Center for Louisiana Studies Archival Catalog

Jools Holland - Tours South LA
Part 1
12:00 - Gospel Group;
15:30 - Interview and song clips with Fats Domino - "They Call me the Fat Man;" "Walkin to New Orleans;" "Rock 'n Roll;"
22:25 - Johnnie Allan - "Promised Land" - Lip synced performance with Belton Richard;

Part 2
26:10 - Jools drives through New Iberia, LA. Quick shot of the abandoned Evangeline Theatre;
27:30 - Mamou, LA - Fred's Lounge - Sady Courville, Preston Manuel and others
31:30 - Storyville, New Orleans - Unknown Band;
33:45 - Lafayette, LA - Rockin' Dopsie at Grant Street Dancehall;
40:00 - New Orleans, LA - Unknown bar and band;
45:45 - Dr. John - Such a Night;
50:30 - Jools drives around the French Quarter
55:00 - Lee Dorsey - Workin' in a Coal Mine;
58:58 - The Neville Brothers - "Why You Wanna Hurt My Heart" and "Big Chief;"
01:03:15 - Jools talks about Professor Longhair and Tipitina's;
01:05:00 - Allen Toussaint - "Tipitina"
01:10:00 - Jools Holland song;

00:00:05 - Mama and Daddy - Music Video;

Footage from a performance at the Liberty Theatre
00:02:28 - South to Louisiana;
00:05:00 - Johnnie introduces Pete Bergeron as Pete Marlow - Marlow was Pete's stage name as a Swamp Pop singer;
00:05:30 - Family Rules;
00:09:10 - Boney Maronie;
00:13:45 - Your Picture;
00:18:50 - Promised Land;
00:22:35 - We'll Always Be Your Friend;

Footage from Unknown Venue;
00:25:10 - Boney Maronie;
00:29:05 - I'm Missing You;
00:33:15 - Give Me One More Chance;
00:36:55 - Let's Go Get Drunk;
00:41:30 - Before the Next Teardrop Falls;
00:45:30 - The Twist;
00:49:40 - Family Rules;
00:54:10 - Sweet Soul Music;
00:55:00 - Lonely Days and Lonely Nights;
00:58:50 - South to Louisiana;
01:01:30 - Unknown Song;
01:02:50 - Lucille;
01:06:50 - Secret of Love;
01:16:20 - Mathilda;
01:20:00 - Allons a Lafayette
01:21:50 - Your Picture;
01:26:15 - Turn Your Lights Down Low;
01:30:20 - I'm Missing You;

Bayou Boogie Show with Herman Fuselier
01:33:20 - Johnnie talks about his new CD - "The Ultimate Louisiana Experience"
01:36:15 - Johnnie says he's recorded around 60 45RPM singles and 30 albums;
01:36:55 - Johnnie talks about his tours of Europe;
01:38:40 - "Promised Land" going gold
01:39:20 - Johnnie talks about his book about Jimmy Donley and his book "Memories"
01:41:00 - Talking about local clubs
01:41:50 - "Promised Land" performance
01:45:10 - Jim Olivier Segment about Swamp Pop music; Johnnie Allan - "I Love That Swamp Pop Music"
01:48:35 - Jim Olivier interviews Shane Bernard, Interview segments with David Rachou, Mark Miller, and Floyd Soileau;
01:55:00 - Tommy Mclain performs "Sweet Dreams"

Same as AL2-006, Includes show finale

Hosted By Johnnie Allan

Backing Band:
Rufus Thibodeaux - Fiddle;
Gerald Melancon - Drums;
Glenn Hymel - Keyboards;
Rick Benoit - Bass
Pat Smith - Lead Guitar
Willie Tee - Saxophone and Vocals;
Paul Duhon - Bones

