00:00:00.050 - 00:00:29.819

October the 12th in Sulfur Louisiana at Luda and Darb and Home. Um, C, well, when were you born, Mr Darby? Well, I was born in January, 1913, January, 1913, January 14th, 19, we almost had the same birthday in the advance. Is that your birth, January? Yeah.

00:00:30.719 - 00:00:52.020

Uh, any veins we're losing even on. Were any, was anyone in your family? A musician? Well, my dad played the accordion a little bit. He wasn't accomplished but he did have an instrument one time. He played, he played a few melodies and then I had on

00:00:52.029 - 00:01:16.940

my mother's side, I had a knuckle and take a B in, but he never was really a professional musician more for his own entertainment. What was his name? Uh, he was, what were their names? I was gonna ask you your father's full name and your mother's

00:01:17.080 - 00:01:38.949

full name? Well, my dad's name was, uh, they called him Eddie. He had a French name, but everybody called him Eddie. And that's the name that he kept, he didn't like his original name. And, uh, he was born near Opelousas. But, uh, you know what prayer

00:01:39.059 - 00:02:00.660

Rome is in that out in the country. It was in that general area. And uh of course, when they, when they discovered all the BS, see, they found the first oil well in the bathroom back in about 19 3, when my dad, he was a young

00:02:00.669 - 00:02:24.419

man, I guess about, in 19 10 or 1911, he went to advise and went to work in the or, and that's where he met my mother who was born and raised right there. Her dad had uh about 1000 acre farm and he raised rice. So let's

00:02:24.429 - 00:02:49.929

have that. Uh that's why the Mike for and they were down, they came from this, from Ireland to this part of the country, even though my mother had an Irish name, uh she spoke French uh like my dad did, of course. Now I didn't when we

00:02:49.940 - 00:03:11.139

uh left, well, they left evangeline when I was about three months old. And then my dad followed the oil fields and uh we moved south of Denton and from there, we move into Texas, of course, when I started school, but my mother didn't want me to

00:03:11.149 - 00:03:28.869

speak French at all. She wanted me to speak English. You know, it was a the way that the Cajun people did. In those days, the kids had to learn the English and forget about the French because of the fact when they go to school, uh the

00:03:28.880 - 00:03:53.960

teachers, they more cares to speak French at all. So as a result, I did not practice the Cajun language. Although I still can understand practically anything that said, you know, I can understand you. So your parents spoke English with you at home? Did your parents speak

00:03:53.970 - 00:04:13.660

English with you? Oh, yeah, they spoke English but uh, they enjoy speaking French more. In fact, they, I guess at that time they probably spoke only French until after they made me quit talking French. Well, then they would talk English. But, uh, as a result I

00:04:13.669 - 00:04:33.410

didn't practice the French language. So I, I don't talk French, but I can understand it. And then when we, uh, when I first started playing the violin, my mother wanted me to play the violin, of course, in those days, they called it the violin. They didn't

00:04:33.420 - 00:04:55.959

call it a fiddle. And, uh, she ordered me a correspondence course from the US School of Music in New York City. So I, that's how I really learned to play melody. In fact, I didn't even know how my dad had bought this too when I was

00:04:55.970 - 00:05:14.690

about, oh, about 10 years old, I guess. And I didn't have anybody in the neighborhood that played for several, then nobody, the team. So when I got the lessons, well, then that's how I learned the tumor from the lessons. That's the first thing I had to

00:05:14.700 - 00:05:36.820

learn. T so then I started practicing. I would practice 30 minutes a day. All the neighborhood kids were out there having a big time and I was practicing with it. So anyway, it paid off. It should be. But I, I wanted to learn, uh, I guess

00:05:36.829 - 00:05:55.369

the fact that my mother wanted me to play them, the violin and the so made me want to learn it, you know, that much more. And I did, well, I started going to these house parties in Orange Field, Texas. That's where we live in. And they

00:05:55.380 - 00:06:15.850

had some, we called him Hillbilly Fiddler Gene. That time they didn't call it cuts of music called the Hill him. But anyway, these uh that have these house parts and that way I was able to learn a lot of, of our teams who go back home

00:06:15.859 - 00:06:38.679

and I start practicing. Where was that in Orange Field, Texas between Orange and BMA. And uh of course, when I saw that I could play by ear. Well, then I, I couldn't study the notes. So from then on, I play it by ear, I can still

00:06:38.690 - 00:06:56.670

read. However, I don't, uh my tempo is not just right reading, but I can learn a melody from the notes. And then from then on, I just play it by ear. Well, what about your uncle that played the fiddle? When did you hear him? Was that

00:06:56.679 - 00:07:14.269

over here? That was when he was a young man? And uh when I knew him because he was an older person, I think he had, he had done away with this film. And he didn't play anymore. I got this from my mother. His name, you asked

00:07:14.279 - 00:07:35.260

me his name while I go Israel. But, uh, that's how I really got started. And then my dad, uh, went to work in Hackberry. Well, then they moved to Hackberry, but I had, I kept on going to school in Orangefield, Texas. I lived with a man

