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John de la fosse. When were you born? John April 16th, 1939 1939. How long have you been playing music? Uh, since I can remember you? Really? It's a little char you play too? Oh, I say about seven years. So you gonna take about 78. What the

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way I started? My uh older brother had a, had an old body made with a cigar box called Old Box years ago. And he put it up and I get up there, take it behind his back and create it. You know, then he'd buy a harmonica

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every leave, I throw it in the drawer and steal the harmonica plate. He was coming back. I put it up. Who's your brother? What's your brother's name? And then the years went on when I got to be 16, I bought me a little uh ho on

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him. I play a and B I played with it about six months, I guess in my father passed away and then I saw him and went up there. I was about 28. I bought another pond and I picked up a few psalms on it and then

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I sold it. And, ok, and I was 20 I said I bought another, uh, therapy and I, I sold that and again and the years went by about, I was about 30 about that problem. Mhm. So, you just kind of learn a little bit. Get rid

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of it. Well, you didn't play dances though until this last thing, huh? I mean, when did you start playing? Well, I played dances, um, earlier when I was, um, 18. 0, you do have been hic then? Oh, really? And then I put that up after I

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got mad. I, you know, I was 21. I got mad and put everything up. She didn't want you to go play too many women after you and you, and, or when I sleep I went out and played a few games. 1010 dances around. And, uh, I

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quit again. Why not? You? Ok. So you were talking about, you put it up again? Yeah, I quit again. If you play a couple of dances, why did you keep quitting? You just weren't that interested in? Well, I didn't have an organized band that was, I

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didn't know for sure. I was going into it. And then, uh, what did, meanwhile, what were you doing? As, as your job? And the, so, you know, you did, what did you fall? Everything, everything cotton con with the rice. Uh, and then I just practice at

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home. I said, and I wasn't hit on a cardboard box and, you know, as drama. And, uh, that's about five years ago I decided I was gonna go all the way this time. No stopping. And, uh, so I picked up a base Germany accordingly. We played

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different little places, little clubs who, who was in your band at that time? I had this guy, Paul Paul Washington played bass baseball. And was your son playing drums? What's his Tony? Tony? Tony was playing drum and I had the other one, John, other son, John

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Junior is playing scrub for which one? Now? The little one is Gino. Gino. Ok. Well, Tony is the older one. Tony is a real beautiful one. He shaved now, then I have one. John Junior is a little taller than to younger. You don't have to see

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him. He don't, he doesn't play with us anymore. He used to, uh then I met up with uh these two guys I have now Charles Sam, what is Charles? Charles Prudent Joseph? And they, they were with uh with uh President Frank at that time when he

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didn't have no work with President, I'd get him to stay with me and we got so good together that uh they had more bookings with me than with press. So I asked them if they wanted to keep, continue playing with me because I needed two men

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steady. I had plenty of work coming up. And so they told me I had steady work while I go ahead and play with me. And from then on I picked it up. I tell you, I had a hard time getting where I'm at all. The other

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bands that laugh talk about me. I never learned, we, I'd never get nowhere so I didn't get discouraged. I just play my own style of music and the more I play, the more people loved what I was doing. And one of the things I really done

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was notice what the other guys were playing, how do people respond to it and give people exactly what they wanted and they would respond to it. And that's why my music is so different from the other bands. So you play my own style of music? I

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don't like to play anybody else music. OK. Can you just describe your style? What it, it's exotic, cool. But I have uh certain rhythms in it. Uh different notes, keys and stuff like that. Add things to it. Add, possessed some excite the people, you know, some

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people play just straight flat music. I have a steady rhythm. Yeah. People, nobody can stop dancing when they hear it. They got, they got the movie. Yeah. And it went on now that all the bookings I want. You got, so you're really busy, huh? You play

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all weekend every week? Uh, three nights a week, Friday, Saturday and Sunday every week. Some, four nights, sometimes, five nights, sometimes 32 gigs in one day are you still farming? Oh, no, no, you don't tell them anymore. You live on your music? Uh, yeah, most of

