CAJUN: The Rambling Aces / Sundown Playboy Special / Crazy Cajun 504 / c1962

The core members of the Rambling Aces that recorded for and were ‘managed’ by Huey Meaux in the late 1950s and 60s, were Andrew Cormier (1936-2019) who played accordion, and Dallas Roy (1928-2016) and Rodney LeJeune (1935-2014), who both played guitar and drums. All three members of “this very proficient Cajun band” also contributed vocals. Cormier and LeJeune were born in Church Point, LA, while Roy was born in nearby Duson. Both towns lay in the geographical square created by Eunice, Opelousas, Lafayette and Crowley, which also encompassed the towns of Lawtell, Sunset, Cankton, Carencro, Ossun, Scott, Rayne and Branch (well-known to Cajun music fans for their eponymous ‘Playboys,’ ‘breakdowns,’ ‘waltzes,’ ‘two-steps,’ and ‘Ramblers’). The Aces were living in the Port Arthur/Beaumont area of Texas when they began recording for DJ/producer Huey Meaux, whose family had moved from Louisiana to Winnie, TX, (not far from Beaumont) when he was 12. The “Rambling Aces” recorded about 40 songs between the late 1950s and early 70s with varying configurations of musicians. In addition to Andrew Cormier, Dallas Roy and Rodney LeJeune, frequent accompanists included fiddlers Russell Quebodeaux and Walter Miller, steel-guitarists Wilson LeJeune and Raymond Cormier, bassist Lionel Blanchard, accordionist Marc Savoy, guitarist/vocalist Ivy Dugas, and drummer Delbert LeJeune. Individual releases were often labeled with one or more members of the band highlighted in large type, with the phrase “and the Rambling Aces” noted below in smaller type. This recording features: Rodney LeJeune (guitar/vocal), Andrew Cormier (accordion), Dallas Roy (drums), Walter Miller (fiddle), Raymond Cormier (steel guitar), Lionel Blanchard (bass). (From Cajun Records 1946-1989, edition 10, by Nick Leigh [www.bluesandrhythm.co.uk/cajun-records/]) NOTE: "Unknown" in picture at 0:14 is Delbert Lejeune. [Sundown Playboy Special, Rambling Aces, Andrew Cormier, Crazy Cajun 504, recorded 1962/3, matrix HM-1008] The flip side of this disk is Xmas! A Day I Can’t Forget:    • CAJUN: The Rambling Aces / Xmas!  A Day I ...   Cajun playlist:    • Cajun