The Hackberry Ramblers

Last night our local public television station aired John Whitehead's documentary on the Hackberry Ramblers, the trailblazing Cajun band (first band to record "Jolie Blonde" under that name, first amplified Cajun band, etc.) that still is going strong 71 years after Luderin Darbone and Edwin Duhon put it together in a utility building (they were banned from using the Darbone living room as a rehearsal space). It was a good documentary with a good blend of interviews, footage, and shots of rural Louisiana.

Darbone and Duhon are still in the band (both are in their 90's now) and are still close friends. Ben Sandmel, the young fellow who plays drums, as well as manages the band, produces their new records, and hauls the heavy stuff around, has a duty that is quite unusual for a band manager. Whenever the Ramblers travel, he has to find the schedule for masses at the local Catholic church, as Darbone has not missed a daily mass since 1957! Refreshingly the documentary did not portray Darbone's piety as some strange abberation, rather as a source of strength (I met the director when he was interviewing Chris Strachwitz at Arhoolie, and he did seem like a decent guy).

Recently the Ramblers have had some great times, with lots of touring (including European tours), appearances on the Grand Ole Opry, the New Orleans Jazz Festival, and MTV, National Heritage Awards, and general acclaim. Last year Arhoolie released a disc of their first recordings, taken from 78's, which is a great record.

Anyway, I highly recommend the music of the Hackberry Ramblers (you can find their best stuff on the Arhoolie website) and if you have a chance to see the documentary, it is definitely worth an hour of your time. I have no idea how well distributed it is, as it was on a KQED program that features the work of independent film makers, so may have just aired locally this time.