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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZABSHIRE, Nathan(b 27 Jun. '13, Gueydan LA; d 13 May '81, Basile LA) Cajun accordionist and vocalist, of seminal importance to the tradition; though illiterate, he translated everyday ups-and-downs into memorable songs, in so doing creating a body of extremely influential material. He played at local functions at age eight; self-taught on accordion, although both parents could play, and stayed with it all his life, though he dabbled briefly with the fiddle. In '35 he recorded for the Bluebird 2000 series (initially misspelled as 'Nason Absher'). His 'Pine Grove Blues' on O.T. was a phenomenal success '49 and had few rivals for its impact. In the '50s his career and status went into a temporary decline, but he bounced back with a series of singles which demonstrated that he could still cut the mustard. He starred in a PBS documentary '75 Good Times Are Killing Me (a catchphrase he would holler, as well as displaying it on his battered accordion case). He recorded for many labels (Khoury, Lyric, O.T., Swallow etc) but reissues and compilations touch all the bases: The Good Times Are Killing Me, Pine Grove Blues, Nathan Abshire And The Pinegrove Boys, all on Swallow; Pine Grove Blues, an Ace anthology '87 drawn from Swallow; The Cajuns on Sonet with the Balfa Brothers; Nathan Abshire And Other Cajun Gems on Arhoolie, and Arhoolie's excellent French Blues from Nathan Abshire and the Pine Grove Boys '93 gathers tracks from Khoury, a good introduction. |