Along with Iry LeJeune and Nathan Abshire, Lawrence Walker played an integral part in Cajun music’s accordion revival in the early ’50s. He was such a smooth, precise player that he was crowned “King of the Accordion Players” with his only real competition coming from Aldus Roger in the latter part of the decade. This 22-track collection underscores Walker’s mammoth contributions; many of his French-sung originals (“Reno Waltz,” “Evangeline Waltz,” “’Tits Yeux Noirs”) featured here are regularly played by today’s practitioners.
The collection spans a 17-year period (1951-1968), culling tracks from Floyd Soileau’s infant VeePee label (four), George Khoury’s Khoury/Lyric labels (12) and Carol Rachou’s La Louisianne Records (six). One thing that’s evident throughout is Walker’s preference for a balanced arrangement, meaning that melody rides and solos are shared equitably between lead instruments. Overall, the sound quality is remarkable for recordings of this vintage considering the unsophisticated studio environment (a radio station was used for four tunes) and that some Khoury tracks were resurrected from 78 rpm recordings rather than master tapes.
Besides being a traditionalist in the classic Cajun sense, Walker was also a progressive, experimental spirit. Some of it was out of necessity when the onslaught of rock ’n’ roll caused Cajun dance crowds to dwindle. Walker countered with English-sung Cajun rock/rockabilly tunes (“Keep Your Hands Off of It,” “Lena Mae”) that weren’t immediately embraced but fare better today in a hip, retro sense. Rock influences in Cajun music wouldn’t become wildly popular until Coteau and Wayne Toups emerged in the late ‘70s and ‘80s, but Lawrence Walker got there first.
