Jolie Blonde
This enduring Louisiana string ensemble was formed by fiddler Luderin Darbone and his accordion-playing Hackberry neighbor Edwin Duhon. The pair played their first dance in 1933, had a regional hit two years later with "Jolie Blonde," and continued to lead the off-again, on-again combo well into the 1990s. Luderin supplied the band with hillbilly songs he'd learned in Texas, while Duhon grew up immersed in French music. Recorded midcareer, in 1963 and 1965, this album's 26 tracks capture the band in fine, fun form. The songs often combine English and French verses and walk a fine line between Cajun and Western swing rhythms. The result is a beautiful evocation of the sort of music one might hear throughout midcentury oil-field communities: a lilting, unadulterated dance music with an emphasis on Saturday-night waltzes, stomps, and two-steps.--Richard Gehr