"Mama, Where You At?" (Mayeus LaFleur)
ink and acrylic and found wood on found wood
LaFleur's story is a brief one and a sad one. He was abandoned by his mother while he was an infant, raised by his father til his was a toddler, and then given to an uncle when his father could no longer raise a child and make a living. His uncle taught him to play accordion, and he quickly became one of the finest musicians around Louisina. So good in fact, one of the greatest fiddlers of the time, Leo Soileau, made him his partner. Together in 1928, they recorded one of the first Cajun records. On the day Mayeus got paid, he said he was going to use the money to find his mother.
Coming home from a gig, Mayeus stopped at a friend's ( a liquor bootlegger)house for a drink, when a man came up and started a quarrel with the bootlegger over a truck and broken porch. The man started shooting and shot the bootlegger and Mayeus ran to his friend's side to get him to safety and took a bullet to the heart and died instantly. He never had the chance to hear his own record. Told you it was a sad one.
2 comments:
mayeus lafleur was actually my great uncle his father was henry lafleur of ville platte louisiana and mother was unknown when i was growing up i always heard that he knew who his mother was before he died that she lived a couple of houses down from him but he did not know who she was till she died then he found out but im not to sure if it is the truth its just what i always heard growing up i have also been trying to find out more of our roots if anyone has any info as to where henry lafleur came from please let me know my name is chauncey lafleur
Not sure, but I think Henry LaFleur was a brother to my great Grandfather Alfred LaFleur. I have to check on that to confirm. My Grandfather, also named Alfred never mentioned Mayeuse to me growing up. my Grandfather would have been a contemporary. He also played fiddle and also accordion with Chester Coates, Burleigh Johnson, Curly Lafleur, Rob Johnson and Old man Olier.Johnson and Olier alternated on bass. I met Rob Johnson and his sister Cammy when I was child. They were very old and could both barely see. They lived in an ancient house on Bayou Cocodrille near Centerville.
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