Welcome to old and new friends who are interested in discussing Cajun and other diatonic accordions, along with some occasional lagniappe....



CAJUN ACCORDION DISCUSSION GROUP

 

General Forum
Start a New Topic 
Author
Comment
View Entire Thread
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Amedee Ardoin & Denis McGee

Yes, it was Bellard who got mad at Amede because he quit playing with him, and maybe made it worse because it was to play with a white man. But the poisoning part I hadn't heard.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Amedee Ardoin & Denis McGee

The story I heard didn't mention Bellard I don't think, as I'm familiar with his name. It didn't mention a name at all, which doesn't rule out Bellard, I suppose.

Usually, beatings don't end you up in an asylum.

Yet another story...

I suppose that all of these stories are part of the myth making process, and should not always be construed as historical fact.

Having said that, I recall some statements to the effect that syphilis was a factor in Amedee's prolonged illness and death, and that it wasn't merely the result of the beating he received.

The syphilis story does fit the circumstances:
prolonged illness, insanity and eventual death after many years.

-David

Re: Yet another story...

I had heard that one too, and like a lot of this old stuff, it is one speculation after another. Like the licks in a tootsie roll we may never know. What we do know is that he left a heck of an imprint on Lousiana music.

Re: Yet another story...

That fits the external facts (asylum stay) better than poisoning or assault.

Not to detract from his contributions. Nietzche ran the same route.

Re: Amedee Ardoin & Denis McGee

Amade Ardoin died in 1941 at an institution in Pineville. The booklet that accompanies the previously-mentioned CD on Arhoolie provides much interesting detail about his life.

Dennis McGee died in 1989 at the age of ninety-six. In another great CD that contains his early recordings, there is also a terrific booklet that contains a lot of information about his life and his music. That CD is on the Yazoo label (#2012).

Although both CDs are available in lots of places, you can get the Amade Ardoin CD from the Arhoolie website. One of the nice things about Arhoolie is that they only cost $12.00 each if you buy three CDs.

You can get the Yazoo CD from the Shanachie Records website (Yazoo is a part of Richard Nevins' Shanachie company).

I'm sure it would make both companies happy to sell copies of these CDs. Unfortunately, both Chris Strachwitz and Richard Nevins have become a bit pessimistic about the demand for Cajun recordings. The fact that the booklets accompanying each CD contain so much great information about both musicians makes (at least to me) a powerful case for the value of commercial CDs - as opposed to the simple downloading of songs.

Jack Bond

Re: Re: Amedee Ardoin & Denis McGee

I was by Down Home the other day, and they were talking about how things were really slim these days.

It would be a huge shame for them to fold.

Demise of CD? Not so fast!

At Web link 3 see what they are saying about the "inevitable" demise of CDs and the triumph of single song downloads on a jazz discussion board I take part in. Take a look. I swear you don't really need to like jazz in order to understand what they are saying. The thread doesn't go into jazz very much but discusses independent labels, major labels, and the too-early predictions of CDs and lps disappearing.

You might want to know how our "cousins" who are fans of other musical genres see this.

BTW, that's me with the user name It Should be You and the avatar of Webb Pierce. "It Should be You" is the name of a favorite 1929 jazz song by trumpeter Henry Red Allen. I thought it would be a funny user name, given how pushy some of those jazz fans could be. I am one of a small minority there who are interested in 20s-30s jazz.

Note the cockiness of the kid called Mattsmith. He pretty much said. "Everything you could possibly want to hear is available by single song download." HA!!!! WAY OFF! To him I say "Come back when you can maybe appreciate the amount of music that has been put out in the past that is in danger of disappearing, mostly because teenagers drive the music industry and they want to have a 21st century version of the transistor radio they call an IPOD available to them in their pockets!

I will post some more at another time about my concerns for the continued existence of some of Cajun music's best recordings. And the craziness of the market.

Re: Amedee Ardoin & Denis McGee

Slate just published an article suggesting that rumors of the CD's demise are exaggerated:

http://www.slate.com/id/2162771/fr/rss/

I love liner notes and agree that mp3 downloads without notes are missing a key feature of published CDs. And the sound quality of most mp3 files is not the equivalent of CD sound quality.

Re: Re: Amedee Ardoin & Denis McGee

Back to Amadie, It's pretty well know that he was beaten badly after that dance for accepting the handkercheif of a white woman. It should be noted that the men were supposedly not from the area and were just passing through. Amadie was apparently well accepted in the local areas he played.
He also did die in an asylum. Many people tie the two together but he lived along time between the beating and being comitted.
Story goes that he was beaten so badly that he was never able to sing very well again. Put a damper on his musical career. He also was never married, and syphilus from the carousing would certainly have led to his demise in those days.
It sure does make for nice copy to say the man went crazy when he couldn't sing anymore and had to be commited but the real story is probably much more down to earth.
LZ

Re: Amedee Ardoin & Denis McGee

Amedee's family is vague in their comments, but he apparently died of a "social disease" which, considering the times, is believed to have been syphillis. The beating did happen, and for the reason that everyone knows, but it did not kill him.

I remember Denis personally, even though I was young. He died, if I remember correctly, right around my 11th birthday, which would have been 1989. He used to ask Joel and me to dance while he played fiddle, then he'd sign dollar bills and give one to each of us in exchange for a kiss on the cheek.



Jamey Hall's most excellent Cajun Accordion Music Theory

Brett's all new Cajun Accordion Music Theory for all keys!

LFR1.gif - 1092 Bytes The April 2011 Dewey Balfa Cajun & Creole Heritage Week

augusta.gif - 6841 Bytes

Listen to Some GREAT Music While You Surf the Net!!
The BEST Radio Station on the Planet!