1. Pine Grove Blues
2. Kaplan Waltz
3. French Blues
4. New Orleans Waltz
5. Pine Grove Boogie
6. Hathaway Waltz
7. Step It Fast
8. Jolie, Petite Juilette
9. Choupique Two Step
10. La Valse De Belezere
11. Pine Grove Blues #2
12. La Valse De Holly Beach
13. Iota Two Step
14. La Valse De Bayou Tech
15. Musical Five Special
16. Avalon Waltz
17. Tee Per Coine (Keep A' Knocking, But You Can't Come In)
18. The New Jolie Blon
19. Point De Lou Two-Step
20. Texas Waltz
21. Lu Lu Boogie
22. Carolina Blues
23. Shamrock Waltz
24. Mama Rosin
25. L.S.U. French Waltz
26. Crying Pine Grove Blues
27. Red Rock Waltz
28. Cannon Ball Special

Nathan Abshire - Accordion, Composer, Vocals
James Baker - Bass
Dewey Balfa - Vocals
Roy Broussard - Vocals
Atlas Fruge - Steel Base
Wilson Granger - Fiddle
Oziet Kegley - Drums
Will Kegley - Fiddle, Violin, Vocals
Harry LaFleur - Guitar
Little Yvonne LeBlanc - Vocals
Jake Miere - Vocals
Ernest Thibodeaux - Guitar, Vocals

Recorded between 1949 and 1956, this is prime Cajun music. The fidelity is slightly better than the best Cajun discs of the 1930s, but the approach is still satisfyingly raw and spontaneous, with waltzes, boogies, and blues. A steel guitar is present to varying degrees on most of the tracks, giving the fiddle/accordion-dominated arrangements a bit more flavor. This has a great spontaneous feel that stops short (but not that short) of raggedness, highlighted by Abshire's joyous calls and asides. Includes his big "hit," "Pine Grove Blues," although a hit by the standards of this regional style only constituted about three thousand copies sold. With 28 tracks and 78 minutes running time, it's the usual excellent value for an Arhoolie reissue. --- Richie Unterberger, Rovi

download (mp3 @192 kbs):

uploaded yandex 4shared mediafire mega solidfiles zalivalka cloudmailru filecloudio oboom

back

1.Popcorn Blues
2.French Waltz (Broken Hearted Blues)
3.Pinegrove Blues
4.La Valse De Theo
5.Jolie Catin
6.Pinegrove Stomp
7.Mardi Gras Song
8.Dreamer's Waltz
9.The La La Blues
10.French Two-Step
11.Lonely Heart Waltz
12.Frog Leg Two Step
13.La Valse De Jole Fille
14.Hey Mom

Nathan Abshire - Keyboards, Vocals
Dewey Balfa - Violin, Vocals
Atlas Fruge - Guitar (Steel)
Ed Junot - Vocals
La La Laverne - Vocals
Lazy Lester – Harmonica

Nathan Abshire helped bring the blues and honky tonk to Cajun music and repopularized the accordion with his recordings during the 1950s and '60s, but. ---99xcleveland.com

Nathan’s discography went to a stop for some years. It was at the beginning of the 60’s that he recorded again, this time for J(ay) D. Miller, in Crowley, some twenty songs over 2 or 3 years, for Miller’s Kajun and Cajun Classics labels, and in very different registers. His most rock ‘n’ roll outputs are « Popcorn Blues« , pushed by an electric rhythmic and a very efficient drummer, and a remake of « Pine Grove Blues« .

« Popcorn Blues » is another fast blues, evoking the aftermath of a drunken bout. No doubt that Nathan, who wrote most of his songs, except the traditional ones, was inspired by what he saw from the stage (and practiced himself) : “J’étais au bal hier au soir. On a mangé des tac tac, (Cadian name for pop corn), on a mangé des grillots (grilled crickets)“ and, probably Dewey Balfa, answers : “Comment t’as fait ça, mon nèg’ (which means my buddy in Cadian), t’as pas de dents“. Nathan goes on : “J’m’étais saoulé hier au soir“ – “Ah, tu d’vrais arrêter de boire, mon nèg’“. This kind of scene would inspire another Abshire song (written by Eddie Shuler), « Lemonade song » : “Passe-moi un verre de limonade, j’ai mal saoulé hier au soir“.

He recorded in all sorts of styles for Miller (don’t forget J D was responsible for the discovery or for the launch of swamp blues by Slim Harpo, Lightning Slim, Lonesome Sundown, Lazy Lester among others), and it is with Lazy on the harmonica, that we can hear Nathan on the U.K. Flyright album FLY 535 « Nathan Abshire & Pine Grove Boys« . « The la la blues » (a term first used to call the music of the French-speaking Creoles, which would be rechristened zydeco with Clifton Chénier’s advent) is an unclassifiable song, in a blues vein, sung by a Black (La La Laverne), in French, on a Cajun backing (accordion, fiddle and steel-guitar) and a swamp rhythm. What a mixture!