00:07:35.269 - 00:07:56.619

in a, how old were you then? That was high school, or was it? Uh, yeah, that was high school. Ninth grade when they moved to Hackberry. Well, then, uh, when the school was out, I went home from Lawrenceville and Edwin dear had moved there. His dad

00:07:56.630 - 00:08:17.350

was working in the oil fields and they lived about a block away from us and he played the accordion. So, uh, funny thing about this, I didn't particularly care for recording music at that time. A lot of people didn't at that time. So he, anyway, he

00:08:17.359 - 00:08:40.770

would, when he found out that I played the violin we, we met and of course, right away. Well, we were interested in each other because we played music. So we started practicing. But Edwin also played guitar. Well, the accordion he had wasn't much of an accordion

00:08:42.659 - 00:09:02.359

and to buy a good accordion would have cost $20 in those days. And we didn't have that kind of money. And when we play a dance course, a party we didn't play for dance halls would just play part. Is it when we first started, well, we

00:09:02.369 - 00:09:20.039

get paid by passing the hat. You see. So we were lucky to make a dollar a piece. So $20 was a lot of money. So consequently, we didn't get on the car. So it wasn't too long. At that time, we had the radio and we started

00:09:20.049 - 00:09:43.150

listening to this hillbilly music from Nashville and other parts of the country. And, uh, there was no accord. So we, we started playing fiddle and guitar and there was another fellow who played guitar. So we got him and good, we play house boys fiddle in two

00:09:43.159 - 00:10:02.729

guitars. So Edwin got away from this Accord. But anyway, when we started the Hackberry Rhymers, which was in 1933. Oh, wait, I'm going to ask you what they were for today. Um You said, Miss, you know the Ed Eddie, do y'all play the accordion at that

00:10:02.739 - 00:10:22.219

time? What kind of music did he play on his accordion? Well, it was a Cajun music. Yeah, that's when Joe Falcon record had first come out. This was in 1929. You see when I met him and, uh that's when these Cades and records were coming out.

00:10:23.099 - 00:10:41.729

Well, that's how we learn these because I'd never go to Cajun dances. Now Edward, his, uh he would go to these Cajun Mass and he would, he knew a lot of the Cajun numbers where I knew the hillbilly numbers and he knew the Cajun numbers. You

00:10:41.739 - 00:11:08.510

see, but then when we started playing these house parties, all our music was mostly hillbilly or popular tunes. You know, the orchestra numbers would call popular teams. And this is in a right. Yeah. So, uh consequently, we play a party. We wouldn't uh inject too many

00:11:08.520 - 00:11:26.469

Cajun numbers. We play maybe a Cajun waltz once in a while and that was about the extent of the Cajun music. Now, when we started the Hackberry Rounders, am I getting ahead? No, no, you do fun if you, you're just doing great, your answer and everything

00:11:26.479 - 00:11:48.299

before asking. Uh, this was in 29 when we first started playing together. Well, in 1930 I had to leave and go back to school in Orange Field. Why did you go to school? There was no 11th grade. The 11th grade was the, the last grade. But

00:11:48.309 - 00:12:09.210

in, in those days when you finish the 11th grade you graduated, you see, whereas now you've got to go through the 12th anyway, the 11th grade, they didn't have the 11th grade in Hackberry, 10th grade was the last grade. So that meant that anybody that was

00:12:09.219 - 00:12:28.049

promoted to the level had to go elsewhere. Well, then I have this aunt and uncle living in Orange Field, so I just moved in with them. So I left that there. But at that time with, I don't remember just what he did while I was gone.

00:12:28.059 - 00:12:48.919

But when I came back, when I finished school and came back to Highbury. That's when we really got together and started playing these quarters and local dances. But then, uh, then I went to Business College and I was going again in 1933. I'm just about through

00:12:48.929 - 00:13:14.950

with this course then this college, well, we decided we started broadcasting. They had to open up radio station in Lake Charles by remote control from Beaumont KFDM, which was stationed in Beaumont open this remote. So we started broadcast with, uh, I believe, oh, I guess about

00:13:14.960 - 00:13:30.859

four o'clock in the morning from h with the band we get there, we broadcast and then I'd, I'd go to Business College. We had to go in two cars because they had to get back. What was it? Where were you all, was it at a store

00:13:30.869 - 00:13:52.719

or something or where was it broadcast from the broadcast from the Majestic Hotel? That's where the studio. So we, uh, in fact, I've got, I've still got one of my programs, life is showing the, the teams that we played. But, uh, that's how we started the

00:13:52.729 - 00:14:14.669

band. And then of course, when we started broadcasting, it was too much trouble for the announcer to say L Doone Edwin De on Alvin Ellen. So we decide we, we name our group. And as a result, this is a, was the first group of Cajun musicians

