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Archive Files of Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco Musicians |
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Hadley J. Castille& the Sharecropper Cajun Band
in 2005:
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Hadley Castille's songs on his 2005 CD
Refait tell stories about his ancestors, about growing
up as the son of a sharecropper in Pecanière, about the
St. Landry Parish characters that he remembers: it's the richest collection of
memories brought to life in all of Cajun music and now it's all
available in newly recorded versions on one CD. There's the story of "Cyprien and Marie," the uncle who found his wife in a refugee camp during the 1927 flood, the story of another aunt who remarried and was treated with a "Charivari," the story of Leonce Chautin and his ride home after working at a dancehall, urging his horse onward with "Giddy Up Ball," the story of the medicine man known as "Beau Geste," the prohibition-era stories of revenuers searching for people who would "Faire Whiskey" and of a whiskey thief who tried to get revenge against the moonshiners "Who Cut the Vine" to beat him when they caught him stealing, the story of Hadley and his brothers listening to Texas swing on the "Battery Radio," the sad story of a drowning in the "Maudit Bayou Teche" that Hadley vividly remembers decades later, the story of "Ponique and Lodi" and of Ponique's other two wives. Also on the CD are songs by Hadley's son, Blake Castille, who wrote "Blue Acadian Sky" and "23rd of December," and, with his father, "Let the Good Times Remain in the Past," a humorous recognition that the earlier times hold wonderful memories but cell phones, TVs, and other conveniences make life today easier. Among the other cuts: "Going Back to Louisiana," Hadley's first song to receive widespread airplay; "La Cravate," the first song Hadley recorded (with vocals by Harold Fontenot and members of L'Angelus); "Diggy Liggy Lo," first made popular by Doug Kershaw; "200 Lines," one of Hadley's best known songs, with background vocals by Zachary Richard, who used the song in his documentary Against the Tide. The CD was produced by Rick Lagneaux and Ed Bodin III and released by Swallow Records. In addition, during 2005, Hadley Castille continued to perform with Sarah Jayde Williams, his grandaughter, and he also organized a tribute to Cajun swing fiddler Harry Choates, held at the Liberty Theater July 23, 2005. Choates, whose version of "Jolie Blon" became a national hit, was a major influence on Castille's fiddling style. Click here to go to LSUE's first page on Hadley Castille. Click here to go to his official site.
The photos of Hadley and Sarah Jayde were taken at the first annual Opelousas Spice and Music Festival June 3, 2005. Blake Castille is shown at left. |
Shown from left at the Harry Choates tribute are Lee Tedrow, Blake Castille, Hadley Castille, Kenny Alleman, unidentified, Rick Lagneaux, and D'Jalma Garnier.
Posted 12-30-05
All photographs and text by David Simpson.
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