00:00:15 - A Little Bit of Your Love - Huey Darby;
00:04:25 - Jolie Blonde - Johnnie Allan;
00:07:20 - Lake Arthur Stomp - Rufus Thibodeaux;
00:11:00 - The Rose - Ginger Gautreaux;
00:15:10 - When Will I Be Loved Ginger Gautreaux;
00:19:20 - Cotton Fields - Ginger Gautreaux;
00:21:39 - Wake Up - Willie Tee;
00:26:27 - When I Get the Blues - Harry Hypolite;
00:29:10 - Unnamed Blues tune - Harry Hypolite;
00:34:00 - Cotton Picken Blues - Warren Caesar;
00:38:00 - Laisser les bons temps rouler - Warren Caesar;
00:40:45 - Interview with Johnnie Allan,
00:43:00 - Interview with Rufus Thibodeaux;
00:46:35 - Tonight's a Good Night - Morris Francis;
00:52:25 - Foot Stompin' Music - Morris Francis;
00:58:40 - A Whole Lotta Fun In Acadiana - Morris Francis;
01:01:15 - Prisoner Song - Warren Storm;
01:05:45 - Lord, I Need Somebody Bad - Warren Strom;
01:10:55 - Jolie Blonde - Rufus Thibodeaux and Warren Storm;
01:17:00 - My House of Memories - Warren Storm;
01:21:50 - Promised Land - Johnnie Allan;
01:26:00 - Medley of Lonely Days and Lonely Nights, Family Rules, Angel Love - Johnnie Allan;
01:30:20 - Na Na Na Na - Johnnie Allan;
01:37:30 - I've Been Loving You Too Long - Johnnie Allan;
01:42:20 - South To Louisiana - Johnnie Allan;
01:46:03 - Jukebox Songs - Tommy Mclain;
01:49:45 - I'm Not Lisa -
01:52:45 - City Cruise - Tommy Mclain;
01:55:45 - Sweet Dreams - Tommy Mclain;

***Copy of AN1-086 and AN1-240?***

Lionel Leleux (Violin), Varise Connor (Violin), Eric & Edgar Benoit (Guitar)

Lionel Leleux:
0:00 - 'La Valse de Holly Beach'
-'Waltz de Bascom Mouton' (La malheureuse)

5:00 - Honey in the Rock
-Grand Night Special

Varise Connor:
11:10 - Untitled Waltz in G
-'If You Don't See Your Mama Every Night'

17:20 - 'Grand Mamou in D'

19:50 - 'Grand Basile'
-'Down South'

24:29 - 'Air' (St. Louis Blues?)

Lionel Leleux (Violin), Varise Connor (Violin), Michael Doucet (Violin), Edgar Benoit (Guitar)

0:00 - 'Lake Arthur Stomp'

1:58 - 'Petite flamme bleue' (frag.)
-'Petite flamme bleue'

4:22 - 'Over the Seas'

8:48 - Recording stories. Violin he (Barry?) bought with John Henry and wanted him to teach him
-The guy had dark hair and glasses; the guy was Lionel. Taking pictures
-'Flammes d'enfer' (frag.). Lionel will sing Hathway Two Step (joking)
-'Flammes d'enfer'

13:03 - 'La dernière valse' with vocals
-'Hathaway Two-Step'

21:08 - Varise tells Lionel to get closer to him. Untitled Bascom Mouton Waltz

Varise Connor (Violin), Eric Benoit (Guitar), Michael Doucet (Violin)

0:00 - Story of visit with Bascom Mouton and tuning high. Ulysse Fontenot was the best rhythm man Varise ever had
-'Creole Waltz'. '7th fret in B'. Lionel wrote to his son in the army and said there's something he's never heard before
-Just figured out lately how it was tuned. Easier to tune guitar up (2nd fret)
-'American Two-Step'
-'Sawmill Two-Step'. Varise never names tunes, just makes up tunes

5:30 - Lionel's visit with Varise and drinking whiskey out of teacups so ladies wouldn't know
-Lionel left with Barry but left his keys and everything at Varise's. By the time he got back to Lake Arthur, it was almost daylight
-Lionel wouldn't find his way back until he had another drink
-'Old Cajun Waltz'

9:20 - Old guitar Eric played when he was younger. Back of guitar had different colors of wood
-Hummingbirds, butterflies, flowers. From Mrs. Henry Rupert. Andy learned on that guitar
-Schexnyder from Crowley makes arch top guitars/fiddles
-He makes everything except the strings and pegs. Like LeLeux making fiddles

11:48 - 'Kentucky in G'
-'La valse du soûlard'

