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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZCHOATES, Harry(b 26 Feb. '22, Rayne LA; d 17 July '51, Austin TX) Cajun multi-instrumentalist (mainly fiddle), vocalist, bandleader. Had the biggest-ever Cajun hit 'Jole Blon' '46: covered many times since, the song had its roots in Joe Falcon's 'Ma Blonde Est Partie' and Leo Soileau's 'Jole Blonde'; so great was Choates's success that the Houston-based Gold Star label had to lease the record to Modern in LA, but his rights to it reportedly went for $50 and a bottle of whiskey. He tried to repeat its success ('Jole Blon's Gone' a fairly transparent attempt), but his unprecedented musical synthesis far outweighed the hit that dogged his career: his jazzier style blended Cajun with western swing and popular music, infl. musicians such as Doug Kershaw and Dewey Balfa, who said, 'He had an upbeat, very up-tempo drive that affected a lot of us fiddlers.' Alcoholism and a dissolute lifestyle took their toll; he died in jail awaiting a court hearing for 'contempt of court in a wife and child desertion case', as the Austin American reported, a sad end for a performer who did so much to popularize the genre. Ironically his French was weak. Recorded for Allied, Cajun Classics, D, De Luxe, Hummingbird, Macy's and O.T. Albums incl. Jole Blon on D, The Fiddle King Of Cajun Swing on Arhoolie. |