00:14:15.369 - 00:14:36.419

that named themselves with the name. Anybody else was just their name Joe Falco Lawrence Walker. See the Rainbow Ravers. They started after we do and Miller's Mary were after you too. That was after us. We started and we named ourselves one day we Edwin do and

00:14:36.500 - 00:14:57.739

myself, we decided we need a name which would be easy to announced on the radio and made it be popular. So we wanted a catchy name. So, so we came up with this hackberry wrappers a great one and that was in uh, 33. Well, then about

00:14:57.750 - 00:15:25.750

in 34 that's when Leo Swallow organized the Three Aces Big. And then though, yeah, now, also we were the first band to, to name ourselves. We were the first band to have a AAA application system. Oh, really? Yeah, I have a service station in, in, uh,

00:15:27.780 - 00:15:45.409

so one day I got a little catalog, what do you mean you had a service? Was able to buy a hose. This, I'm sort of lost. Ok. So you were set up, you were married at this time or no? Um, what I did in 32. See,

00:15:45.419 - 00:16:06.479

I graduated in 31 in 32. I opened the station. Oh, a gas station. Yeah. And, uh, I had it when we started broadcasting. I had the station. I kept it one year but I got this little catalog listing. This amplifying, uh, what was it? It was

00:16:06.489 - 00:16:29.950

a speaker, an amplifier that was built into this speaker. 10 microns. Well, we had never used that. We had never seen it used, but when we played in these dance halls, we get big crowds and a fiddle with two guitars with no amplifiers. You can imagine

00:16:29.960 - 00:16:48.210

how, how it sounded. When you had 100 couples that, well, they couldn't hear us on the other end. They could hear the beat of our feet in the guitars. I don't know if you notice in those, uh, pictures but the guitars have these, they called them

00:16:48.219 - 00:17:13.660

amplifying guitars. They had a big steel plate and that made them sound a lot louder. And on my fiddle, I, I uh I had my bridge cut in the middle and I used the thread on the boat, make it louder. That was number 53 real fine

00:17:13.670 - 00:17:30.459

thread. And that's what I use. Now you talk about breaking some strength. I broke but the fiddle would sound loud. You see, because we, we had to try to play as loud as we could. So I got this, I, I don't understand about the bridge. I

00:17:30.469 - 00:17:47.430

understand what you mean by it. I cut it right down there. Just made it a little space and it makes it feel. Yeah. See what the whole bridge. It kind of mutes the come when you cut that, I don't know why, but it does make it

00:17:47.439 - 00:18:09.310

a little louder. But, uh, so I get this catalog and here was this thing and I looked at it and I said this would help the singer because I knew not Floyd Rainwater, he didn't need a, an amplifier. That man could, he could sing sitting right

00:18:09.319 - 00:18:28.510

here and you'd hear him across that road. He had that kind of a voice. But then the others myself and, and Doon and then his son, a voice that didn't care like he did. So I figured by getting this microphone with a speaker, it would take

00:18:28.520 - 00:18:42.949

care of a so well who, who was in the group. Now this is when you started doing the radio broadcast, you're talking about, you had you and Eddie Dion and who and Alva Miller. But he only played about, he played the guitar too. He only played

00:18:42.969 - 00:19:03.079

about six weeks. He was working in the oil fields and we started playing at baze and it just made it too hard. So he quit. That's when I got to Floyd and, and he played the guitar and Hes Floyd and each played guitars and I played

00:19:03.359 - 00:19:21.859

and they sang, I didn't do much singing, but I did sing a little bit, but we decided on getting this amplifier. I just, I said we, I did, I went ahead and ordered and paid for it myself. So it came in, we played our first dance

00:19:21.869 - 00:19:41.520

with that thing in the evangel oil field. And uh my other people, I could not stand it that's playing here. And the music coming out on the even like fiddling guitar was carrying, you know, and I at the time I didn't realize that it would carry

00:19:41.530 - 00:20:05.510

the fiddling guitar too. Yeah. You know what? The people, we started getting crowds just like that. We played in Mars played in Merman at that time. The V one. Anyway, we play it, uh, in about five places there each week. And I'm telling you the people

00:20:06.260 - 00:20:23.479

they come to see that they couldn't understand and we get some big crap. But anyway, it wasn't too long after that Leo Swallow and his band got an Apple and from then on will they start getting? But we were the first ones. So y'all started the

00:20:23.489 - 00:20:42.900

ads. So another thing, we were the first ones to stand up playing a dance in this part of the country. Oh, really? That's right. Everybody had your card in dance, everybody set out. So we started, we'd stand up and there was some of the places where

00:20:42.910 - 00:21:01.890

they had these bands, fans built high, you know, so that people could see the musicians when we stand up, they didn't have ceilings, they just have these rafters. And if we stand erect, we'd be looking over the rafters, we had to kind of stoop down to

00:21:01.900 - 00:21:22.400

play this, uh, there was two or three holes like that that, uh, made it kind of rough. But anyway, we, in those days we were all young, we enjoyed standing up, you know. Of course, we still stand, we don't want to see. But then, uh, after