16:43 - 'Westphalia Waltz'
-Last dance was just as energetic/lively as the first one. Didn't have to drink to be like that. Very likable fellow
-He might not have won contests, but Varise liked his style. Cajun and Spanish music was livelier than any other music
-But Cajuns break rules by playing one tune, then taking parts of other tunes to make a new one
-Bascom's wife backed him up on guitar, "but she only knew one note" according to Varise
-He would dance in his chair and would break factory chairs. Only homemade chairs could handle him

22:26 - Bascom told Lionel about the first time he saw Varise
-There's a Connor in Lake Arthur who plays real well, but not very loud
-Big fingers on guitar look like hammerhead. Ulysse Fontenot as rhythm man

23:17 - Bascom Mouton tune - 'The Rabbit Stole the Pumpkin'

25:25 - Bascom Mouton would sing. Use of kazoo in his songs. Tuning fiddle so high and singing so high. Excited
-'You'd Better See Your Mama Every Night' (like Bascom in D/Varise plays it in G)

Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Edgar or Eric Benoit (Guitar)

0:00 - 'Lake Arthur Stomp' (4 parts); 'Lake Arthur Stomp' (Variation)
3:21 - change of tuning; 'Lake Arthur Stomp' (variation); Swing/Blues
6:34 - 'La valse à deux temps' (Untitled); 'La valse à défunt Andy'
10:13 - Untitled Two-Step (M & S Special?); 'Le rêve du diable'
12:27 - 'Fi Fi Poncho'; 'Jolie blonde'
15:04 - 'Chère toute toute'; 'Valse à Bascom'
19:10 - 'Lake Arthur Stomp' (Variation with two violins), 'La dernière valse' (two violins)
23:17 - 'Valse à Bascom' (two violins)

Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Don Montoucet (Accordion), Barry Ancelet (Guitar)

0:00 - 'Hathaway Two-Step'; talking, offering beer and coffee
-Lionel telling Barry when to come in on 'Chère Alice'
-Lionel and Don choreographing/discussing the order of the song (turning it vs. playing it like Lawrence Walker)

6:27 - 'Chère Alice'; Practicing 'Chère Alice'
11:24 - 'Jeunes filles de la campagne'. Singing first (in wrong "gear"/key)
12:28 - Accordion starts; 'Jolie catin'/'Eunice Two-Step'
19:57 - 'La dernière valse' (frag.); 'Eunice Two Step' (reprise)
23:36 - 'Love Bridge Waltz' ('Eunice Two Step' as a waltz)
27:51 - 'Dans les misères' ('Lacassine Special' as a waltz)
30:28 - 'Lacassine Special'

***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***

Varise Connor (Violin), Lionel Leleux (Violin), Don Montoucet (Accordion)

0:00 - 'La valse du soûlard'; getting Varise a couple of drinks; 'Westphalia Waltz'; talking/taking photos

6:29 - 'Down South'. Learned it from Hubert Fontenot on fiddle about 4 years ago
-Heard others play it. Not old, not new either. Heard jazz bands play that same melody; tuning guitar

10:38 - 'Grand Basile in D'; 'Perrodin Two-Step' (learned it from one of his uncles who played accordion; Hayes)

16:53 - 'The Rabbit Stole the Pumpkin' (Two-Step à Bascom Mouton). "It takes a lot of steam to fire up a rusty boiler." - Varise
-Varise not content with the way he's playing; Varise knew Bascom Mouton in his prime, 1924/25

19:48 - 'J'ai été au bal'. "That's one Leleux can really play well" - Varise
-Bascom played songs like "The Rabbit Stole the Pumpkin," "Sabine Blues," and "You'd Better See Your Mama Every Night."
-He had the highest voice of anyone Varise had ever heard; noodling around with "In The Mood"

23:08 - 'Sabine Blues'; Bascom played that song, but so did Jazz bands
-He didn't have much of a band, just one guitar and two fiddles
-His guitar player was his brother-in-law for sure, maybe the other fiddler was his wife's cousin
-Both were Thibodeauxs. Bascom also played the kazoo and make it sound like a trumpet

26:53 - 'You'd Better See Your Mama Every Night in D'

27:15 - in G; not supposed to be played very fast, like blues. Sung in English
-"You don't see your mama every night, treat her right, you won't have no mama at all."
-Varise played this song with his brothers, "they could rock and roll on that."