Instrumentals (« Pine Grove Stomp« , « French Two-step« ), waltzes, and Amédée Breaux‘s cover, « Hey Mom« , from the late 20’s, complete the album. We miss the original, sung by drummer Robert Bertrand, of “La Banane A Nonc’Adam“ (banana has a double entendre here!), that Michael Doucet would cover in the 90’s (“…c’est comme les pistaches à tante Nana, mais c’est pas la même chose“). --- bopping.org

download (mp3 @224 kbs):

uploaded yandex 4shared mediafire mega solidfiles zalivalka cloudmailru filecloudio oboom

back

01. Popcorn Blues (1998)
02. Broken Hearted Blues
03. Pinegrove Blues
04. Le Valse De Theo
05. Jolie Catin
06. Pinegrove Stomp
07. Mardi-Gras Song
08. Dreamer’s Waltz
09. The La La Blues
10. French Two-Step
11. Lonely Heart Waltz
12. Frog-Leg Two-Step
13. La Valse De Jole Fille
14. Hey Mom
15. Gabriel Waltz
16. La Banana Aunonc Adam
17. Trouble Waltz
18. Good Time Two-Step
19. Dans Grand Bois
20. Chere Petite Blonde

Recorded in 1960's and retaining the real roots of Cajun music, Nathan Abshire & the Pinegrove Boys is yet another good collection of Abshire's hits. Although there are other, seemingly better collections available, this is the only one containing the long-lost, much demanded "Mardi Gras Song," featuring the horses' hooves clopping at the beginning. --- floydsrecordshop.com

Nathan Abshire — accordion & vocals, with the Pine Grove Boys (including Dewey Balfa on several cuts) who became one of the most popular Cajun bands in the 1950s.

download:   uploaded anonfiles mega 4shared mixturecloud yandex mediafire ziddu

back

Pine Grove Blues:
1. Pine Grove Blues - 2:56
2. La Valse De Holly Beach - 2:43
3. Games People Play - 2:17
4. Service Blues - 3:23
5. A Musician's Life - 2:45
6. Fee-Fee Pon-Cho - 1:33
7. Lemonade Song - 2:21			play
8. La Valse De Bayou Teche - 2:06
9. Sur Le Courtableau - 2:09
10. I Don't Hurt Anymore - 3:10
11. Phil's Waltz - 3:39
12. Shamrock - 2:06

The Good Times Are Killing Me:
13. Choupique Two Step - 2:37
14. Tracks Of My Buggy - 4:00
15. Nathan's Lafayette Two-Step - 2:39
16. Dying In Misery - 2:36
17. Tramp Sur La Rue - 2:51
18. Partie A Grand Basile - 1:56	play
19. J'Ai Etais Au Balle - 3:02
20. Valse De Kaplan - 3:30
21. If You Don't Love Me - 3:17
22. Offshore Blues - 2:46
23. Let Me Hold Your Hand - 2:52
24. La Noce A Rosalie - 2:13

Personnel:
The Balfa Brothers: Burke Balfa, Dewey Balfa, Hadley Fontenot, Harry Balfa, Rodney Balfa,
 Will Balfa
Nathan Abshire – Accordion, Vocals (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 11, 13, 15, 18, 23 & 24)
Dewey Balfa – Vocals (16, 20)
Rodney Balfa - Vocals(14, 19)
Thomas Langley – Vocals (17, 21-22)

Tracks 1 to 12 previously released as Swallow LP 6014 'Pine Grove Blues'. 
Tracks 13 to 24 previously released as Swallow LP 6023 'The Good Times Are Killing Me'.

Chanteur Cajun US né le 13 juin 1927 à Guyedan (Louisiane). Nathan Abshire commença a enregistrer vers 1935. Il peut être considéré comme l'accordéoniste le plus talentueux du pays bayou. Il a enregistré pour les labels OT, Khoury et Kajun Records et était accompagné par les Pinegrove Boys. Nathan était installé à Basile (Louisiane) où il exerçait la profession de ferrailleur. Il est décédé le 13 mai 1981 à Basile (Louisiane).

Nathan Abshire helped bring the blues and honky tonk to Cajun music and repopularized the accordion with his recordings during the 1950s and '60s, but still never managed to make a living from his music. Born in Gueyden, LA, on June 23, 1913, Abshire began playing professionally in the 1920s, and he first recorded in the early '30s with Happy Fats & His Rayne-Bo Ramblers. Abshire went to work at the Basile, LA, town dump around that time, and he held the job for most of his working life. His fortunes began looking bright by 1936, however, when the Rayne-Bo Ramblers began backing him on sides for Bluebird. After serving in World War II, Abshire cut "Pine Grove Blues" — his most famous single and later his signature song — for D.T. Records. He recorded for Khoury/Lyric, Swallow, and Kajun during the 1950s and '60s, meanwhile playing local dances and appearing on sessions by the Balfa Brothers.

A renewal of interest in Cajun and folk music during the '70s gave Abshire a chance to play several festivals and colleges and star in the 1975 PBS-TV Cajun documentary, Good Times Are Killing Me. The title proved prophetic, however, as Abshire fought alcoholism during his last years. Several sessions for Folkways and La Louisienne followed in the late '70s, but he died on May 13, 1981.

download:   uploaded anonfiles mega 4shared mixturecloud yandex mediafire ziddu

back