00:21:23.359 - 00:21:44.829

we broadcast from Lake Chills. Uh, we got pretty popular so we, uh, in fact, we played in Eunice one night and, um, it was the biggest crowd I guess we had ever had. It was on kind of us broadcasting. We were playing in Bazil on Saturdays

00:21:45.510 - 00:21:59.900

and I think we played in Eunice, either on a Wednesday or Thursday night. What were you playing in, in Brazil and Eunice? Uh, well, there was this fellow that had this dance. I showed you this picture a while ago. It wasn't a nightclub. It was, uh,

00:22:01.160 - 00:22:22.780

it was a building, it was an old time dance. All right in, in Bay, in the middle of town and all my, I noticed that I show on the broadcast, uh, program that we were playing at the KC Hall and be, but there was no KC

00:22:22.790 - 00:22:44.739

organization at that time. So I don't know why I got KC unless they just called it KC Hall. We played in Unis and, uh, we didn't know before the amplifiers. So I got the amplification and they had two big old fans, one on each side of

00:22:44.750 - 00:23:02.489

the street and the other thing made a roaring sound and I don't know how the people hurt us. I guess they just dance and just hurt our feet. Padding. Boy, it was hot that night. They didn't have any fans on books. It was out on people

00:23:02.500 - 00:23:19.099

that and we were in the middle and I remember I was soaking wet when we got to, where, where did you play there? Do you remember? It was right in town. It was above, it was upstairs. That's where the big was. I think it was a,

00:23:19.119 - 00:23:43.869

it was a little, ran the club to, hired us to play. It wasn't a club. I think it was, well, maybe he might have had dances every summer. Remember what, what, what you call it? Right. For an organization. That club. We have a good crack like,

00:23:44.310 - 00:24:08.489

uh, we were getting pretty popular things. So we are, we played dances all over now, Floyd Rainwater. And tonight we played in Eunice, they had to quit. His wife had a laundry in Lake Charles and she need them to, to help in the laundry. So, the

00:24:08.500 - 00:24:23.939

man we played in years, she drove up there and he had to quit. Well, he, he hated to quit and we hated for him to quit. We had a day to play the next night and get up. So what we had to do, I knew that

00:24:23.949 - 00:24:43.630

Lenny Sonier wanted to join the band. We had to leave Yis and drive to death and get L is, um, go together on the same day. And I it was a model. A Ford and we could only drive about 35 or 40 miles an hour. It

00:24:43.640 - 00:25:03.680

took us all day to do it. But we played the game, but lettuce didn't have a loud voice like the boy. So that's the reason I had to, when I saw this amplifier per se and leave me interested. I had, uh they were, you had to

00:25:03.689 - 00:25:22.719

play where they had electricity. I mean, in those days, uh it wasn't, they were all that had just even that, well, that was pretty early still that it was like in what, 3430. Yeah, this, this was about 34. But I was gonna say we moved the

00:25:22.729 - 00:25:46.020

crowd at 35 May of 35. And I, of course, I had the amplifier when we moved to cloudy. I heard that the So in rain by name failure, maybe generators, auto layoffs so that we could play at some of these country halls and use that. I'd

00:25:46.030 - 00:26:06.089

have to run the car and I to, so he, he built one of those uh generators. I would play with, it was on the car. But I had to, I had to loosen the thing up and use a belt from the car to run the generator

00:26:07.260 - 00:26:28.250

and I had to run the car while we played the bass. So that was hard on the arm. I had a, at that time, I had a 31 model for, I had gotten rid of my model. A so she had five. I don't know, she just,

00:26:28.699 - 00:26:52.319

just had anyway, we bring you to 1935 at that time when, when we moved to Corral in 35 uh Floyd Rainwater joined the band again, him and his wife. So he had to separate him. So he came back in the front and I had Lus and

00:26:52.329 - 00:27:10.489

myself and then, uh, Floyd had a, a brother by the name of Lonnie Rainwater who played, uh, do, bro, you know what that is? And, uh, so we were four of us at that time and that's when we got the word for us to go to

00:27:10.500 - 00:27:34.439

New Arms that our C A was required. And in August of 35 so we went up and recorded five yesterday. Selection. What songs did you record that time? You, let's see, we, well, I tell you what we played. Uh, they weren't all pages of numbers. One

00:27:34.449 - 00:27:54.160

of them that I remember was bunny blue eyes. This is a hell tell number. Oh, I've got the list there. I've got somebody from Virginia sent me a list of all my records. Really? Indeed. I'd love to see him. Of course, he had called me and

00:27:54.170 - 00:28:17.920

he had gotten the information, but he was working. Was it Dick Spot? No, no, it was. Uh, I said after a while I get, but, uh, it was, I guess we'll only record maybe four or five selections. Paid that we still do it, but they sold

00:28:17.930 - 00:28:36.750

those records. Not only in Louisiana, they sold them in other states. Um And I guess that's why they kept us as a recorded band every six months. They'd call us uh with the card. Where did you make your gra where did you make your break in?