30:54 - 'St. Louis Blues'

***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***

Les Frères Balfa (Dewey and Rodney Balfa, Dick Richard, Nonc Allie Young, & Ray Abshire), Lionel Leleux, and Don Montoucet and the Wandering Aces (Sammy Boudreaux; Virgil Montoucet; Terry Montoucet; Hubert Maitre)

0:00 - 'Cypress Inn Two-Step'
4:17 - 'J'ai un cœur cassé' (La Valse de Chagrin); 'J'ai été au bal'

11:33 - 'J'ai été au bal reprise'; Talking on the bandstand
-Dewey's happy to be here, tells the crowd they're from Acadia and Evangeline parishes
-Lawrence Walker from Rayne? left good memories and beautiful songs

15:05 - 'Petits yeux noirs'

19:09 - 'J'ai vu le loup, le renard et la belette'. Learned while they were in France; Barry asking for lights and introduction to last song
-You had some, you ain't gonna get no more of this group (talking to crowd)
-Dewey and Rodney Balfa, Dick Richard, Nonc Allie Young, & Ray Abshire
-The Wandering Aces are coming up next and will probably go past midnight
-Bois Sec (Ardoin) is on his way, he's wet so he has to dry off first (joke)
-Groups from Québec, Belgium, France, and New Orleans want to film dancers

24:55 - 'T'en as eu, t'en auras plus'
29:12 - 'T'en as eu, t'en auras plus' (reprise)

Wandering Aces: Lionel Leleux (violin) and Don Montoucet (accordion), with Sammy Boudreaux (drums), Virgil & Terry Montoucet (accordion & rhythm guitar respectively), & Hubert Maitre (rhythm guitar):

31:50 - 'Chère toute-toute'

36:55 - 'Hathaway Two-Step'
-Hubert sends it out to Tony who works for the highway and his good buddy whose name he doesn't remember, Horace Guidry? and for everyone there tonight

42:12 - Midnight Waltz for all the French people here tonight
46:55 - 'Les flammes d'enfer' with Sammy on vocals

***Only year was included in original notes, no specific month or day***

Varise Connor (Violin), Eric Benoit (Guitar)

0:00 - La Valse à Elise Mallet. Learned tune from his father; 'Goodnight Waltz'

4:18 - 'Polka à Varise'; Lionel Leleux talking in the background
-La Mazurka d'Eugene Michon
-Danced between polka and waltz, but not sure because that was before his time/he was too young to remember

8:32 - Hobson; 'Drunkard's Waltz'. "Shorty" LeBlanc's theme song
12:53 - 'Down South'; 'Westphalia Waltz'

17:03 - 'Kentucky'; 'La Caroline'; 'Lake Arthur Shuffle'
-Varise wants Lionel to come play some, but Barry wants Varise to fill up one tape before Lionel comes to play

21:51 - 'Jimmy Bryant's Waltz'; 'Aguillard Two-Step'

24:59 - 'Le rêve du Diable'; discussion of the Aguillards. They were brothers?/old-time fiddlers
-They're dead now; 'Valse à Abe'. Aguillards were from Eunice

27:43 - 'Andy's Waltz'. Varise and Lionel just learned the tunes, they didn't make a note of what the names were
-'Lake Arthur Stomp'; l'histoire du violon de Varise. Got it from his first cousin, Adlar Connor
-He sold it to Varise and Varise's father about 50 years ago. Lionel fixed it up for Varise. He wouldn't trade it for any other fiddle
-Varise's family of musicians - His father, uncle, and cousins played music and got Varise interested
-It took a few years before a musician got to playing real good
-Varise began playing at 12 years old. Took him about 5 years? before he did well?