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them. I got a few cats in the hall. I, me around, I don't mind. Well, um, oh, yeah. So, what you think it is about that's made your group such a success is like, just the fact that you really, you, you check out the music scene,

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you pick the stuff that you feel like people you get the best reactions from and you add that to your own beat. And that's right. And you work to please people. You're not just trying to prove who you are. My business is to please the people

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because I can put it for myself at home when I'm on the bandstand, I'm pleasing. He's the, the uh the fans, that's my, that's my job. If they're happy, I'm happy. And uh another thing is it doesn't matter how good a musician you are. If you're

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not with the people, you have nothing, you got to be with the people, you got to uh take time with. You, respond to that reaction, you talk with him, shake hands and everything, uh laugh with him. Even if you don't feel like laughing, you got to

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be with the people. I know a lot of musicians. Uh I think you're too big to talk to a person. Sometimes you'll get a fellow that's a little bit high or something and he want to talk to you, you tell him you want, you don't have

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time for him. He'll remember that. And when he so up, he will definitely tell you, you don't have time for me. I'm not worrying about you. Tell the people where so and so thinks himself too much. I'm not going to his dance and just too much.

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And that cuts down a lot on you on your business. I know a lot of fellow kill them, kill that band with just that thinking that you were right. You're not with, if you don't have time for the people you'll get down your own. I think

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a lot of people mess up there. I really do. I know a lot of them did. I know a lot of them still doing it and I watch that all the time. Then another thing is drinking, you know, too much. The musicians drinking too much. That's

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another bad thing. You know, some of the musicians drink too much and get out and organize and everything and cut up on the bandstand. No. Fuck that. They fight more deserve sometimes. That's bad for you. So you pretty much all y'all try to keep a pretty

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clean act, huh? You don't drink that much while you, I'll take one or two drinks. None of us ever get high and then we had to keep a cool head. We know what we are doing. People love that. That's right. It's just great. The popularity never

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had no fuss or fight on the bandstand or nothing like that. Well, I got some good fellas. I got some good fellas and I treat them nice. The people in your band, my band, my band members, two guitars. I shouldn't, she doing good, doing good. That's

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another thing. Y'all make quite a bit of money when you play. Like, is that good? What you made the other night special or is that pretty average? Like, like to, like, I just hear the Cajun bands don't get paid that much and, yeah, well, that's not

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even. Mhm. That's, but that's what I guess that was my guess, which we were making of it. S so, anyway, you know, it's neat. Y'all play for that because it was such a, that night I lost, uh, uh, I had, I had a gig $500 that

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night. I did, I did it for that. That was a big event. Anyway. I got that. Sometimes you have to give in another thing I've done, uh, lately with the economy. So the economy is down now and, uh, a lot of bands don't realize that if

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you're playing, someone hires you to, to, to like the clubs or the churches get you to play dance for them and, and, and, uh, say they don't make that much of the dorm. Probably not enough to pay you the amount that you're asking or you automatically,

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you have to give in some, you have to cut down on your price and give them a chance. Because if you think everything this man hires you, he can't hire you again. Uh, just like I play, I played Recharge. If I, if I play recharge, I

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want $1000 to play and he makes about $800 at the door. He's got to pay me $1000. He can't operate if you got to keep on paying and breaking behind. So you work with a club? That's really good. I get when they do bad. Well, I

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give him a break. All right. That's neat. That's, that's hitting the road to popularity being nice to everybody. The same thing with churches. Uh, I hate to see churches take all that treasure to pay me. In other word. If I bring the crowd, you pay me

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if I don't bring the car. Well, you know, I go down like some, I cut down $100.50 dollars. It all depends. I give them a most average man. You want full price, you want that money and then they turn around and say, well, so and so

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they don't hire me anymore. I don't know what happened. Well, you're taking all this profit. How can you hire you just like, you know, the business, a man has a business, you got to pay his employee more than he makes or he can't keep up his

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business. He's got to go broke. That's the same thing with this. But what do you just tell me, you take half of the door or something or you, or you just, if they find that they don't make enough, you just kind of go. Ok, that's ok.