00:28:36.859 - 00:29:04.839

Or, or uh most times was at Saint Charles. Charles. Well, in uh 30 we went back in 36 2 time, went back in 37 38. But in 37 1 36 and 37 the broadcast from my memory war. Well, when we go after we started playing for

00:29:04.849 - 00:29:29.089

Montgomery Ward, they want to put these records out on their own link. So we decided that any uh selection that we recorded with English lyrics, we call that uh the Van Riverside, we started broad uh broadcasting from, for Montgomery War. First thing they did, they want

00:29:29.099 - 00:29:54.430

to change the name. I think. So. They have a contents and I got uh names, uh suggestions for names from people that would hear us, you know, from Lafayette and some of the names that they suggested with Riverside Roundway because New Rewards, uh Most popular Tire

00:29:54.439 - 00:30:19.130

was called The Riverside. Oh, great. So that's how we got the name Riverside. Yeah. So all the, after I think it was after the first recording session in 1937 one would record anything with English lyrics and called the band, The Riverside Band. Any Cajun. I was

00:30:20.540 - 00:30:57.939

all right. Well, that's why we recorded, uh I think it's 12 selections of the main, I read the 12 records. 24 7. Yeah, it was eight records. 66. That would make two English records and four pages. Oh, really? That's why a lot of people don't associate

00:30:57.949 - 00:31:23.880

Riverside Rambles and PD Rambles as being the same thing. But, uh, in 37 we recorded number one do on the site. Well, Joe, this number hadn't, hadn't been copy, but Joe Warner had learned it from a color, there was a trance that he had come through

00:31:23.890 - 00:31:43.000

rain and he played the guitar and night there. And this fellow saying this wondering, he, I don't know if he had written it or where he had got, nobody knows, but Joe copied the words down and then he uh he saved, you know, so when uh

00:31:43.010 - 00:32:04.130

we store playing at cover J I said, yeah, this good is possible for a record. So when we left, after we uh got back from a recording session and the record came up, it went over real good. Uh In fact, all the radio stations in that

00:32:04.160 - 00:32:21.510

area were playing, right? And we got reports that it was went out in, in the forest states, like in the, somebody said they had heard in New Mexico and Arizona, those places. So it wasn't too long after the record came out, it was making a hit

00:32:21.520 - 00:32:39.719

that uh fellow from the Decca company came over to see about getting us to record for them. So I told him, I said, well, that would mean breaking our contract with RC A and they had uh been really nice to us and called us every six

00:32:39.729 - 00:33:02.219

months. And I think it was our fourth recording session at the time. And, uh, I told him, I said, no, I'm not gonna do that to our c we're gonna stay with them. And he said, well, ok, so he left. Well, then I learn later. But,

00:33:02.229 - 00:33:17.880

uh, when Joe Werner called me and he did a call and he came to see me and told me, he said, well, I'm going to, uh quit the band. He said, I'm gonna go make records for Decca. But I didn't know at the time that he

00:33:17.890 - 00:33:38.390

had also this fellow that was, had, uh, talked to him, got him to copyright the number one, we had a copyrighted, you see, and in those days, nobody copyrighted numbers. So, except maybe those in the big cities, you know, where they, they knew that if they

00:33:38.400 - 00:33:57.300

had a hit number, they would get the loyalty. But when we'd go for RC A, when they would either pay a penny record to make it pay $25. So we took the cash on it. I wanted to take all of it, but the other two wanted

00:33:57.310 - 00:34:15.070

to c so I figured, well, since they want the vote of the cash, I'll go ahead and look, instead of me paying them off and taking the loyalty and I did it. But anyway, uh Joe quit the ban and he had a number of copyright in

00:34:15.080 - 00:34:33.419

his name. Actually, he is the one that had uh learn the number from a fellow that had come through rain. So he was from rain and uh they're full of played gitto and I think he and Joe got together and they would play music, but Joe

00:34:33.429 - 00:34:52.459

learned the number from him. Well, it wasn't too long. So left and he never heard from him again. And that's how Joe Werner got there in the song wondering this fall. So then later on, like I told you he had copyright and then he went for

00:34:52.469 - 00:35:16.060

Decca, he went to Chicago, I like to make the records and he called himself uh and the name of the band Joe Werner and the round. So, of course, when I, when he came back, uh we were disappointed that he had done this. Yeah, of course,

00:35:16.070 - 00:35:34.010

there was nothing we could do. But he told himself you were the remedies, which kind of indicated that like he had taken y'all right, like he had taken over the group or something. So even this fellow Nelson, when he sent me the tapes from Los Angeles,

00:35:34.770 - 00:35:53.360

he thought he thought that it was the same man, but he sent me some of the copies of the records. So I wrote him back and told him I love my family and it was, but anyway, uh Joe uh quit the band. Of course, we got

