01:00 Sonny Bourg was born in 1940 in New Iberia and started playing music around 5 years old; he started his first band at 13 years old and has played ever since; he is from a French family, and lived next door to Cajun honky-tonk “The Friendly Tavern” at 532 Corrinne Street; his music is heavily inspired by Fats Domino 03:30 Johnnie Allen: born in Rayne, LA, “The Frog Capital of the World,” in 1938 next to a frog pond; his parents were poor sharecroppers and he was born at home; almost died at 3 weeks old and was resuscitated by his mother; Joe Falcon was his great-uncle, and his grandfather played the fiddle, and his mother and her sister played guitar; the maternal side of his family are all musical; Dr. Robert Gilmore is writing about Johnny’s grandmother Eulise Falcon singing traditional songs heard in France; Joe Falcon made the first Cajun recording in 1928, “Allons a Lafayette;” mother says that people would buy multiples of Falcon’s records because they would wear out quickly 07:35 Johnnie went to school in Scott, LA; went to college at Southwestern; in 1958 recorded “Lonely Days and Lonely Night” with the Krazy Kats, regional hit recorded by Floyd Soileau and released on MGM but never made it onto the Hot 100; played pedal steel with Lawrence Walker in the band Wandering Aces during and after high school; Walter Mouton, Rodney Miller, Leeman Prejean, and Johnnie Allen started the band Walter Mouton and the Scott Playboys at 13 years old with two guitars, a fiddle, and an accordion; Johnnie switched to steel guitar after Rodney Miller left the band; one night Lawrence Walker’s steel guitar player didn’t show up and Johnnie filled in and started playing with him 10:50 Johnnie was assistant principal in Lafayette at Alice Boucher and then Acadian Elementary for 14 years and played music on the weekend; 1978’s hit “The Promised Land” started to gain traction in 1974 and got a call from Oval Record Company in London for a promotional tour, but the school board would not promise him his job back when he returned; 5-6 weeks later Elvis recorded a version of the song and Johnnie’s lost traction; 1978, Stiff and Oval Records merged and re-released Johnnie’s version and it reached top of the charts in England 13:30 Demonstration: “The Promised Land,” originally a Chuck Berry song, recorded in 1971 at Floyd Soileau’s studio in Ville Platte, LA, and put Belton Richard on accordion 15:30 Johnnie sent a version to Chuck Berry and asked for an autographed picture; never received it 16:00 Dan Schexnayder: born in 1944 in Port Arthur, TX; grew up in New Iberia, LA and now lives in Lafayette; lifelong acquaintances, but only has been working with Sonny and Johnnie for the last year Johnnie Allen: “Promised Land” sold more, but “South to Louisiana” is very popular; Cajuns don’t pronounce the “th”--“South” and “Sout’” and Johnny uses the Cajun pronunciation in this track 18:10 Demonstration: “Blueberry Hill,” Sonny Bourg sings the Fats Domino tune [can hear the difference between “thrill” and the Cajun version “trill”—no “th”]; Sonny usually behind drums while singing: “both feet, both hands, and both mouths moving” 19:50 Allison asks about the influence of New Orleans music; did they hear the music on the radio or live, or both? 20:05 “I grew up food on gumbo, and music on Domino;” Fats Domino had a huge influence on Swamp Pop music—you can hear both the Cajun and the New Orleans influence; Joe Turner and Smiley Lewis had a shuffle that flowed through South Louisiana; “you grow up with it, and you got a beat going, and all of a sudden you want to be a musician” 21:30 Definition of Swamp Pop: saxophonist Harry Simoneaux called it “half fais do do and half Domino;” South to Louisiana is also a book that details the music of Louisiana outside of New Orleans; steel guitar player Joe Rogers had to work more than one job and now plays with Vince Gill; many Louisiana musicians don’t make enough money as musicians to do it full time, but nationally recognized acts fill many spots in their band with South Louisiana musicians; “South to Louisiana” (song) written by Pee Wee Trahan is identical to Johnny Horton’s “North to Alaska;” met Tillman B. Franks, who co-wrote the song with Horton under pseudonyms, three months prior and asked for his royalties from Johnnie’s cover, but the situation was resolved; recorded in late 1960/early 1961 25:05 Demonstration: “South to Louisiana” 26:30 Johnnie’s Press materials list 44 singles, but Johnnie says that there are now over 60 with 18 albums; retired from teaching in 1981; developed a pictorial history of South Louisiana and East Texas artists called “Memories” and co-authored Jimmy Donnelly’s biography; now revising “Memories;” going on a world tour this September 28:35 Demonstration: “Your Picture,” written by Bobby Charles, originator of Swamp Pop music, for Frogman Henry; Harry Simoneaux recorded the saxophone part in the style of Lee Allen 30:25 Sonny Bourg: booked 26 weekends at the start of every year and add on to that; since 1976 they do mostly private parties; work at the Petroleum Club in Lafayette every other Friday; work other festivals and clubs; have played the Natchitoches Folklife Festival the last three years