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What do you, whatever you say? Well, if I, if I, uh, if I take half of the dough, I mean, now that there's two ways the, uh, the, the, the, the owner of the place makes profit, he makes profit on the beer. He, you know, his

00:13:01.750 - 00:13:17.039

concession stand, all that. He need to be on the bar. He makes money on the bar. But I, I figured out that he can come out, well, something, I come out with something that, the way we want to live. I'm not looking just for myself to

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live and kill him. If I kill him, then he can't have me. I'm out of that. A lot of, don't realize that. But, uh, just about everywhere I go, I have my crowd, people are there. We have a crowd. I don't hardly have to do no

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cutting down on nothing like that because we bring the crowd. But there are times that you have to, uh, maybe I, I might get a cancellation somewhere a little late where I can book it somewhere. Well, then I'll just call another fella and book it there.

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I'll say, well, if it's not too good, I'll help you out on the door and by the way, that keeps me a little something going instead of just not playing and it gives them a little bit sometimes it's really good sometimes it's not. Yeah, that's good.

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Yeah, if I get a cancellation, two weeks ahead of time I can, so that, no problem, I can book it. Well, um, you know, like the songs you perform. Do you do, like, do you consider a lot of that to be pretty much traditional songs? Like,

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I recognize a lot of the tunes, like, you know, I've heard, I know some of them are real old time tunes. Like, for example, um, Jolie Basset that I've heard the s, do you do that what you call it? K Fair? I think, you know, that

00:14:34.700 - 00:14:49.909

tune, like, do you take like traditional melodies and just kind of make up your own set of words? Do you take a tune you've heard? And, uh, make my own set of words and then a lot of the songs are just some, I've never heard. Just

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my, my imagination. What are some of the, what are some of the ones you've done on your own? This is my heart and I got, uh, so this, uh, I wanna be your loving man. And, uh, like, uh, I think some of the ones you wrote,

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you wrote, you wrote, I don't write song, don't, you just make them up and I keep them up in my upstairs, in my head. That's what I mean. By, right. You and lo some roads, you know, thing I lose at midnight and all these records. So

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all of my imaginations right around your head. Ok. Stumps and all stuff like that from my imagination. I got very few numbers that other people have done. What about your biggest hip jo p uh your thumb where that come from? Um OK, that's an old man.

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Told me about this song, you know, he played different way up there. Uh He told me, John, if you ever get a musician and you'll become way you can record it. I want you to record this song and I played a long time before I recorded

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it. Who's that good? Good. He's the one that told me about it and then he's got a, I got another song. Uh A V are free. All I call on my album. That's another one. He, he, he told me about this song. He sang it, you

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know, and I'd go meet him. We play together sometimes. I played a very, very, when was this? Oh, that was uh well, he, he passed about 56 years ago, about 67 years ago. So he was a friend of yours and he knew some tunes and he

00:16:47.760 - 00:17:07.250

just sort of brought me up as a, you know, and uh we'd get together, we'd make some tunes. So y'all been together a long time, play music real good past time, you know, he, he was alone, having his wife passed away and I, I'd be at

00:17:07.260 - 00:17:24.880

home sometimes and he come meet me and get together and play a little bit. So I promised him, I was going to recall, this was after all. I said he sang, you know, but he sang it to his girlfriend and, uh, in his, in his, well,

00:17:25.650 - 00:17:49.780

yeah, he'd be in his mind, he'd be singing to his girlfriend, go by and see her and everything. And, uh, so I guess I really, uh, record that song name also that well, ok. And then it's for, and so like, what is your wife's name? Joan.

00:17:50.540 - 00:18:26.989

Joan, what was her maiden name? Caesar? Caesar? I never heard that. Caesar. Caesar ce A and what are the name? Caesar, what are your kids' names? Tony John Junior, Janice JG and Cheryl Cheryl. Is that, um, Shecch, er, Ryalh, er, Rynyl Cheryl? That's a big family.