00:35:53.370 - 00:36:12.689

another musician to replace him. In fact, the other fellow that we got was even a better singer and a better guitar player than Joe was. Who is that Floyd? So, he played a long time and his brother Danny came in with us. When was that, about

00:36:13.989 - 00:36:40.149

that? What year was that? The Joe Warner Club? So then, uh, about in, uh, well, it was in 38 just before we married, uh, Joe Werner and myself were playing music together. Oh, really? And he came back? Yeah. Well, hey, uh, what happened? I was gonna

00:36:40.159 - 00:36:55.610

quit playing and I was gonna move back to Hackberry. I was living in Crowley. But then we got married while we were getting ready to get married and I needed every penny I could get. So we'd get together and we'd go play in some of these

00:36:55.909 - 00:37:12.639

night spots around Lafayette and we were doing real well. All we did was play in these places and pass the act. Actually, we were playing on Saturday night and we made enough of it. We didn't have to worry about it getting a job and we just

00:37:12.649 - 00:37:29.699

do that and kinda make enough money to live. So, when we got married, well, it wasn't, it was five weeks after we married them, my dad got killed and they all a company that he was working for, offered me a job. Shit. At that time I

00:37:29.709 - 00:37:56.860

quit playing and moved back to, of course, Joe Warner. He, uh, he got him some other, he got him another K and what was he calling himself? Then Joe, who is Joe's Acadians or Joe? And the Acadian? Well, that's when the discography there it was, he

00:37:56.870 - 00:38:16.699

had written a note. This group may have to do with Joe. I have to tell him, I don't know who he a fiddler. Too long. It seemed like you would change your ride. But, uh, after that he went to work for a newspaper in the crowd

00:38:18.399 - 00:38:44.469

and then he got himself a radio program. He had a young boy that was singing to us. Uh, hello? I don't know if he played guitar but he sang and, uh, of course, the ball, it was in an accident. He got killed. Really? Um, was it

00:38:44.479 - 00:39:06.209

his son that little boy Richard? I have a picture of him. They had a car wreck and he died. I don't remember. I think he just got run over if it's fine. Oh, yeah, the interview. But, uh, yeah, that's what it was. Oh, how awful. That's

00:39:06.219 - 00:39:37.020

sad. When was that? I wonder that was, remember 39 4040 single pain. Anyway, that was his son. I kill lamb. Uh, well, tell me about your group then. Um, ok, then you stopped playing for how long after you got married. We, uh, we moved back to

00:39:37.479 - 00:39:53.320

Hackberry and I worked, uh, and I was working nights and I couldn't play music at the time and then I was in a period of mourning in those days, the person who die in a family where, you know, you wouldn't play music or listen to music

00:39:54.330 - 00:40:12.219

some time. Most of the time it was a year. But, uh, we, uh, I think about six months, that's when, uh, the CC camp, I had AC C camp. It was a, it was a camp for lawyers at that time that, uh, that do work for

00:40:12.229 - 00:40:34.689

the federal government. And, uh, Crawford Benson, uh Jack Terrio, you have a picture of him and um Lenos Broussard we in this cap and then when they heard that I was back in Hackberry one day, they came to the house and they wanted to, to start

00:40:34.699 - 00:40:52.540

up another band. So what we did, they, uh they got us a dance in Creole and I got the group together again. So we just use the name P very rounders because, you know, we were pretty well known. So then we started playing Creole. We played

00:40:52.550 - 00:41:19.959

there every Saturday night. Where was this? You played? It's a place, it's a town called Creola. I didn't know that there was a service station, Casey Hall and a few look good places. They Creole now. But anyway, they had two dance halls and we played one

00:41:19.969 - 00:41:38.379

Saturday in one place and the other place on the other Saturday after two years. And I uh moved to Lake Shore. Well, we, I went to work for Swift and company. We moved to Lake Charles. And that's when I got, uh, Ed, his shoe and Edwin

00:41:38.419 - 00:42:03.629

do on. And we have a picture of that group too. And, um, when was that? Uh, I was in, uh, Lake Charles in 1943. 4240. So from then on we, uh, continue to play in, in 46. We, we played, uh, started playing for Silver Star. Yeah,

00:42:03.639 - 00:42:19.419

that's the part I wanted to get to because remember you said it there for 10 years and I didn't miss a Saturday night, every Saturday night for 10 years. Well, we played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the first three years. And then for the next

00:42:19.429 - 00:42:37.129

two years, we played on the Friday and Saturday and the last five years, I think it was just on Saturdays. And was it who else played there? Somebody else played there too, didn't they? Yeah, Leos play there during the week. The play was playing with him

00:42:37.239 - 00:42:57.219

at the time and played with them when we played in Creole. But then he went into the service. That's when I started drafting everybody to go into the count. I know. And, uh, of course, when he came back, well, I had it from and then he

00:42:57.229 - 00:43:20.330

started playing with Leo. He played with them. You've got pictures of him and Leo taken together. So they would play during the week and we would play on, on the weekends. But at that time, I had a size of fiddle and guitars. I had a saxophone,

00:43:20.340 - 00:43:53.260

trumpet. Yeah, I know. Good night. Lead guitar that was dead at the Silver Star Club. Gosh, that's a change. Was that French music or do you English too or just only Cajun country and western? And some popular numbers, like in the mood and stuff like that.

