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Archive Files of Cajun, Creole, and Zydeco Musicians |
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J.C. Labbie |
As of 2003, J.C. Labbie has been performing for some 15 years every Saturday afternoon at Diana's Brass Rail, a lounge a couple of doors down from the world-famous Fred's on 6th Street in Mamou. Though the venue may be less well known, the music is every bit as good as the groups you'll hear on Saturday mornings at Fred's. In addition to that regular gig, J.C. Labbie has also performed at festivals in California and at other Louisiana venues and events as well as overseas.
The photos taken on this page were shot at a Sunday afternoon dance held in the Ardoin Building (an old department store now used for social functions) on Second Street in Eunice right across from the studios of KBON radio.
That's Joseph "Cabri" Menier on guitar and vocals, one of the great old-time Cajun singers. Eston Bellow is on drums and Boboy Fontenot is on fiddle. (Norris "Boboy" Fontenot died March 18, 2004, at the age of 67. He also played with the Ville Platte Playboys.)
The mostly older crowd, shown in the photo at the bottom of the page, clearly enjoyed dancing to familiar Cajun standards played in the traditional style the way they were performed in dance halls in Eunice 50 years earlier.
According to the Louisiana Folklife Center, Labbie was born April 10, 1938, in Eunice. Family members from both sides of his family were also musicians, playing the fiddle, accordion, and triangle.
Labbie began playing the accordion at age 23. His first instrument was a used accordion that originally was owned by LeRoy Broussard and sold to him by Marc Savoy, from whom Labbie ultimately purchased two of Savoy's hand-built accordions.
All photographs and text by David Simpson.