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That's a, and you're taking care of this with your horses and your music? And does your wife work too? Oh, she didn't? Besides working at home? That's a job right there. A job at home. So she approves. Have you played music now or she just let

00:18:44.770 - 00:18:58.819

it go? I made myself a promise and that's something I've tried from a little boy, you know, and I always did like it. I made myself a promise. A wife and a wife. I played my music. You wanted to see if you can make a success

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of that. And I made a success and I'm not quitting, like I told, I told her I'm not even quitting whether she wants me or not to play and she wants to, she promised to leave me, I'll just go and play. It takes, you know, everybody

00:19:14.540 - 00:19:31.050

is, tries to achieve something in life. Uh uh It took me a long time to get mine and I did it. So I'm sticking right by. You've really hit your success at a time in your life where it's nice profession and I keep it like that.

00:19:32.530 - 00:19:49.599

That is real, real interesting. What else should we put? Can you think of any other things we ought to put in there about you? Interesting facts. You've been playing around a lot, haven't you played up in the National Folk Festival name? Some places you played other

00:19:49.609 - 00:20:18.510

than El Paso, El Paso Wolf Trap. I have gone to Baltimore for the, the head and you play at Nash, where was the World's fair in Nashville? Knoxville? Seven days. Knoxville, Knoxville fan took the show there. Really? I sold most of the albums I had there

00:20:18.520 - 00:20:48.449

too and they went down to three weeks, French tour. Uh, three years ago. We all over the place we went, uh, well, we started here in Eunice in Lafayette in Hama and, uh, Missouri ST Louis or my Missouri or this place there, Tulsey. And, uh, then

00:20:48.459 - 00:21:14.030

we left there and went to Lafayette in the real nice people. You response to the music. And we done Madison Wisconsin as a big French quarter there, big school. And it was beautiful. People speak French there, foreign rich. And I sold about 100 and 60 album

00:21:14.040 - 00:21:35.170

at night. And from there we went to Saint Paul and so my French too, back to Louisiana, we had a real success. That was neat. I loved it. That sounded like a good thing. Each time I went to, they want to come back and play. We

00:21:35.180 - 00:22:01.829

had a great time. Yeah. And I done the not western. That's a really negative twice, two years in a row. And I didn't kill him. That I'm gonna be there this year again. 16th and 17th. So it's, we've really been around quite a bit. The jazz

00:22:01.839 - 00:22:22.650

festival in New Orleans on the inauguration for training. Mhm. Good night. Ok. Now, I wanna put that in there too that while you're traveling. So, uh, I guess that's, I can't think of anything else. What else? Go to Houston. Yeah, I went to, I did the

00:22:22.660 - 00:22:57.189

RF festival in, I'm gonna name it, please. What is the name? Crown? No, uh, Texas. But it's, uh, we went through Victoria all the way down close to the border. It was a Mexican festival, uh, a gallon or a Santon. Um, for him close to Brownsville

00:22:57.900 - 00:23:16.430

between Brownsville. And so they were in the border. Anyway. Nice fest of the day. You really love it like we'll probably be going there again next year. Well, um, what, what Accordions do you use? Use the, uh, single row most of the time, huh? Is that,

00:23:16.439 - 00:23:35.729

which is you play all three types of the double, the triple row, the piano key and the single row? Is that what you're talking about? The double row? And they love it all the song. I play a different song on different accordion. So it's not all,

00:23:35.739 - 00:23:55.969

not all, all song I can put on another volume. That's why I, I people love it so much because I play all kinds of music. Three oor and it gives them three sounds of music and different songs and there's a lot of trying to play that

00:23:55.979 - 00:24:15.930

jokey thing. You can't get it like I do. Mhm. It's your style. It's my style. That's, you do have a style that's recognizable, that's for sure. What are some other groups you like around here that some other groups you think are pretty good around here that