00:43:53.360 - 00:44:19.179

It was something that they could advance to. Oh, we had a, they look good. So, in a way I had gotten kind of away from the Cajun music. Now we went and recorded for Deluxe record company about, in, uh it must have been about 46 or

00:44:19.189 - 00:44:39.340

seven, I guess. The New Orleans and they, the records came up. They were all right. But the, the quality of the record, the volume was lower than the other. In comparison, I had her putting all these records on the jukebox at the Silver Star when we

00:44:39.350 - 00:45:02.969

played it, you can hardly hear without raising the volume on the jukebox. So that's, that's right there on those records. So they came back later and recorded two more selections. Uh The first time we had gone to New Orleans, the second family came right there and,

00:45:07.610 - 00:45:27.850

and that was, um, name the people in that group. It was you and Eddie Schuler. And, and this later group here now ser before we started playing the Silver Star, he quit the band and he also organized his own band after that. And when we played

00:45:27.860 - 00:45:51.580

the Silver star. I had Edmund go on L is Soe and I had Neil Roberts playing the trumpet, left the bar playing the drums. A little later on, I got uh Gary Major playing with Sex. We were five when we first started and later on, we

00:45:51.590 - 00:46:15.199

added the P. Edwin Duon went to South America. Uh he was gone for about a year, but when he came back, the owner of the Silver Star, they liked Edmund a lot. So we, uh, let Edwin come back into the van. At that time, we were

00:46:15.209 - 00:46:42.360

six. Edwin came back and that was a, he was 1/7 member, but the club owner paid his salaries because he just added that much more we were settling for. Yeah, it's, it was an interesting, you had a long career in music. That's really a lot of

00:46:42.370 - 00:47:08.139

years you've talked about. I mean, this is 30 years right here, I think on the tape, 30 years of music, at least we started the band in 30 years this year. And you, so you really did continue on, didn't you like? And then there wasn't too

00:47:08.149 - 00:47:25.739

much of an interruption, even though we stopped for a while. I'm tied up right where I had left off, you know, but when we played, uh, in the thirties, we played all over Southwest Louisiana when we played around Lake Charles. That was during the war, we

00:47:25.750 - 00:47:47.570

didn't travel too far. We just played right there. Silver Star. In Lake Charles, we went to Vail City a few times, which is just south of Lake Chows and, uh, maybe two or three other nearby places. So we got away from this part of the country,

00:47:47.669 - 00:48:05.139

you see. And I guess that's why a lot of people forgot about the Hackberry round in that way. But, uh, where we were known in Southwest Louisiana is when we played in and when we were making these Bluebird records and then we played all over, we

00:48:05.149 - 00:48:36.520

played, uh, Bill Platt who played, uh, as far as Avila. Nice to Highs Latvia and Brousse and Milton. Um, a lot, lot Tail Osis and back this way with my move, Elton, uh, basil. Oh, I, I had a list of one panel place would tell you,

00:48:36.530 - 00:48:54.889

I guess the must we do around 7 to 5 different dance halls, you know. Um, I have those video films. I want to show you the other day we made, we could show them on the TV if you want to see. But, um, before we do

00:48:54.899 - 00:49:07.500

that, let me see, I gotta get my daughter in school. That's why I'm worried, I think. But, um, was there any, do you think there's anything else about the rest of your career? Is that pretty much sum it up? Is there anything you want to add

00:49:07.510 - 00:49:27.330

to? Well, that, uh, I guess pretty well adds up regarding masses the week after we made it? Well, I believe I told you that we were getting ready to, to this. When you told me about that, I want to put it in the book. Anyway, we

00:49:27.340 - 00:49:42.909

were gonna just, we had, we were gonna finish the bookings that we had and then we were gonna stop and then Chris comes over and he had done in the h area looking for us. Somebody told him we lived, I lived in Sulfur. So he came,

00:49:43.199 - 00:50:02.909

it was late. It was after dark, he knocked on the door. Chris struck was looking for the Hag Berry Rounders. That's the way you found him. So he had an album with him. So this is for you. And on the album, he had two of our

00:50:03.560 - 00:50:22.040

blueberry recordings. So, uh, he told me, he said, I'd like to record your band which have been helping. So I told him if we found, when I told him I was getting ready to just then, well, then he was glad that he, he was there in

00:50:22.050 - 00:50:37.719

time to catch us while we were. So, he said he was leaving, he going to Nashville and when we come back, well, he'd stop over and saw him the, uh, the cor so after he left, well, I figured that was the end of that. I didn't

00:50:37.729 - 00:50:53.669

think he'd ever come back here because, you know, you always have people coming through and saying things, you know, they, they'll build up a big picture and the first thing you know, it drops. But sure enough, about two weeks later, I get a phone call told

00:50:53.679 - 00:51:15.750

me he was gonna weigh down on a Saturday before Easter Sunday that he was gonna record at the, uh, gold band studios in Lake Church. So sure enough, we went there and we got half of the album finished and it was one o'clock in the morning.

