Sidney Brown Sidney Brown Was A

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Sidney Brown Sidney Brown was a fine accordion player and songwriter, the leader of the classic “Traveler Playboys” band, and a pioneer Cajun accordion maker. Brown was born in Church Point, Louisiana, in 1906, and began playing accordion as a child. Largely self-taught, by the age of 13 he was playing house dances and fais-do- dos. Brown formed his band, “The Traveler Playboys,” after moving from Church Point to Lake Charles, Louisiana. He became well known in Lake Charles for his rhythmic, old-timey accordion playing. Brown and “The Traveler Playboys” began recording for the Goldband label in the mid 1950s. Their recordings enjoyed great success. Brown's “Pistauche a Tante Nana” became the third best selling record in the history of Cajun music. His two-step, “ Traveler Playboy Special” is still performed by many Cajun bands. Before World War II, Cajun accordionists favored German accordions, especially those made by the Monarch and Sterling companies. With the advent of the war, German instruments were no longer available in the United States. Both the Monarch and Sterling factories were destroyed in the conflict. After the war many of Germany's remaining accordion makers were isolated behind the Iron Curtain in East Gernany. The only new accordions available to Cajun musicians in the post-war period were generally inferior instruments, not particularly well-made and not loud enough to be heard over the electric guitar, steel guitar and drums of a full band. With good new accordions in short supply, Brown began experimenting with accordion making, eventually producing high-quality, hand-made instruments. He not only was able to help meet the post-war demand for new Cajun accordions, but also established a reputation as an accomplished repairman throughout southwest Louisiana, keeping many old pre-war Monarchs and Sterlings alive and playing in the hands of their owners. In 1963 Brown was forced to abandon performing due to a heart condition. He spent the remaining years of his life building and repairing accordions. He produced about 50 instruments in all, many of which are still in use. He died on August 6, 1981. .

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Weltmeister Akkordeon Manufaktur Gmbh the World's Oldest Accordion
MADE IN GERMANY Weltmeister Akkordeon Manufaktur GmbH The world’s oldest accordion manufacturer | Since 1852 Our “Weltmeister” brand is famous among accordion enthusiasts the world over. At Weltmeister Akkordeon Manufaktur GmbH, we supply the music world with Weltmeister solo, button, piano and folklore accordions, as well as diatonic button accordions. Every day, our expert craftsmen and accordion makers create accordions designed to meet musicians’ needs. And the benchmark in all areas of our shop is, of course, quality. 160 years of instrument making at Weltmeister Akkordeon Manufaktur GmbH in Klingenthal, Germany, are rooted in sound craftsmanship, experience and knowledge, passed down carefully from master to apprentice. Each new generation that learns the trade of accordion making at Weltmeister helps ensure the longevity of the company’s incomparable expertise. History Klingenthal, a centre of music, is a small town in the Saxon Vogtland region, directly bordering on Bohemia. As early as the middle of the 17th century, instrument makers settled down here, starting with violin makers from Bohemia. Later, woodwinds and brasswinds were also made here. In the 19th century, mouth organ ma- king came to town and soon dominated the townscape with a multitude of workshops. By the year 1840 or thereabouts, this boom had turned Klingenthal into Germany’s largest centre for the manufacture of mouth organs. Production consolidation also had its benefits. More than 30 engineers and technicians worked to stre- Accordion production started in 1852, when Adolph amline the instrument making process and improve Herold brought the accordion along from Magdeburg. quality and customer service. A number of inventions At that time the accordion was a much simpler instru- also came about at that time, including the plastic key- ment, very similar to the mouth organ, and so it was board supported on two axes and the plastic and metal easily reproduced.
[Show full text]
Jerzy Wieczorek—AHS Capstone Spring 2006— Final Draft of Deliverable—May 10, 2006
Jerzy Wieczorek—AHS Capstone Spring 2006— Final Draft of Deliverable—May 10, 2006 Managing the Accordionist’s Identity in America: A Labeling/Interactionist Perspective Although the accordion was one of the best-selling musical instruments in the United States between the 1930s and the 1950s, nowadays it is frequently portrayed as “nerdy” and “cheesy.” In American popular music of the last few decades, the instrument is rarely heard and almost never seen unless to draw a laugh. Nonetheless, there are many accordionists who still choose to play the instrument despite its reputation. If this once-popular instrument, its music, and the musicians who play it are so marginalized in popular culture today, how do accordionists deal with their marginalized status? This paper begins to answer this oft-overlooked question through the labeling/interactionist approach pioneered by sociologists Howard S. Becker and Erving Goffman. The result is an analysis of how accordionists present themselves to others in light of their understandings of the cause and nature of the accordion’s unpopularity. Because attitudes towards the instrument are not uniform throughout American society, even accordionists in the same geographic location can choose to respond to their stigmatized status in different ways. Several interviews with accordion players indicate that these musicians may attempt to Avoid the stigma by playing only in settings where the accordion is accepted; they may attempt to Overcome the stigma by challenging the assumptions that they believe the audience holds about the accordion; or they may attempt to Flaunt the stigma by drawing on stereotypes about the accordion, usually for humorous effect.
