"Creole Hop" - Joe Manuel

Creole Hop!  It was a rendition of the famous Cleoma Breaux tune "Ils La Volet Mon Trancas".   Joe, familiar with the tune from the years playing it as "Hackberry Hop" with Leo Soileau, sang the song in 1947 with Harry Choates as "Hackberry Hop" for Jimmy Mercer's Cajun Classics.  Two years later, he recorded it himself for the Joe Leibowitz's DeLuxe label, entitling it "Creole Hop" (#6039), naming if after the small town in Cameron Parish where many of the Manuels lived.

Hé le Hip et Taïau, ouais, qu’a volé mon traineau, chérie,

Quand ç’a vu j’étais chaud, ouais, ç’a r’venu mon traineau,

C’est les filles de Créole, ouais, qu’a volé traineau, chérie,

Quand ç’a vu j’étais chaud, ouais, ils ont r’venu mon traineau.

Hé le Hip et Taïau, ouais, qu’a volé mon gilet, p’tite fille,

Quand ç’a vu j’étais chaud, ouais, ils ont r’venu mon gilet,

C’est les filles de Créole, ouais, qu’a volé gilet, ouais,

Quand ç’a vu j’étais chaud, p’tite fille, ils ont r’venu mon gilet.

Crowley Daily Signal
Oct 11, 1949

Every Friday afternoon, he ran a radio show on KSIG called T-Joe Manuel & Radio Stars featuring the best western string band tunes of the time.  His group consisted of probably Eddie Caldwell on guitar, Abe Manuel on fiddle, Dusty Rhodes on steel guitar, and Crawford Vincent on drums.  It was essentially the same setup and lineup that Abe had on his recording of "Hippy Ti Yo". 

Hey, the Hip and Taïau, yeh, that stole my sled, darling,

When they saw I was hot, yeh, they returned my sled, darling,

It's the girls of Creole, yeh, that stole my sled, darling,

When they saw I was hot, yeh, they returned my sled.

Hey, the Hip and Taïau, yeh, that stole my vest, little girl,

When they saw I was hot, yeh, they returned my vest,

It's the Creole girls, yeh, that stole my vest, yeh,

When they saw I was hot, little girl, they returned my vest.

Daily World
May 20, 1949

1. Lyrics by Jordy A

Release Info:

D 946 Cherie Ba Sate | 6039-A DeLuxe
D 947 Creole Hop | 6039-B DeLuxe

"Cherie Ba Sate (Little Sweetheart)" - Joe Manuel

Between 1946 and 1948, Harry Choates and his Melody Boys recorded dozens of tunes.  But after the break-up of his original group, the Manuel brothers, Joe and Abe, ventured out and formed their own groups with similar style.  Joe Manuel was born into a musical family north of Basile. Although his father, Adam, was an accordion player, Joe played Cajun music often without an accordion throughout his career. In the late 1940s, Abe and Joe Manuel who had performed with Leo Soileau and Harry Choates played more contemporary requests and styles dictated by the listeners and dancers.  Joe's band appeared on the radio on stations like KWSL in Lake Charles.  Following his tenure with Choates, he teamed with his brother Abe in the Rockola Playboys and as Sandy and Joe Austin in Corpus Christi, Texas.  But by 1949, he had his own group, The Louisiana Nighthawks.1

Joe Manuel

Hey, bassette, il y a pas longtemps, ouais, 

Tu m'as laissé, 'tit fille, pour t'en aller, 

Pour t'en aller, ouais, avec un autre, 

Avec un autre, ‘tit fille, j'mérite pas ça, vilains 
manière.

Hey, bassette, observes-toi bien, ouais, 

Tous les malfaits, ‘tit fille, ça tu m’as fait il y a pas longtemps,

Tu m'as quitté pour roulailler, ouais, 

Pour t'en aller, ‘tit fille, j'mérite pas ça.

Opelousas Daily World
May 20, 1949

The location for this recording is unknown however, it's quite possible given the sounds on the recording, it was held across the street from the Silver Star Club in Sulphur; the same place Hackberry Ramblers recorded for DeLuxe. During the session, he recorded a waltz he entitled "Chérie Bassette", misspelled as "Cherie Ba Sate". (#6039); not to be confused with the more well known recording by J.B. Fuselier.  His band comprised of probably Eddie Caldwell, Abe Manuel on fiddle, Dusty Rhodes on steel guitar, and Crawford Vincent on drums. 

Hey, short girl, over there, not long ago, yeah,

You left me, hey, little girl, you went away,

You went away, yeah, with another,

With another, little girl, I didn't deserve that, your naughty ways.

Hey, short girl, take a good look at yourself, yeah

All the terrible things, little girl, that you did to me, over there, not long ago,

You left me to go run around, yeah,

You went away, little girl, I didn't deserve that.

1. Cajun Dancehall Heyday by Ron Yule
2. Lyrics by Jordy A and Herman M
3. NOTE: Possibly "Cherie Ba Sate" and "Creole Hop" are in reverse on 78 pressing.

Release Info:

D 946 Cherie Ba Sate 6039-A DeLuxe
D 947 Creole Hop 6039-B DeLuxe

"I've Got Your Heart Locked Up" - Abe Manuel

Abraham "Abe" Manuel provided some of the earliest fiddle playing recordings during the 1940s and 1950s.   Although never gaining the same popularity as Harry Choates, his imitation of the Cliff Bruner style carried him into the 1950s, allowing him to start his own band, the Louisiana Hillbillies.   By 1954, the group worked with J.D. Miller and his Feature label to record "I've Got Your Heart Locked Up" (#1086).

Ton petit cœur, il est barré dedans l’armoire,

Dans l’armoire de mon amour, mais, jolie fille,

Il y a pas longtemps, tu m’as promit de me soigner, 

Et m'aimer, mais, pour toujours, mais, jolie fille.

Ton petit cœur, il est barré dedans l’armoire,

Dans l’armoire de mon amour, mais, jolie fille,

Mais, moi, j'connais un jour avenir, t’auras du regret,

Pour ça t'as fait, mais, z-avec moi, il y a pas longtemps.

Lake Charles American Press
Jul 1, 1954

In the early 1940s, he played with Leo Soileau at the Avalon Club in Basile, follwed by playing with varios bands and country musicians during the 1940s, including Chuck Guillory, Carrol Broussard, Harry Choates, Ralph Richardson, Pee Wee Maples, and Ferrell Benny Fruge.  By the 1950s, he was playing alongside the Hackberry Ramblers at the Silver Star Club.  His 1954 lineup included  Jerome Stubbs or Dottie Vincent on guitar, Bradley Stutes or Dusty
Rhodes on steel guitar, Merton Thibodeaux on bass.

Your little heart, it's locked inside the closet,

In the closet of my heart, well, pretty girl,

Not long ago, you promised to look after me,

And love me, well, forever, well, pretty girl.

Your little heart, it's locked inside the closet,

In the closet of my heart, well, pretty girl,

Well, I know one day in the future, you'll regret this,

For what you've done, well, with me, not long ago.

Abe would go on to play with many country giants before settling in to play with his own family band later in life.  He periodically played on KWKH Shreveport "in the Louisiana Hayride days".1

1. Louisiana Fiddlers By Ron Yule
2. Lyrics by Jordy A

Find:
Acadian All Star Special - The Pioneering Cajun Recordings Of J.D. Miller (Bear, 2011)