Dennis McGee, Michael Doucet, Jeanie McLeary:

0:00 - La valse à Jean Billeaudeau (Port Arthur Waltz)
-There was a pretty girl who went to school, and he'd follow her home stop at the rose bush/thorn bush and sing to her
-"La belle bouclette de Choupique." Dennis never recorded that one; La valse à Guilbeau Pelloquin
-Killed in the Civil War. Played this waltz on his coffin before he got shot
-Bee Deshotels wanted to learn it from Dennis, and so said he put it on an album
-But Dennis said it didn't sound like it should. It's a hard waltz to play. Mississippi, Florida, Georgia
-He left maroon and got caught/shot by riflemen

6:35 - La valse à Napoléon Bonaparte. Napoleon played fiddle
9:17 - La valse des Marcantel (Rosalie?); La reel des Marcantel

11:51 - Pa Janvier (played then sung). Discussion of the song. 80-100 years old
-An old Native American lady would sing, and her husband would play that for marriages. Sad song

15:03 - "La marche des mariés" by Joe Falcon from Crowley/Lafayette. Dennis didn't know his songs
-Dennis played a little with Amédé, Cléopha (accordion)), and Ophé Breaux, more with Ophé since he played guitar
-Fiddling around; how Dennis started playing with Amédé Ardoin
-Both worked for the same man, Oscar Comeaux, in the fields. Boss liked music and put Amédé and Dennis together to play at night.
-Started playing together for good when Oscar sold to a black man, and both moved to Eunice
-Dance hall on the other side of Bayou Queue de Torture, Luma Arpin owned it. Another dance hall in Kaplan
-Brought so many people, Luma put a fence and people would jump the fence to go. Joe Falcon would come watch them.

-'Tit Nèg" Schexnyder (Shine Mouton's uncle) played with Amédé and Dennis. He makes guitars and plays well
-Dennis's son would put him to shame playing guitar. McGee family reunion May 27th in Port Barre

20:30 - T'en as eu, t'en auras plus; Rosina (Michael Doucet, violin)
-La valse à Tophile Young? (similar to Rosina; La valse à Jean Billeaudeaux); La valse des Ballots

Dennis McGee:

0:00 - Bayou Pon Pon - Angélas LeJeune and Ernest Frugé recorded that
-big/long notes (bows?) in older music as compared to shorter notes (bows?) in newer music
-La valse de Guilbeau Pelloquin
-From Civil war, he played that on his coffin before he was shot and killed. Hard bowing on the turn

4:01 - La valse de Napoléon; Dennis is the only one who plays these tunes with that type bowing
-The bowing is what makes it hard. Barry notices he uses a lot more of the bow than other fiddlers
-Dennis says it's because you need a lot of bow to follow the note; La reel des Frugé

7:33 - La valse du bambocheur (La valse de Rebot) (Dennis' version); La valse à Pop

10:40 - Mardi Gras Song. Dennis doesn't care for it. Mardi Gras run in Mamou and Tasso, not in Eunice
-Arkansas Traveler (learned from his father-in-law, Eraste Courville)
-Dennis' father, John McGee, and his uncle, Ulysse McGee played fiddle. Ulysse played left-handed

14:15 - La danse du crapaud; Oscar and Valsin Aguillard were brothers from Port Arthur
-Will McGee. Oscar McGee, Joseph McGee's son were all good fiddlers. They all played old tunes; Tuning

16:57 - La reel des Deshotels; La reel des Courville (Contradance?). Turn reminds Barry of a certain song
-People quit dancing reels when Dennis was no longer a kid
-Contradances were still danced when Dennis was young, but people had forgotten how to dance reels
-Reels were hard to dance to and took good legs, had to jump
-Contradances were easier since you'd just turn around and dance to the beat

22:56 - La danse carrée (contradance)

0:00 - Allons à Lafayette
3:25 - J'ai passé devant ta porte
8:50 - Chère toute toute
14:00 - La dernière valse
18:40 - Présentation des danseurs de Namur, Belgique - Philippe Gustin, V.P. Perret
21:38 - Les musiciens de la Belgique
24:33 - Une valse (untitled) - Les musiciens de la Belgique et Lionel Leleux
28:45 - Une ronde - Les musiciens de la Belgique; Roll Out The Barrel

Canray Fontenot and Lawrence Ardoin:
38:11 - Quoi faire
41:45 - Je peux pas t'oublier
45:42 - French Blues

Duhon Family House Party: Hector Duhon (Fiddle), Octa Clark (Accordion), Dewey Balfa (Fiddle), Bessyl Duhon (Guitar), R.L. Duhon (Guitar), U.J. Meaux (Fiddle), Michael Doucet (Triangle)

