The Carriere Brothers

Biography

The Carrière Brothers, Joseph 'Bébé' Carrière (1908–2001) and Eraste 'Dolon' Carrière (1900–1983), were pioneering American Creole musicians from Lawtell, Louisiana, renowned for their mastery of traditional 'la la' music, a precursor to zydeco. Bébé began playing fiddle at age 13 or 14 using a homemade cigar box instrument before acquiring a proper fiddle, while Eraste learned diatonic button accordion from their father Ernest starting at age 15, preserving late 19th-century styles untouched by later Cajun influences. Born into a sharecropping family where music was a vital release after long days in the fields, the brothers performed at informal house parties and festive gatherings across southwest Louisiana, including as far as Lake Charles.[1][3][4][6][7]

In 1946, they formed the Lawtell Playboys, playing house dances that transitioned to club gigs at Slim's Y-Ki-Ki in Opelousas as venues evolved. They retired from most public performances in 1966, but their influence persisted through recordings like the 1977 Folkways release La La: Louisiana Black French Music, captured in their living room, which highlighted Afro-Caribbean polyrhythms, mazurkas, and Creole lyrics, bridging traditional Creole la-la to rural zydeco. Bébé incorporated hillbilly tunes like 'Kentucky Waltz,' while their style blended Creole, Cajun, and early zydeco elements.[3][4][6]

Their legacy endures as foundational figures who connected acoustic la-la traditions to electrified zydeco, teaching the next generation and earning recognition for conserving rare dances like shoe-fly, mazurkas, and contredanses. Bébé's death in 2001 marked the end of an era, but their home recordings and influence on subsequent bands like later iterations of the Lawtell Playboys continue to expose audiences to Creole music roots.[1][3][4][8]

Fun Facts

• Bébé crafted his first fiddle from a cigar box and screen wire at age 13, convincing his father to buy a real one after demonstrating skill.
• Eraste played accordion with a 'deaf ear' to later Cajun influences, conserving pure late-1800s diatonic button style learned from their father.
• Recordings of the brothers were often made in their living room by engineers, as seen in the Rounder anthology Zodico: Louisiana Creole Music.
• They performed rare dances like shoe-fly, mazurkas, and contredanses at house parties, blending Creole songs with blues, Cajun, and zydeco.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Ernest Carrière - Father who taught accordion to Eraste and played accordion himself (Family house parties and festive feasts) [late 1800s to early 1900s]

Key Collaborators

• Lawtell Playboys - Band they co-founded and led with Bébé on fiddle and Eraste on accordion (Live performances at Slim's Y-Ki-Ki and house dances) [1946-1966]
• Nick Spitzer - Folklorist who recorded them in their living room (La La: Louisiana Black French Music album) [1976]
• Delton Broussard - Accordionist who took lessons from Eraste and joined post-retirement Lawtell Playboys (New Lawtell Playboys) [1966 onward]
• Calvin Carrière - Eraste's son who succeeded them on fiddle in Lawtell Playboys (Lawtell Playboys performances and recordings) [1966-2002]

Artists Influenced

• Calvin Carrière - Nephew/son of Eraste who learned fiddle style and continued family band (Sessions with Lil' John Simien and Goldman Thibodeaux) [1960s-2002]
• Delton Broussard - Student of Eraste's accordion lessons, carried forward zydeco fiddle tradition (Lawtell Playboys) [1960s]
• Goldman Thibodeaux - Later collaborated with Calvin in band preserving their style (Lawtell Playboys sessions) [post-1966]

External Links

• Spotify