms de familles; des catholiques; lÕestomach des mulattes (gateau); les tarts; bouiller de sucre; nšel;
Interview with Gertrude Fontenot
nom de famille; lÕenfance; travail dans le clos; les charrues; la recolte; le crochet; la famille; les outils; la coudre; lÕŽcole; la cuisine; les amusements; le mariage;
Interview with Gertrude Fontenot
les amusements des jeunes; des pralines; des boules de tac tac; les ecrevisses; les bals; la naissance; les cerceuils; nourrir au sein; la naissance; le baptisme; sirop;
Interview with Gertrude Fontenot
Boudin; la cochonerie; travail dans le clos; le sirop; le coton;
Interview with Gertrude Fontenot
la famille McGee; des Millers; lÕaccordeon; Arteman FrugŽ; la musique; les bals; des femmes qui jouiait la musique; des bals de maison; Dennis McGee; Bois-sec Ardoin; son fils; Amedee Ardoin; le marriage; boire;
Interview with Ola Abshire
nom de naissance; lÕenfance; marriage; Nathan Abshire; travail dans le restaurant; lÕŽcole; la rŽcolte; la campagne; la famille; bals de maison; des danses; des amusements; la cuisine; journŽe typique; le marriage; en famille; lÕargent; ˆ boire;
Interview with Ola Abshire
Side AMusique et vie de Nathan Abshire;
Interview with Ola Abshire
Side BLa musique et la vie de Nathan Abshire;
Interview with Ola Abshire
Side ALa musique et la vie de Nathan Abshire; les enregistrements;
Interview with Wilma Leger
Side Anom de naissance; lÕenfance; la rŽcolte; des salles de danses; Iry Lejeune; la noce;
Interview with Wilma Leger
Side Bla musique de Iry Lejeune; lÕaccordeon volŽ; Žcrire des chansons; Love Bridge Waltz; lÕŽcole; les enfants; voyager; la morte de Iry;
Interview with Wilma Leger
travail dans le clos; le cathŽchisme; la couture; la cuisine;
Interview with Artille Fontenot
Oberlin; lÕenfance; travail dans le clos; faire le menage; la musique de Canray Fontenot;
Interview with Artille Fontenot
la musique de Canray Fontenot; la vie avec un musicien; les chansons de Canray Fontenot; les amusements; le cathŽchisme;
Interview with Artile Fontenot
La vie et la musique de Canray Fontenot; ˆ boire; Bois-sec Ardoin; la musique Zydeco; le franais; la famille; Canray et les enfants
Interview with Euna Bolfa
nom et lieu de naissance; lÕenfance; la rŽcolte; naissance; Leroy Tate et Milton Molitor; les bals de maisons; la famille; le Catholicism; le marriage;
Interview with Euna Bolfa
la naissance; la musique de Will Bolfa; la valse de Balfa;
Interview with Euna Bolfa
lÕenfance; LÕŽcole; des habilles;
Interview with Euna Bolfa
travail dans le clos; travail dans le maison; la maison; la cuisine; la chasse; les veillŽŽs;
Interview with Euna Bolfa
Interview with Euna Bolfa
Interview with Anya Burgess
00:50 - Tu peux cogner mais tu peux pas entrer by the Magnolia Sisters
03:35 – Interview
- Originally from Boston, Massachusetts
- Moved to Louisiana in 2000
- Grandmother was a piano player
- Started playing piano and clarinet
- Played folk music on guitar in high school during high school
- Attended Bowdoin college in Southern Maine
- Started going to contredanses and square dancing each weekend
08:03 – Ballygow/The Bus Stop/MacDonald’s by Nightingale
12:08 – The Curlew/McDermott’s/Three Scones of Boxty by Altan
16:17 – Interview
- Took a year off from college, travelled to Europe for four months. Made money by busking, and playing standard old time tunes on guitar and fiddle.
- Got a steady gig at a pub in Ireland, and became immersed in Irish music.
- Took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina and started playing old time Appalachian music.
- Started playing a lot of fiddle
- Learned traditional crafts like wood working and basket making.
- Drove to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia for a summer and met a luthier in St. Ann's bay and was introduced to the Cape Breton fiddling style and violin making
22:50 – Captain Campbell Medley by Brenda Stubbert
29:20 - Wagner’s by the Monks
33:10 – Interview
- Met Otis Thomas, who was a writer, fiddler, and luthier in Cape Breton.