0:00 - B.O. Sparkle Waltz
4:34 - Jolie blonde
9:18 - I'm Not To Blame (Rodney LeJeune's version)
12:16 - Bosco Stomp
16:06 - Balfa Waltz. Dewey didn't recognize it because Octa plays it differently on accordion
19:42 - Love Bridge Waltz; Messing around with "Back o' Town Two-Step"
22:43 - Drunkard's Dream
26:49 - Step It Fast

***Only year was included in original notes, no specific day or month***

Don Montoucet (Accordion) & the Wandering Aces; Lionel Leleux (Violin); Sammy Boudreaux (Drums); Hubert Maitre (Guitar & Vocals); Unknown steel guitar player (Melvin Sonnier?)

0:00 - Evangeline Special (for Horace Guilbeau)
5:08 - Evangeline Special reprise
7:25 - The Wild Side of Life
8:09 - La valse des Cherokees (for people from Québec, Canada)
13:13 - Pauvre hobo
18:35 - Let's Rock and Roll (fragment)
19:19 - La valse de tout le monde (for Mr. Moreau)
24:11 - J'ai été au bal (for Keith & Mary Granger)

Don Montoucet (Accordion); the Wandering Aces; Lionel Leleux (Violin); Sammy Boudreaux (Drums); Hubert Maitre (Rhythm guitar and Vocals); unknown steel guitar player (Melvin Sonnier?)

0:00 - Allons à Lafayette (for Barry)
5:24 - Jolie blonde (La fille de la veuve/Ma blonde est partie) (for people from Québec, Canada)
10:06 - Bayou Pon Pon
15:02 - Chère Alice
19:29 - La valse d'orphelin (La valse de musicien/Trop jeune pour te marier)
22:14 - Lake Arthur Stomp

25:20 - Lake Arthur Stomp (reprise)
-Don messing around with Lake Arthur Stomp on accordion

27:21 - La porte d'en arrière

Don Montoucet (Accordion); Lionel Leleux (Violin); unknown guitar player and vocalist

0:00 - Don and Lionel messing around with the "Drunkard's Waltz"
0:56 - La dernière valse
4:46 - Les flammes d'enfer

***Only month and year were included in original notes, no specific day***

Lionel Leleux:

0:00 - Playing with Don Montoucet after Lawrence Walker died in 1973
-Lionel (fiddle), Jr. Benoit (guitar), Don Montoucet (accordion), Simon Schexnyder (drums)
-Don was a bus driver and mechanic and his father, Jacques, played as well
-Lionel had the most fun since playing with Lawrence. Don had to quit because of his health
-learning to play violin by ear; What is a musician?

4:56 - Playing for Codofil, 1st time Codofil sponsored Cajun music
-National folk festival in Virginia, touring in Central and South America; Some people think that musicians are no good
-role of the musician on the bandstand
-making violins from 1927-1932 without tools (breaking bottles for scrapers, cutting bones for finger board and saddle board nuts)
-eventually bought tools and wood; no one to show him how to do it. He had to learn on his own

11:16 - First violin sold; Second violin was made for Doug Kershaw
-Wallace Touchet's violin; finding geometrical formulas to build violins using trigonometry
-formulating varnish with a formula used by chemical engineer Josef Michaelman from Cincinnati Ohio--1600/1700s Italian violin curves

15:50 - Early schooling. Lionel almost didn't go to school; Violin making book--des grands mots
-what Lionel missed by quitting school; first violin; Lionel thinks his violins are well worth it
-The people who purchase them like them too

20:20 - Playing Strad. and Guarnieri violins for dances. Lionel got them in 1949
-First time Lionel saw good violins owned by an eye doctor from Abbeville who had no family down here. They were all up north
-When he died, they had an estate sale and Lionel's friend bought it, and Lionel bought it from his friend--Stradivarius and Guarnarius violins

25:04 - Borrowing money to buy violins. Lionel had 4 violins and people wanted to buy them
-He didn't have enough money to buy the Strad and Guanarius. He liked them and sold his 4 others after getting his hands on them
-compares his he makes to those 2 nice violins; Lawrence liked the Strad. more; "La 'tite noire/la 'tite négresse"
-difference between Stradivarius and Guarnarius violin --Strad. smooth and sweet/ Guarnarius robust. Lionel likes them both