Harry Choates was born near Rayne, Louisiana on December 26th, 1922. His childhood did not include much education, and he spent most of his time in local bars listening to music on the jukebox. In the 1930s, Choates and his mother, Tave Manard, moved to Port Arthur, Texas. Port Arthur is considered to be as much a part of Louisiana as it is Texas: the extensive Cajun culture present there is likely what drew Choates and his mother to it. It was in Port Arthur that Choates first began to play music; he learned to play the fiddle and began to play in town for tips, particularly in barbershops. By the 1940s Choates was performing in various Cajun groups, all while he picked up on how to play the accordion as well as standard and steel guitars. Choates eventually organized his own band in 1946, called the Melody Boys. It was with the Melody Boys that Choates wrote and recorded his biggest hits.
For his biggest hit, Choates rewrote the old Cajun waltz “Jolie Blonde” (Pretty Blonde) and recorded it with the Melody Boys for the Gold Star music label. Allegedly, Gold Star owner Bill Quinn misspelt the song’s title as “Jole Blon”, and the rest is history. “Jole Blon” was popular nationwide and became a staple of the Cajun genre, and was the only Cajun song ever to reach the Billboard top 5 of any genre. This song was sung with both French and English lyrics, as well as some thrown-in gibberish, but this version is in English.
“Louisiana Boogie”, also known as “Honky Tonk Boogie” moves away from the waltz style of “Jole Blon”: it feels more like traditional western swing. Whereas “Jole Blon” was performed both in English and French variations, “Louisiana Boogie” is exclusively sung in French. Despite his background as a Cajun musician, Choates rarely spoke French outside of his music, which makes his “convincing” French vocal work even more impressive. “Louisiana Boogie” talks about Choates’ estrangement from his wife, Helen Daenen, with the interesting addition of the “boogie woogie” line. This song was recorded in 1949 at Gold Star.
“Dragging the Bow”, also known as “Draggin the Fiddle” and”Drag That Fiddle”, puts more of a spotlight on the fiddle than any of the previously f featured songs. This tune is not an original by Choates, but rather a cover of “Draggin’ the Bow” as recorded by swing player Curt “Dott” Massey in 1935. “Dragging the Bow” is one of Choates’ better-known instrumentals, and is intended to show off his riff skills on the fiddle. This tune was recorded in 1948 at Gold Star.
Despite his success, Choates’ life wasn’t quite that cut and dry in joy. He was an alcoholic deep in the rabbit hole, who would often perform drunk and breach performance contracts with venues. This recklessness caught the attention of the San Antonio musicians’ union, who ultimately decided to blacklist Choates as a performer. This decision by the San Antonio union voided Chaotes’ bookings, effectively breaking up the Melody Boys. After this shortcoming, Choates moved to Austin, Texas, where he was relegated to performing with Jessie James and His Gang on the KTBC radio station. This wasn’t the end of his troubles, though: his estranged wife Helen pressed charges in 1951 for being behind on child support payments for his son and daughter. The trial for these charges resulted in him being placed in jail for contempt of court. Unable to quench his alcoholism while locked up, Choates fell into a delirious state and beat his head against the cell bars until he fell into a fatal coma.
Despite his shortcomings as a person, Choates ushered in a wave of respect and popularity for Cajun music. Many artists have paid tribute to Choates since his death, with Rufus Thibodeaux being the first to do so in the 1960s. Choates was inducted into the Louisiana’s Cajun French Music Association Hall of Fame in 1997 and is formally honored in the Gulf Coast’s Music Hall of Fame in Port Arthur.
Sources:
“Choates, Harry H. (1922–1951).” TSHA, www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/choates-harry-h.
“Harry Choates Biography, Songs, & Albums.” AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/harry-choates-mn0000658597/biography.
Stickney, Ken. “Seeking Harry Choates: 68 Years after His Death, the Port Arthur Musician and His Hit Song Remain Elusive.” Port Arthur News, 4 Oct. 2019, panews.com/2019/10/04/seeking-harry-choates-68-years-after-his-death-the-port-arthur-musician-and-his-hit-song-remain-elusive/.
Wf. “‘Dragging the Bow’ – Harry Choates.” “Dragging The Bow” – Harry Choates, 16 July 2015, earlycajunmusic.blogspot.com/2015/06/dragging-bow-harry-choates.html.
“‘Louisiana Boogie (Honky Tonk Boogie)” – Harry Choates.” “Louisiana Boogie (Honky Tonk Boogie)” – Harry Choates, 24 Aug. 2018, earlycajunmusic.blogspot.com/2018/08/louisiana-boogie-honky-tonk-boogie.html.
Garner, Chet. “City Spotlight: Port Arthur.” Texas Heritage for Living, 3 Feb. 2021, https://texasheritageforliving.com/texas-travel/city-spotlight-port-arthur/.