[Show full text]
Book Reviews
Book Reviews Early American Women Critics: Performance, Religion, Race. By Gay Gibson Cima. Reviewed by Amy Cummins. 71 The Male Body at War: American Masculinity during World War II. By Christina Jarvis. Reviewed by Anna Froula. 72 The Heart of Whiteness: Normal Sexuality and Race in America, 1880–1940. By Julian B. Carter. Reviewed by Mason Stokes. 73 Kids Rule! Nickelodeon and Consumer Citizenship. By Sara Banet-Weiser. Reviewed by Gary Cross. 74 Good Girls & Wicked Witches: Women in Disney’s Feature Animation. By Amy M. Davis. Reviewed by Karen Hollinger. 75 Cradle of Liberty: Race, the Child, and National Belonging from Thomas Jefferson to W. E. B. DuBois. By Caroline F. Levander. Reviewed by Steven Mintz. 76 In Pursuit of Liberty: Coming of Age in the American Revolution. By Emmy E. Werner. Reviewed by Steven Mintz. 76 Trust and Power: Consumers, the Modern Corporation, and the Making of the United States Automobile Market. By Sally H. Clarke. Reviewed by David Farber. 78 Historical Atlas of California. By Derek Hayes. Reviewed by James R. Shortridge. 79 Under the Boards: The Cultural Revolution in Basketball. By Jeffrey Lane. Reviewed by Aram Goudsouzian. 80 Pure Beauty: Judging Race in Japanese American Beauty Pageants. By Rebecca Chiyoko King-O’Riain. Reviewed by Naomi Zack. 81 Upifting the People: Three Centuries of Black Baptists in Alabama. By Wilson Fallin Jr. Reviewed by Randal Maurice Jelks. 82 Divine Hierarchies: Class in American Religion and Religious Studies. By Sean McCloud. Reviewed by Peter Kivisto. 83 The Making of Racial Sentiment: Slavery and the Birth of the Frontier Romance.
[Show full text]
Cajun Revival - Music - New York Times 03/09/2007 03:55 PM
Cajun Revival - Music - New York Times 03/09/2007 03:55 PM HOME PAGE MY TIMES TODAY'S PAPER VIDEO MOST POPULAR TIMES TOPICS Free 14-Day Trial Log In Register Now Music Arts All NYT WORLD U.S. N.Y. / REGION BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE HEALTH SPORTS OPINION ARTS STYLE TRAVEL JOBS REAL ESTATE AUTOS ART & DESIGN BOOKS DANCE MOVIES MUSIC TELEVISION THEATER MUSIC More Articles in Arts » Cajun Sound, Rock ’n’ Roll Energy TicketWatch - Theater Offers by E-Mail Sign up for ticket offers from Broadway shows and other advertisers. See Sample | Privacy Policy Jillian Johnson Among the bands bringing Cajun music into the 21st century are the Pine Leaf Boys, from left: Cedric Watson, Blake Miller, Drew Simon, Wilson Savoy and Jon Bertrand. By GEOFFREY HIMES Published: March 4, 2007 SIGN IN TO E-MAIL OR LAFAYETTE, La. SAVE THIS PRINT THIS wasn’t a show for Mardi Gras tourists. On Multimedia Lundi Gras, as they call the day before Fat Tuesday in REPRINTS MOST POPULAR south Louisiana, the Pine Leaf Boys were onstage ''Pine Leaf Boy Two Step'' (mp3) SHARE E-MAILED BLOGGED SEARCHED before a crowd of locals at the Grant Street Dancehall here. The five musicians, all in their 20s, played 1. Journey From a Chinese Orphanage to a Jewish Rite of Passage songs by Cajun legends like the 1950s accordionist Iry 2. Dress Codes : Slim Suits: The Attraction Is Physical ''Zydeco Gris Gris'' (mp3) LeJeune and the 1930s fiddler Dennis McGee, but the 3. 36 Hours in Charleston, S.C. dancers who were packed shoulder to shoulder on the 4.
