Breaux Frères or Breaux Brothers (Amédé on accordion, Ophé on guitar, and Cléopha on the fiddle), were

Cajun music Cajun music (), an emblematic music of Louisiana played by the Cajuns, is rooted in the ballads of the French-speaking Acadians of Canada. Although they are two separate genres, Cajun music is often mentioned in tandem with the Creole-based ...

ians. They were the earliest to record the song " Jolie Blonde", under the title of " Ma Blonde Est Partie". Amédé Breaux was born on September 1, 1900, north of

Rayne, Louisiana Rayne is a city in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States. With a population of 7,326 at the 2020 United States census, it is nicknamed the "Frog Capital of the World", as well as the "Louisiana City of Murals". Rayne is part of the Crowley ...

, near a community called

Roberts Cove Roberts Cove (formerly ''German Cove''; ) is an unincorporated community in Louisiana, United States. Roberts Cove is not a town, but rather a scattered rural community with the St. Leo's Catholic church complex as a community and cultural center ...

. He died in 1973. His father, Auguste Breaux, later moved to north of

Egan, Louisiana Egan is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, United States, located between Crowley and Jennings along Louisiana Highway 100, approximately two and one-half miles north of Midland near Bayou Jonas. ...

, where he farmed. Amédé started playing the accordion when he was 12 years old and was playing house parties at the age of 14. The whole family started playing music at a young age. His father, Auguste Breaux, was a well-known accordionist, and his mother played mouth harp. When his brothers, Ophey and Clifford, and his sister, Cléoma Breaux Falcon, were old enough they played music together. That was when he recorded "Vas y Carrément (Step It Fast)" and "Poor Hobo" in 1929 for Columbia Records. After he recorded "Ma Blonde Est Partie" (the earliest version of "

Jole Blon Jole Blon or Jolie Blonde is a traditional Cajun waltz, often called "the Cajun national anthem" because of the popularity it has in Cajun culture. The song was popularized on a nationwide scale by a series of renditions and references in late 194 ...

" ever recorded) on April 18, 1929, he formed the Breaux Brothers band, consisting of Amédé, Ophey and Clifford. According to Cléoma's daughter, while Amédé is credited with writing the song, it was his sister Cléoma Breaux who actually wrote the lyrics while Amédé sung the song on the recording. In October 1934, the trio recorded in

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

, for

Vocalion Records Vocalion Records is an American record label, originally founded by the Aeolian Company, a piano and organ manufacturer before being bought out by Brunswick in 1924. History The label was founded in 1916 by the Aeolian Company, a maker of pi ...

releasing 16 songs. That same year,

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music during the 20th century. He was a musician, folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activ ...

recorded the brothers playing "Little Dog Blues". In December 1937, they traveled with

Joe Falcon Joseph Falcón (September 28, 1900 – November 19, 1965) was an accordion player from southwest Louisiana, best known for producing the first recording of a Cajun song, " Allons à Lafayette," in 1928. He and his wife Cléoma Breaux left ...

and Cléoma Breaux and recorded in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, for

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

, usually working together or even recording solo. Much of this work would be versions of popular country or swing tunes and they would be listed in multiple combinations of their names, sometimes with or without all the members. During that session, Clifford would go on to record "Continuer De Sonner" which is an early version of the song "

Keep A-Knockin' "Keep A-Knockin' (But You Can't Come In)" is a popular song that has been recorded by a variety of musicians over the years. The lyrics concern a lover at the door who will not be admitted; some versions because someone else is already there, but ...

popularized in 1957 by

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American singer, pianist, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the "Ar ...

. Amédé would eventually form a band in 1949 called The Acadian Aces. He made approximately 20 other recordings from 1930 through 1951. Some of these recordings included, "Hathaway Two Step", "Crowley Two Step," "Chere Mom," and "Criminal Waltz." He and his band played on a tour all over

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

and

East Texas East Texas is a broadly defined cultural, geographic, and ecological region in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas that consists of approximately 38 counties. It is roughly divided into Northeast Texas, Northeast, Southeast Texas, Sout ...

. :*Ma Blonde Est Parti
Listen (MP3)

Discography

Their work can be heard on the following discs: * ''Cajun Fais Do Do'' (CD 416,

Arhoolie Records Arhoolie Records is an American small independent record label that was run by Chris Strachwitz and is based in El Cerrito, California, United States (it is actually located in Richmond Annex but has an El Cerrito postal address.) The label was ...

) * ''Cajun Champs'' (CD 327, Arhoolie Records) * ''Cajun Dance Party: Fais Do-Do'' (CK 46784 Columbia Legacy, 1994) * ''Cajun: Louisiane 1928-1939'' (Frémaux & Associés FA 019, 1994) * ''Cajun Vol. 1 - Abbeville Breakdown: 1929-1939'' (CK 46220

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, 1990) * ''Cajun: Early Recordings'' (JSP7726 JSP, 2004) * ''Cajun - Rare & Authentic'' (JSPCD77115 JSP, 2008) * ''Anthology of American Folk Music'' (FP 252,

Folkways Records Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways. History The Folkways Records & Service ...

, 1952, 1997)"Home Sweet Home" folkways.si.edu
/ref>

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Breaux Brothers American folk musical groups Musical groups from Louisiana Cajun accordionists Cajun fiddlers Cajun musicians Columbia Records artists Decca Records artists Cajun guitarists 20th-century American musicians 20th-century American guitarists

Discography

See also

References