00:24:15.939 - 00:24:29.680

you admire? Do you have any like who are some of the musical musicians you admired as a young person that you kind of look at? Yeah, I got great respect for him. Real good respect. I still respect him. Now, a lot of people tell me, well,

00:24:29.689 - 00:24:47.489

John, you over Clifton now you, you're the best. It doesn't matter. It's, it's nice for them to think of me that way. But I know Clifton still is be OK because uh I'll follow those article now it's come from, he's the one that organized it years

00:24:47.500 - 00:25:07.420

ago, started off and everybody has copied after him and there's a lot of groups that are playing char to play everything. Clifton plays. Well, that's why my style is different. If everybody plays like k, well, if you, if you want to get a band, why not

00:25:07.430 - 00:25:21.479

get Clifton? And that's, that's, you know what Clifton's famous quote for that one. Mark was laughing about it. Clifton said uh he was the who was this guy? But you know, Clifton doesn't need any help. I mean, you don't have to play Clifton style because Clifton

00:25:21.489 - 00:25:34.310

doesn't need any help with his style. You know, you're doing John De, you know what I mean? Just, I mean, if, if, if, if everybody say I play just like the same way he plays but they need a band. They say, well, let's get, yeah, shoot.

00:25:34.319 - 00:25:50.599

You know, you gotta be in different music now. They say, well, let's listen to different music. Let's get job. And uh but he's pretty much your, your all time. He's in the book too, an interview with him too. Like I said, I respect him and I,

00:25:50.609 - 00:26:03.880

I'm not saying it behind his back. I'm sitting in front of him, I'm sitting in front of the other musician. I don't respect any other musician. I respect Cliff. He's the one but I, I think I'm friends with all the other guys too. I like, I

00:26:03.890 - 00:26:20.060

like them all and if I can help any one of them, I'll help him. You play that thing? And I do mine. Uh, but it's, it's real neat. A lot, a lot of these bands and musicians I notice too is trying to, you know, pull against

00:26:20.069 - 00:26:34.829

each other and everything. I do my thing. If I can give me a car when I'm playing, it's fine. If the other guy gets a car fine for him, you're trying to draw people away from the others. Now, you just, you just play your music. People

00:26:34.839 - 00:26:52.959

like what I'm doing. I appreciate it but I'm not trying to hurt nobody in my, in my view. Mhm. Or compete or anything like that. I miss playing. I love to play. I just love it. And like I said, I've always tried to play. Finally. I

00:26:52.979 - 00:27:13.439

cheated. Mhm. I feel good to see people feeling good dates and responding and hollering and everything. And I keep one thing I keep busy whenever I play, I, I don't play a song and wait five minutes to play another song. I keep music rolling all the

00:27:13.449 - 00:27:29.839

time and that prevents a lot of fighting. Like we used to have years and argument and everything in the place. You keep them busy, keep them dancing, they don't have time to argue and fight. And then when I take a break, uh I take like maybe

00:27:29.849 - 00:27:44.489

1520 minutes the most where some band take a half hour hour. You can't find them a lot of time. You know, you got to call them to the band stand and get them together. I don't do that. 1520 minutes is the longest break I think. And

00:27:44.500 - 00:28:02.119

that way I keep them moving. So that's another good thing. I don't know. Anyway, I, I don't only wanna collect, play music and collect and don't worry about that. I like to take care of the people that are there. Do I can if I can have

00:28:02.130 - 00:28:22.959

somebody when you know, II, I do that too and, uh, try to keep him in line and everything. Keep him happy. So that's one of the thing I was saying, well, you got to be with the people. You're taking care of your scene too. Everybody's happy

00:28:23.040 - 00:28:39.260

at me. And another thing is, like I said, I don't play one song and stop, install it again. I keep them busy and whenever they come out to my show, they say, well, we get our money as well. So they don't mind paying at the door,

00:28:39.270 - 00:28:56.849

they coming because they know they ain't gonna be busy. Yeah, that's another thing. So I put all that together and that's what made my band popular. That's what made me the jump I did. Right.