[Show full text]
NOVEMBER 2012 from the Editor Here’S What’S Welcome to the November 2012 Edition of the AAA Newsletter
AMERICAN ACCORDIONISTS’ ASSOCIATION Newsletter A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association NOVEMBER 2012 From the Editor Here’s What’s Welcome to the November 2012 edition of the AAA Newsletter. As we bring 2012 to a close, we can truly celebrate the accordion and the incredible and diverse array of activities it features in. Happening at Once again my sincere thanks to the AAA President Linda Reed and Board of Di- rector member, Rita Davidson for their kind assistance throughout the year, and to AAA in 2013 all those who have been able to submit items for publication. Items for the January Newsletter can be sent to me at [email protected] or to the updated AAA e-mail address at: [email protected] Please include ‘AAA MARCH 16, 2013 Newsletter’ in the subject box, so that we don’t miss any items that come in. Text should be sent Coupe Mondiale qualifying cat- within the e-mail or as a Word .doc (not docx) attachment. Pictures should be sent as a high quality egories. See details at .jpg file, and the larger the file size the better. We can always reduce/crop the picture if necessary, www.ameraccord.com however we are unable to increase the quality from smaller pictures. The deadline for the January 2013 news will be the 15th of December. MARCH 17, 2013 I wish you all a wonderful and happy Holiday Season, and look forward to sharing all your News 2:00 pm of events with our readers when we publish our next edition in January 2013.
[Show full text]
The Accordion in the 19Th Century, Which We Are Now Presenting, Gorka Hermosa Focuses on 19Th C
ISBN 978-84-940481-7-3. Legal deposit: SA-104-2013. Cover design: Ane Hermosa. Photograph on cover by Lituanian “Man_kukuku”, bought at www.shutterstock.com. Translation: Javier Matías, with the collaboration of Jason Ferguson. 3 INDEX FOREWORD: by the Dr. Pr. Helmut Jacobs................................................................ 5 INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................... 7 CHAPTER I: Predecessors of the accordion.............................................................. 9 I.1- Appearance of the free reed instruments in Southeast Asia.................... 10 I.2- History of the keyboard aerophone instruments: The organ................... 13 I.3- First references to the free reed in Europe.............................................. 15 I.4- The European free reed: Christian Gottlieb Kratzenstein....................... 17 I.5- The modern free reed instrument family................................................ 18 CHAPTER II: Organologic history of the accordion............................................... 21 II.1- Invention of the accordion..................................................................... 21 II.1.1- Demian’s accordion..................................................................... 21 II.1.2- Comments on the invention of the accordion. ............................ 22 II.2- Organologic evolution of the accordion................................................ 24 II.3- Accordion Manufacturers.....................................................................
[Show full text]
Evangeline Special / Love Bridge Waltz
“Evangeline Special” and “Love Bridge Waltz”--Iry LeJeune (1947) Added to the National Registry: 2009 Essay by Ron Yule (guest post)* Iry LeJeune Original label Early LP “The Opera Recordings of Iry Lejeune” Cajun accordionist Iry Lejeune’s postwar, seminal recording of “Evangeline Special” / “Love Bridge Waltz” helped reintroduce the sound of the diatonic Cajun accordion into commercially recorded Cajun music. The 10+ year absence had concluded with Lee Sonnier’s recording for J. D. Miller’s Fais Do Do label only a few months prior to Iry’s session. It was not greeted with a great fanfare like Iry’s. Sources within the Lejeune family indicate that the session for Bennie Hess’s Opera label occurred in the spring of 1947 prior to Iry’s move to Lacassine to live with the Milton Vanicor family and prior to a car wreck in the fall of 1947 in which he suffered a broken back. Iry seemed groomed for this monumental event. His family was filled with fiddlers and accordionists who had played songs of their heritage for dances and socials throughout the Point Noire area during the early 1900s. Near blind (with some peripheral vision) from birth he used his musical talent to provide a source of income. Reared on a farm near Church Point, he attended the Louisiana School for the Blind in Baton Rouge in the early 1940s, with a final focus on playing music as a means of making a living. Following his brief schooling, he began moving throughout the Acadia, Evangeline, and Jefferson Davis Parish area, playing with numerous noted Cajun musicians, such as J.
