Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings [Import]

Harry Choates | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 5, 2002)
• Original Release Date: 2002
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Bear Family
• ASIN: B0000665DC
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,696 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Jole Blon (Pretty Blond)

2. Louisiana Boogie

3. Poor Hobo

4. Port Arthur Waltz

5. Dragging the Bow

6. Tondelay

7. Basile Waltz

8. It Won't Be Long

9. Louisiana

10. Cajun Hop (Les Blues de Port Arthur)

See all 29 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Honky-Tonking Days

2. Lawtell Waltz

3. Maggie Waltz (When You and I Were Young Maggie)

4. Mari Jole Blon [Jole Blon's Husband]

5. Gulf Coast Waltz

6. Missing You

7. Rye Whiskey

8. Sidewalk Waltz

9. Oh Meon

10. Corpus Christi Waltz

See all 28 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

(2-CD set with 112-page book) All of the Harry Choates' surviving Gold Star masters are together here for the first time, plus his earliest recordings, made with Happy Fats and the Rayne-Bo Ramblers in 1940, as well as the sides he made for the Cajun Classics and O. T. label in 1947. Untutored, he was one of the instrument's great natural talents, and his fiddle sings with the joy of making music. The 112-page-book accompanying this set contains a comprehensive, newly-researched biography of Choates by Andrew Brown, and contains many rare and previously unpublished photos and illustrations.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cajun Hillbilly Great Gets Recognized, November 14, 2002

By 

Kevin Fontenot (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Audio CD)

Harry Choates was a Cajun fiddler who had a major country crossover hit with his version of "Jole Blon." Primarily thought of as a Cajun fiddler, Choates drank deeply from western swing and jazz traditions, just listen to his superb performance of "I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town." (This title was finally reissued on CD with this set.) The excellent Bear Family compilation pulls together Choates' Gold Star recordings and includes an extensive, newly researched biography--worth the price of the set alone. This is a wonderful reissue, now let's finish the job by reissuing his recordings on the Macy's label. "Devil in the Bayou" belongs in every Cajun, Country, and fiddle collection.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonder of Joy from a sad man, May 5, 2007

By 

K. Mickleson (Fairfax, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Devil In The Bayou - The Gold Star Recordings (Audio CD)

I can't speak with any authority about this genre, like Kevin. I came to Harry Choates (wish I knew how to pronounce his name correctly!) via the wonderful novels of James Lee Burke, who's from New Iberia, LA, where Choates had a beloved presence during his tragically brief career.

I knew I loved cajun music, but had never heard the plaintive voice and magical fiddle of Harry, or anyone who so artfully mixed the cajun style with others current at the time. This set is truly a pleasure machine, and I agree that reading the included biography of Choates is worth the price alone. It contains all the songs of the other top rated Choates CD, and so much more. What's wonderful is that it covers not only his cajun music, but's also peppered with many tunes of varying styles--Tex-Mex, blues, jazz-influence. 'Missing You' on the 2nd CD brought tears to my eyes. And, a special section featuring his early work as a teen with Happy Fats and his Rayne-Bo Ramblers: the vocals (especially A Little High Chair) are heartrending.

I put it on in the car, open the windows and blast the volume up with a big grin on my face, tapping my toe on the accelerator and steering wheel, while any with open windows near me smile back. Buy it and smile! Buy it and dance while you do chores! Buy it and warm your heart and feel human.

The authenticity and soul of this music reminds me why I'm so dissatisfied with most modern music.