Cleoma Falcon

Singer and guitarist Cleoma Breaux Falcon is remembered today for two major contributions to Cajun music. First, she and spouse Joe Falcon were responsible for the first recording ever made of Cajun music. In New Orleans in 1928, the couple recorded the song "Allons à Lafayette" for Columbia. Second, she was one of very few women of her day to perform Cajun music on-stage. The setting of a dancehall was considered improper, and a strong chance existed that a woman who sang there would be seen as immoral. Breaux overcame the stigma, possibly due to the fact that she mounted the stage with a man -- her husband -- at her side. Still, other dangers remained. The couple had to shield themselves behind a cage constructed of wire, which would keep them from being hit by objects hurled from the audience while Lulu, their child, remained snug and protected nearby. The couple also recorded for Okeh, Bluebird, and Decca. In 1940, Breaux was injured when a car dragged her and she never fully regained her health and passed away the following year. ~ Linda Seida