Luderin Darbone & the Hackberry ramblers

Biography

Luderin Darbone (January 14, 1913 – November 21, 2008), a Cajun-Western swing fiddle player, was born in Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, and spent part of his youth in East Texas, where he developed a taste for country music alongside Cajun traditions. At around age 11 or 12, his mother encouraged him to learn violin through a New York correspondence course due to the lack of local teachers in oil field towns, teaching himself to read music and play by ear. In 1931, he met Edwin Duhon (1910–2006), a self-taught guitarist and accordionist from Hackberry, Louisiana; they began practicing together despite initial resistance from Duhon's father, and formally founded the Hackberry Ramblers in 1933 while Darbone studied bookkeeping in Lake Charles.[1][5][6][8]

The band quickly gained popularity playing dances in Louisiana and Texas, appearing on KFBL radio in Beaumont, and in 1935 began recording over 80 sides for RCA Bluebird, including French and English tunes, jazz standards like “Eh, Là Bas,” and the first version of “Jolie Blonde,” now the Cajun national anthem. Innovating a Cajun-country (Western swing-influenced) sound, they introduced amplification powered by Darbone’s Model T Ford and performed as the Riverside Ramblers on some English records. After Duhon briefly left for oil field work, Darbone led through numerous lineup changes; the band recorded their first LP for Arhoolie in the 1960s thanks to Chris Strachwitz, earned a 1998 Grammy nomination for Deep Water, received a 2002 National Heritage Fellowship, and continued performing into the late 1990s.[1][2][4][6]

Darbone served as the band's steadfast leader and financier, even running a service station in Hackberry during the Depression to support it, while maintaining a steady job by the early 1960s amid declining dance gigs. Known for his soft-spoken, devout Catholic demeanor contrasting Duhon's feisty personality, Darbone kept the group—the longest-running in Cajun music—active for over 70 years, influencing the genre's evolution and earning inductions like the Acadian Museum Living Legend in 2004.[1][4][9]

Fun Facts

• Darbone financed the band's start by buying a Model A Ford for $95 and a $50 public address system from a Chicago catalog to amplify singer Lennis Sonnier's voice during the Depression.[4]
• The band powered their early amplification setup using the generator from Darbone’s Model T Ford at roadhouse gigs.[6]
• In 1998, at advanced ages, Darbone and Duhon attended the Grammy ceremony in New York (nomination for Deep Water), performed on MTV, and rode in a van while a hotel housekeeper mistook Darbone for a rich guest.[1][4]
• They named themselves Hackberry Ramblers after their hometown, where crowds 'went wild' at early shows like in Basile.[3]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• New York correspondence school - Self-taught violin/fiddle lessons due to no local teachers (N/A) [ca. 1924-1925 (age 11-12)]

Key Collaborators

• Edwin Duhon - Co-founder, guitarist and accordionist, performed together for decades (Hackberry Ramblers (all recordings and performances)) [1931-2002+]
• Lennis Sonnier - Early second guitarist and singer (Hackberry Ramblers early radio and dance performances) [1933-1930s]
• Glen Croker - Later lead guitarist and emcee, added honky-tonk energy (Hackberry Ramblers 1990s performances and Grammy-nominated album) [1950s-2000s]
• Johnny Faulk - String bass player (Hackberry Ramblers) [mid-20th century]
• Chris Strachwitz - Arhoolie Records founder who revived the band (First LP recording and reissues) [1960s]

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia