Leo Soileau (January 19, 1904 – August 2, 1980)[1][2][3] was one of the most prolific Cajun recording artists of the 1930s and 1940s, recording over 100 songs, which was a substantial amount considering the reluctance to record the music during its early stages. He is known as the second person to record a Cajun record and the first to record this genre with a fiddle.[4]
After Joe Falcon's recording of "Allons a Lafayette" became a hit, record companies were interested in finding other talent. A jeweler, Frank Dietlein Sr. of Opelousas, Louisiana, convinced Victor Records to record Soileau and Mayeus LafleurofBasile, Louisiana and in October 18, 1928, they recorded four songs with Victor in Atlanta, Georgia.[2][3] With Soileau on fiddle and Mayeus on vocal and accordion, their recording of "Mama, Where You At?" (also referred to as "Chere Mom") became the most influential, mainly due to Lafleur's lyrics describing his longing for his mother.[6] After Lafleur was killed in a quarrel over moonshine, gunned down by a stray bullet[7] at a honky-tonk bar in Basile[2] just nine days after the recording,[6] Soileau began recording for Victor and Vocalion with fellow accordionistMoise RobinofArnaudville, Louisiana the following year.[3][4] The next month, he teamed up with his cousin, Alius Soileau[3][8]ofEunice, Louisiana, and recorded four more songs as the duo "Soileau Couzens" in New Orleans as well as with accordionist Oscar "Slim" Doucet.[1][9] The following day, he would record with Wilfred Fruge.[5]: 142 After the depression, he continued to play dances throughout Louisiana and Texas.[2]
In 1934, he started a group called the Three Aces[2][8] with Floyd Shreve on guitar or Bill Dewey Landry on guitar and Tony Gonzales on drums. Without the accordion, the sound would be country influenced. Soileau would begin recording for Bluebird Records and a major part of inspiration came from western swing, blues, ragtime, and fiddle music of Texas. The following year, he would sign with Decca Records, travel to Chicago, and change the name to the Four Aces.[3][4] He would record again for Decca in New Orleans in 1936 and Dallas in 1937. After the Four Aces broke away as a separate band, Soileau played with a group he called the Rhythm Boys.[2]
^ abcdeKingsbury, Paul; McCall, Michael; Rumble, John; Orr, Jay (2012). The Encyclopedia of Country Music (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. 470–471. ISBN978-0195395631.
^McCall, Michael; Rumble, John; Kingsbury, Paul; Gill, Vince (2012). The Encyclopedia of Country Music (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 470. ISBN978-0195395631.
^Savoy, A.A. (1984). Cajun music: A Reflection of a People v. 1. Bluebird Press.
