Fiddle King of Cajun Swing

Harry Choates | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 1, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Arhoolie Records
• ASIN: B0000001IX
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,023 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #37 in Music > Indie Music > Country > Western Swing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A dream CD for fiddle, Cajun, Western-Swing & Country fans, December 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fiddle King of Cajun Swing (Audio CD)

This CD is as good as anyone could ever hope for, if you are a fan of the dynamic fusion of Cajun, Western-Swing and Country Music that took hold in southwest Louisiana and southeast Texas in the years immediately following World War II. Personified here by fiddler extraordinaire Harry Choates, a small problem attendant to enjoying this pulsating collection of 26 recordings (from 1946-1950) is deciding whether you want to just listen or dance.

Harry Choates was the embodiment of the stereotypical hard living musician who, by many accounts, lived to play music. Born in Rayne, LA in 1922 he was performing regularly by the late `30's, having worked with Leo Soileau's Aces and a musician who is prominently heard on this CD: steel guitarist Julius "Papa Cairo" Lamperez. His first recordings are generally considered to have been done with another Cajun legend, Happy Fats and the Rayne-Bo Ramblers in Dallas in 1940.

Harry Choates position in musical history came in 1946 with his recording of the Cajun Classic, "Jolie Blon." The tune was already well known in Cajun music, but Choates rendition was a commercial sensation. Unfortunately, Choates sold the rights to the recording for $50 and a fifth of whiskey when the release became a hot. Unfortunately, also, the tune is not on this CD (but don't let this fact stop you from buying it).

There are many standouts here, beginning with the first cut, "Allons a Lafayette." Choates alternates between French and English on the vocals on "Poor Hobo;" and Papa Cairo's short break on steel illustrates how nicely his playing compliments Choates' fiddling. But this is just a prelude to the killer combination on "Devil In The Bayou" and "Harry Choates Blues." And forget trying to just listen when you hear "Hackberry Hop." I'm rather partial to Choates' version of the well known "Te Petite," and "It Won't Be Long." Space, not quality, is the reason other selections aren't noted.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS ARTIST TRUELY IS THE FIDDLE KING, December 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fiddle King of Cajun Swing (Audio CD)

I HAVE ALWAYS ENJOYED CAJUN MUSIC AND DECIDED TO GIVE THIS ONE A TRY. HIS MUSIC IS A CROSS BETWEEN WESTERN SWING AND CAJUN, YOU WILL LOVE IT. BY THE WAY 50% OF THE SONGS ARE IN ENGLISH OR BOTH FRENCH AND ENGLISH SO IF YOUR LIKE ME AND DONT SPEAK FRENCH HERE IS AN OPPERTUNITY TO FINALLY KNOW WHAT ALL THE FUN IS ABOUT.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Swampy western swing... classic!, January 4, 2003

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Fiddle King of Cajun Swing (Audio CD)

Catchy, raw backwoods fiddle music from the Louisiana bayou... These late-'40s recordings are an interesting mix of cajun, straight old-timey fiddle music and honky-tonk heavy western swing tunes. A veteran of the Louisiana swamp scene, by the postwar years, Choates seemed ready to try just about any style of music and see what would stick -- fortunately, he was pretty darn good at any style he played, and this album is lots of fun from start to finish. The CD version includes ten extra tracks (although his big hit version of "Jole Blon" still is absent...) Cool stuff, a little off the beaten track.