[Show full text]
Tit Galop Pour Mamou (Tee Ga-Lo Pour Evangeline with Historical Accounts of the Period
MUSIC TRADITIONAL ARTISTIC PERCEPTION (AP) ® CLASSICAL CREATIVE EXPRESSION (CE) Artsource CONTEMPORARY HISTORICAL & CULTURAL CONTEXT (H/C) The Music Center’s Study Guide to the Performing Arts EXPERIMENTAL AESTHETIC VALUING (AV) MULTI-MEDIA CONNECT, RELATE & APPLY (CRA) ENDURING FREEDOM & THE POWER THE HUMAN TRANSFORMATION VALUES OPPRESSION OF NATURE FAMILY Title of Work: About the Artwork: A Cajun Medley: Valse; Parlez-Nous à Boire; Tit Galop Pour Cajun is a colloquial diminutive of the word Mamou from the repertoire of Dewey Balfa Acadian. The culture, indigenous to the state of Creators: Louisiana, originated in Nova Scotia, then called Producer: AMAN Folk Ensemble (active 1964-2003) Acadia. Acadians were French people who settled in Music Director/Fiddler, 1984-94: John Zeretzke b. 1958 the New World before the Pilgrims arrived. The Artistic Director, 1984-96: Barry Glass British overtook Acadia, and in time ordered the deportation of the Acadians. For more than thirty Background Information: years the Acadians roamed until they finally settled What makes violinist John Zeretzke special is his never- in Louisiana, which still retained its French beginnings. ending search for new ideas and idioms of music and art. The Cajuns were diligent, hard-working people who But, as a child he didn’t start out feeling very capable. established settlements primarily in the southern By third grade he was unable to keep up with the learn- section of Louisiana. Cajun music has survived, much of ing capabilities of his classmates. He began to feel like a it in its original forms, for over two hundred years. failure in school because he had difficulty doing math and was identified as a “slow reader.” It was suggested Creative Process of the Artist or Culture: that he stay back a grade, but at about this time a “Music In the 1800s each community had several fiddlers.
[Show full text]
Cajun Music: the Voice of the Cajun Family
Curriculum Units by Fellows of the Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute 1991 Volume II: The Family in Art and Material Culture Cajun Music: the Voice of the Cajun Family Curriculum Unit 91.02.02 by Harriet J. Bauman “Laissez le bon temps rouler!” (Let the good times roll!) can be heard everywhere on beautiful Saturday mornings in Cajun Louisiana. Delicious smells waft through the air along with the sounds of musicians tuning up, getting ready for a day-long celebration of music, dance and food. Saturday is important to the Cajuns because it is the end of the work week and the day before the Sabbath. On Saturday, from nine in the morning to past midnight, all over Acadiana—and especially in its heartland, around Mamou and Eunice and Opelousas—is impossible to escape the sound of the fiddle, the guitar, and the accordion, the nasal singing of the old Cajun lyrics, the tingle of the triangle and spoons, and the rhythmic clomping of the two-step, the most popular Cajun dance because a two-step works well with the simple rhythms of the songs. (Amy Wilentz, “Bon Temps on the Bayou”, Condé Nast Traveler (New York: Condé Nast Publications Inc.; June, 1991), p. 145) Cajun life is defined by its music. Cajun music is the focus for this unit as it reflects Cajun family life, customs, and language. Using music to discuss a culture, its background and influences, is a special approach to the study of the family. For the Cajuns, music reveals their deepest feelings and expresses their philosophy of life.