00:51:16.639 - 00:51:37.229

So we decided, well, we just finish it the next day at the house, at my house, shooting up the next day. Everybody got, and we were caught in the den. You know, we, oh, that's right. I saw that record over at Crawford's house. I haven't heard

00:51:37.239 - 00:52:02.899

it yet but he had it over there. I have one after that. A year later, we got an invitation to go to the Berkeley Folk Music Festival through Chris. One does to go. So we went a really nice trip. So I thought I'd mentioned that. Yeah,

00:52:02.909 - 00:52:22.179

it's nice to have him give him the credit in there for finding y'all again too. Uh from playing music. You know, we got, I got to see some of the country. We also got an invitation to go to Nova Scotia. Of course, the van didn't know

00:52:22.189 - 00:52:46.320

where we went there. They set and I'll play music if they, I, I got uh some fellows in Amherst, uh Nova Scotia, the fellow that took us over there and his wife, he bought an album and he wrote to me and we got the corresponding, I

00:52:46.330 - 00:53:07.689

didn't know that. And after we corresponded the Bible of him, his wife came over to see us and they invited us to go visit her family, lived in uh Newcastle Delaware. So one day we got a phone call. You want us to go over there? Well,

00:53:08.459 - 00:53:23.179

he had, I think he had written to him ahead of time. We were supposed to go and then he called to see if we were going. I hadn't given him a definite date. So I told him, I said, well, uh, and then his son, he was

00:53:23.189 - 00:53:39.350

supposed to go with us, him and his wife, well, then he was re roofing his house and, uh, I figured it was gonna cost him too much money to do this and then go over there you go. We decided he wouldn't, he wouldn't go. So I

00:53:39.360 - 00:53:55.389

told her, I said, well, I guess we'll have to cancel our trip. He said, no, he said, why don't you come? I said, uh, we'll take you all to Nova Scotia. Well, we have been long ago in Nova Scotia because that's where the Acadians came from.

00:53:57.120 - 00:54:20.080

So we took him up on a invitation. Did you go to? Yeah, we flew. That was the first time we flew. Oh, I tell you, we were a little nervous. We flew from Houston to Philadelphia and they all drove up up to Nova Scotia. That was

00:54:20.179 - 00:54:42.530

really, that was really the next morning we left and we went to and we got the Amherst, he knew a fellow there. You see, he was interested in going to these customers and he had Memphis F from Amber. So, uh, of course, when we went, we,

00:54:42.540 - 00:55:06.580

uh, got to his house right away. He said a lot of invites and musicians so that I could play occasion. They want to listen to that. But she, they came, I played Cajun. They played their third type music, Scots, mostly Scots Rules. And they were very

00:55:06.590 - 00:55:27.739

good musicians. But, you know, I was surprised I thought, played guitar. I mean, he played, like if you had been playing ca music all his life. But he was that kind of a musician. Superb, I guess you might say, oh, we have a, a nice, I

00:55:27.820 - 00:55:52.729

mean, that was really, and then in June, of course, we went to the plan for, I told you about and fair program in Nashville. I think so, outside of that, I guess it's about the highlights of after your, your career. Do you have any finishing statement

00:55:52.739 - 00:56:10.179

to say about a life in music? A famous quote. I should have told you that before you came. So you could have figure one out. No. Really? It's been a great story to tell. It. Looks so nice, typed up, you know, to see it all. I

00:56:10.189 - 00:56:29.300

don't have it yet. My type is in, you have a word for word, not what I say, but uh I'm sure of it if it wouldn't have been for my wife, Mary Lee, you know, is inspiring me to continue playing. I probably would have quit a

00:56:29.310 - 00:56:49.899

long time ago. But she was always the one that uh we might say pushed him because any time that I didn't, that I didn't feel like I wanted to do a certain thing, but she was always the one to inspire me. So, and then something else,

00:56:50.159 - 00:57:11.209

if she wouldn't have been the type wife that she is, I never could have played the dancer. As I did, I leave her. I was playing on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the war. That's why we're playing a Silver Star and other places around Lake

00:57:11.419 - 00:57:39.310

chores and you didn't go and she wouldn't go. Of course, we had the, at first we didn't, she, but she, she just didn't care about that. You had one child that I wanted to get that his name was we call him. So you have two grandchildren.

00:57:40.300 - 00:57:47.860

I remember you saying that the other day, but I don't think I've gotten it on the take. I wouldnt have clue that. Well, that's a great comment.