- Spent one summer in Cape Breton, and went back ten to twelve times.
- Spent Senior year of college at Indiana University of Bloomington.
- Was in the folklore department, and took a violin making course. Was the only girl in the course.
- Learned a lot from the old time scene in Bloomington
- Built first violin in Bloomington
- Moved back to Boston and worked in instrument repair
- Through Teach for America, she chose to go to Louisiana
39:00 – Bayou Teche Special by Balfa Toujours
42:30 - Interview
- Taught music at Washington elementary for two years, and then opened up a violin shop.
- Met husband, Richard Burgess, through playing old time music
46:00 – Fortune by Camp Creek Boys
48:45 – Soppin’ Up The Gravy by Anya and Richard Burgess
51:32 – Interview
- Recently had first son
- Maintains her violin business
- Currently playing with the Magnolia Sisters and Bonsoir Catin
57:37 – Blues à Catin by Bonsoir Catin
Interview with Dr. Barry Ancelet
1:03 – Plutard dans la vie by Wayne Toups (written by Jean Arceneaux)
4:20 – Interview with Barry Ancelet
- In 1978, when he was twenty-seven years old, he was at an event called “Rencontre des peuples francophones”, and the “Soirée littéraire”, and on the spur of the moment, he read one his poems in which he came up with the pseudonym and alter-ego, Jean Arceneaux.
- Under the name, Jean Arceneaux, he wrote songs for Wayne Toups, Richard LeBoeuf, D.L. Menard, Hubert Maitre, Jambalaya, and Steve Riley.
- Growing up, he listened to the Beatles and Bob Dylan, but his father listened to Iry LeJeune
- “Viens me chercher” was his father’s favorite song
8:26 – Viens me chercher by Iry LeJeune
11:30 – Diga Ding Ding Dong by Aldus Roger
14:15 – Interview
- Aldus Roger and the Lafayette Playboys played on channel 10 every Saturday, and his grandma used to dance along to the music.
- Grew up in Vatican, speaking mostly French because his father’s family didn’t know much English.
- Spent a lot of time with his grandmother.
- His aunt was the only English speaker in the house.
- As a child, everything was in French, which wasn’t something that people were even much aware of at the time
- His French teacher said that he was going to have to undo all that "bad" French, before learning the "good" French.
- Won medals at each literary rally at school
- His high school French teachers recognized the value in local French.
- At fifteen years old, along with Zachary Richard, he went to Switzerland for three weeks, and three weeks just outside of Paris. Realized that the French he spoke was understandable to the people there.
- Went to UL and majored in French
- Won a scholarship to go to the University of Nice in France for his senior year, along with his friend, Sharon Arms.
- “Roger Mason chante de la musique cajun” was his first experience of Cajun music in France.
27:20 – Parlez nous à boire by the Balfa Brothers (Ralph Rinzler recording)
30:00 – Interview
- After returning from France, he and Ralph Rinzler met up with Dewey Balfa and started talking about putting together a festival of Louisiana French music.
- Through CODOFIL, they put together the first Cajun music festival on March 26th, 1974.
- Went to Indiana University for graduate school to study French.
- Met Henry Glassy who motivated him to change his field of study to Folklore.
- Received an MA in folklore and French
36:48 – Parlez nous à boire by the Balfa Brothers (Newport Folk Festival)
40:00 – Interview
- That first festival performance was the first time the younger generation considered the music to be "old-time".
- Established the Cajun and Creole archive with Dewey Balfa, by recording different people
44:30 – Les blues français by Nathan Abshire
47:05 – Interview
- In 1976, for the Smithsonian Bicentennial Festival, Cajun musicians were featured for its cultural preservation, and Ralph Rinzler wanted to hire The Balfa Brothers and Nathan Abshire.
- At that point, Dewey Balfa and Nathan Abshire were not playing music together anymore.
- Tells story of Nathan Abshire eating pizza for the first time
- Tells story of Nathan Abshire’s signature
54:19 – 1916 by Freeman Fontenot (at his house, 1978)
56:08 – Interview
- Says that Freeman Fontenot ran a dance hall which he converted into his house