[Show full text]
Texas Polka News - April 2015 Volume 27 | Isssue 3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Texas Polkafounded in 1987News - a Polkabeat Inc
Texas Polka News - April 2015 Volume 27 | Isssue 3 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Texas PolkaFounded in 1987News - A Polkabeat Inc. Publication Joel Guzman/Squeezebox Mania 2 Bohemian Princess Report By Theresa Cernoch Parker Polka Fundraisers, Mason and Story on Page 4-5 the Tuba, German State Contest Results, Celebrate the Grads 3 Editor’s Log Gary E. McKee Accordion: Bagpipe with Pleats Part 3/Final 3 From the TPN Archives April 2002: Jimmy Sturr Wins 12th Grammy 4-5 Featured Story Joel Guzman: God, Family, Squeezebox Mania 6-7 Accordions Rule! Editor's Log Continued 8-9 German & Czech Fests Muenster's 40th Germanfest, Ennis' 49th Polka Fest 10-11 Dances, Festivals, Events, Live Music, and National Festivals 12-13 In the News PoLK of A, Joann's Travel, Polka Reality TV Show 14, 18-19 Dance Notes 16-17 Fiddlers, Cotton Gin, Maifest 20 Polka Smiles Sponsored by Hruska's Page 2 Texas Polka News - April 2015 Ravens played Bohemian Princess at Lodge 88 and Texas Polka News Staff Report met his dad - Theresa Cernoch Parker, Publisher beaming from Gary E. McKee, Editor/Photo Journalist ear to ear. He has Jeff Brosch, Artist/Graphic Designer a lot to be proud Contributors: of! Mason's Julie Ardery Alec Seegers career goal is Bill Bishop Will Seegers to be a band Mark Hiebert Karen Williams director and let's Mark Karasek John Roberts hope playing in a Julie Matus Earline Berger Okruhlik polka band will be a permanent side gig! By Theresa Cernoch Parker Also proud to announce that The Contact I recently attended two fundraisers, Woodlands College Park High School one for the Texas Chapter of the Polka repeated their polka band title at the Theresa Parker, Texas Polka News Lovers Klub of America and the other 33rd Annual Texas State German P.O.
[Show full text]
2020 Al Berard
Partnership Drive 2020 Support the Al Berard Memorial Music Fund Al Berard Memorial Music Fund, a fund of Community Foundation of Acadiana, sup ports community organizations who promote our rich Cajun/Creole heritage, arts, music, and French language. Your generous contribution provides instruments to students, offers music scholarships to students of all ages in Acadiana, and supports Community Projects that promote the mission of the fund. WHAT WE DO: Al Berard Memorial Fund honors the late Al Berard who was a mentor for music lovers everywhere. The Al Berard Memorial Fund has granted approximately $80,000 to music organizations throughout Acadiana. The following are just some of the organizations that have benefited from the fund: St. Martin Parish Gifted/Talented Music Program Lafayette Parish Gifted/Talented Music Program SOLO Songwriting Scholarship Ossun Elementary Music Program Woodvale Elementary “French Week” Louisiana Folk Roots Summer Kids Camp Scholarships NUNU Arts & Culture Collective Le Reveil du Francais Teche Center for the Arts Music Scholarships COVID Relief Programs for Artists and Musicians CFACADIANA.ORG/ALBERARD PARTNER WITH US! LEVELS OF PARTNERSHIP CAJUN FIDDLE LEVEL $2,500- Your contribution funds after school and summer music programs and includes the tuition for students and the purchase of musical instruments. Your name or business logo will be featured on our Facebook page and our website to include a brief description about your business and a hyperlink to your website. Your personal name or business name will be engraved on a small plate to be installed on the music instrument case. CAJUN ACCORDION LEVEL $1,000 – Your contribution funds musical instruments for students in schools throughout Acadiana.
[Show full text]
May-June, 2016 from the Editor Welcome to the May 2016 Edition of the AAA Newsletter
NewsletterAMERICAN ACCORDIONISTS’ ASSOCIATION A bi-monthly publication of the American Accordionists’ Association May-June, 2016 From the Editor Welcome to the May 2016 edition of the AAA Newsletter. Our summer festival in Buffalo is fast approaching, and hope many of you are able to attend this exciting event, showcasing a variety of accordionists from the USA and abroad. Included in our lineup will be Angela Conti, a delightful young 8 year old accordionist and author, who will present her new series of children's books! You can read more about her in this Newsletter. It promises to be an excit- ing event located adjacent to Niagara Falls, one of the United State's premiere tourist locations. You will have all received information that this Newsletter is now available in both printed format and as a .pdf file, which can be e-mailed to you. While some prefer to have a printed copy to browse at leisure, there are also a number of people who enjoy hav- ing their news presented in an electronic format, and thus a digital version is another means for the AAA to take advantage of the technology available today. Be sure to let the AAA know of your pref- erence, and they will be happy to arrange your Newsletter delivery accordingly. Once again my sincere thanks to all those that have assisted in providing news items and pictures, including your very own AAA Board of Director Rita Barnea who is always an avid supporter of the AAA Newsletter sharing a variety of news items from around the country.
[Show full text]