Hackberry Ramblers

The Hackberry Ramblers (also known as the Riverside Ramblers) is a Grammy Award-nominated Cajun music band based in Hackberry, Louisiana and formed in 1933. Since its heyday in the late 1930s it has become one of the most recognized names and influential groups in Cajun music.

The group, which continues to tour and perform, has one of the longest histories of a musical group in the United States of America, and while its lineup has changed many times since its conception, its founders—fiddler Luderin Darbone and accordionist Edwin Duhon—led the band until Duhon's death in 2006. (Darbone died November 21, 2008.) While the roots of the band lie in its Cajun music repertoire, the Ramblers perform a broad swath of American music, from Western swing to blues and rockabilly, and much of their sound blends them all.

In 1930, fiddler Luderin Darbone and guitarist Edwin Duhon met in Hackberry, Louisiana and began playing music together. Although Duhon initially played accordion, his instrument fell into disrepair and was unaffordable to replace; furthermore, the Nashville country music becoming popular via radio had no accordions. Therefore Duhon opted to play guitar, and the initial lineup was one fiddle and two guitars.^[2]

By 1933 they were on the radio and signed with RCA Bluebird Records. Around this time was when Darbone and Duhon created the name "Hackberry Ramblers"—"We wanted a name that was catchy and could be announced on the radio," said Darbone in an interview, adding that they were the first Cajun band to create a group name rather than use individual musicians' names.^[2] These radio broadcasts took place from the Majestic Hotel in Lake Charles, Louisiana on KFBL. In 1936, the Hackberry Ramblers recorded "Jolie Blonde", "Oh Josephine, Ma Josephine", "One Step De L'Amour" and "Faux Pas Tu Bray Cherie".^[3] Darbone and Duhon were the first musicians to bring electronic amplification to area dance halls, sometime 1932 or later, running a public address system off the idling engine of Darbone's Model-A Ford.^[4][2]

Their eclectic repertoire included Cajun music, country music and Western swing, jazz music, and blues music in both English and French. Artists whose songs they played included Bob Wills, Jimmie Rodgers, and Bessie Smith.^[5] Due to a sponsorship deal with Montgomery Ward, the band adopted the name "The Riverside Ramblers".

Guitarist and vocalist Joe Werner joined the Riverside Ramblers in 1936, and the group recorded "Wondering" in 1937. However, Werner left the group the following year.

In the 1960s, the band found renewed interest when Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie Records began recording them.^[6] The band performed at festivals, including FitzGerald's American Music Festival in 1997.^[7]

In 2002, Darbone and Duhon received a prestigious National Heritage Fellowship from the Folk Arts Program of the National Endowment for the Arts.^[8]

Prior to Duhon's death in 2006, the final membership of the band included Darbone, Duhon, Ben Sandmel on drums, Glen Croker on guitar, and Johnny Faulk on bass.

The Country Music Hall of Fame has honored the group; it holds enshrined many of the founding members' instruments.

Croker died at the age of 77 on August 23, 2011.^[9]

• History of Cajun Music
• List of Notable People Related to Cajun Music

• Musician Edwin Duhon dead at 95 United Press International, Inc. Retrieved 20 Mar 2006.
• Sandmel, Ben. "Cajun At The Country Music Hall Of Fame". ZydE-Zine. Retrieved 14 August 2005.
• John Wirt, "‘Hackberry Ramblers’ Co-Founder Dead [Luderin Darbone] at 95," The Advocate [Baton Rouge, La.], 23 November 2008, http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/34944819.html, accessed 1 December 2008.
• Luderin Darbone 1913-2008 Arhoolie Records.