"Cherie Ba Sate (Little Sweetheart)" - Joe Manuel

Between 1946 and 1948, Harry Choates and his Melody Boys recorded dozens of tunes.  But after the break-up of his original group, the Manuel brothers, Joe and Abe, ventured out and formed their own groups with similar style.  Joe Manuel was born into a musical family north of Basile. Although his father, Adam, was an accordion player, Joe played Cajun music often without an accordion throughout his career. In the late 1940s, Abe and Joe Manuel who had performed with Leo Soileau and Harry Choates played more contemporary requests and styles dictated by the listeners and dancers.  Joe's band appeared on the radio on stations like KWSL in Lake Charles.  Following his tenure with Choates, he teamed with his brother Abe in the Rockola Playboys and as Sandy and Joe Austin in Corpus Christi, Texas.  But by 1949, he had his own group, The Louisiana Nighthawks.1

Joe Manuel

Hey, bassette, il y a pas longtemps, ouais, 

Tu m'as laissé, 'tit fille, pour t'en aller, 

Pour t'en aller, ouais, avec un autre, 

Avec un autre, ‘tit fille, j'mérite pas ça, vilains 
manière.

Hey, bassette, observes-toi bien, ouais, 

Tous les malfaits, ‘tit fille, ça tu m’as fait il y a pas longtemps,

Tu m'as quitté pour roulailler, ouais, 

Pour t'en aller, ‘tit fille, j'mérite pas ça.

Opelousas Daily World
May 20, 1949

The location for this recording is unknown however, it's quite possible given the sounds on the recording, it was held across the street from the Silver Star Club in Sulphur; the same place Hackberry Ramblers recorded for DeLuxe. During the session, he recorded a waltz he entitled "Chérie Bassette", misspelled as "Cherie Ba Sate". (#6039); not to be confused with the more well known recording by J.B. Fuselier.  His band comprised of probably Eddie Caldwell, Abe Manuel on fiddle, Dusty Rhodes on steel guitar, and Crawford Vincent on drums. 

Hey, short girl, over there, not long ago, yeah,

You left me, hey, little girl, you went away,

You went away, yeah, with another,

With another, little girl, I didn't deserve that, your naughty ways.

Hey, short girl, take a good look at yourself, yeah

All the terrible things, little girl, that you did to me, over there, not long ago,

You left me to go run around, yeah,

You went away, little girl, I didn't deserve that.

1. Cajun Dancehall Heyday by Ron Yule
2. Lyrics by Jordy A and Herman M
3. NOTE: Possibly "Cherie Ba Sate" and "Creole Hop" are in reverse on 78 pressing.

Release Info:

D 946 Cherie Ba Sate 6039-A DeLuxe
D 947 Creole Hop 6039-B DeLuxe