HOLIDAY DANCES AND FOOTBALL

In my 40 year musical career (out of 88) I ventured into radio, T.V., recording, producing, song writing and other enterprises while raising a family and keeping a full time job. I never made the big time but I enjoyed being a good part of the small time and now have the privilege of writing columns about memorable parts of it. The Times calls me a historic columnist which adds a little glamor to my writing which I love doing, however I just consider myself a little old (emphasize old) Cajun telling readers what I consider to be interesting parts of that life. I now continue my holiday stories which I began last week.

My first band in 1947 was “Dudley Bernard and the Southern Serenaders”. We were playing a New Year’s Eve dance at the Merry Inn in Morgan City and were transported there in a big sedan by Mr. Luke Charpentier, Sr. whose son was in the band which he had financed. Mr. Roosevelt Cheramie had built this new club and he also owned one in Galliano.

This band stand had a very polished and slippery surface and the drums kept slipping away which was very distracking so during intermission Mr. Charpentier went to his car where he kept tools and supplies in the trunk. He returned with a hammer, nails and two wood blocks, which he proceeded to nail to the band stand. This anchored the drums but he also put a chair in front of it and sat there for the rest of the dance. The drums did not move again and the owner, an old friend did not complain about the damage to his stage. The dance went on and the New Year arrived on schedule.

Another New Year’s Eve fell on a Saturday and “Leroy Martin and the Southern Serenaders” had a one hour radio show on radio station W.W.E.Z. in New Orleans. Dudley had left the band but was my special guest. Luke Charpentier, Jr. and Harry Anselmi were musicians along with drummer Jimmie Cheramie. (Jimmie, the Uncle of NSU Chef Randy Cheramie died young and his lovely widow Emma found happiness again when she remarried). We got to the” New Orleans Hotel” where the station was located and when unloadeing, the wind caught Jimmie’s bass drum and it rolled down Canal Street with us chasing it. It finally landed in the Saenger Theater lobby a few blocks down where the doors were open for a cleanup crew and it landed in a seat in the last row. After the chase I told Jimmie, who had his drum sticks to do a drum roll. “Why?” He asked. “Just so you can brag for the rest of your life that you played drums at the Saenger Theater in New Orleans.” I said. He did and we had quite a laugh. We played the show and a New Year’s Eve dance in Houma, Louisiana that night.

It was Halloween night, October 31, 1959 and the Rock and Roll craze had diminished the need for country bands so I had decided, if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em and I bought a Fender bass guitar and joined a Rhythm and Blues/Swamp Pop band called the “Dominoes”. We were playing a dance at “Yock’s Steak House” in Houma but the main interest that night was the L.S.U./Ole Miss Football game that for some reason had driven Louisiana football fans crazy. The place was packed and almost everyone had a portable radio with ear phones and were listing to the game while drinking and dancing, and so were the band members, except me. The band was not playing very good, listening to the game instead of the music which bothered me, but I didn’t say anything. When Billy Cannon made his famous touchdown run and won the game for L.S.U. the crowd went wild, including the dancers who all had ear phones and were also listening.

After the dance when the leader, Leroy Trosclair went to collect, the owner argued. “”I should pay you half. You were playing football, not music.” We got paid anyway .More next week. BYE NOW!

‘This band stand had a very polished and slippery surface and the drums kept slipping away, which was very distracting…’

CAJUN STORIES!

In this week’s Cajun Stories column, Mr. Leroy Martin talks about some of his musical endeavors, performing at loaded music halls on New Year’s Eve and other holidays.

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