Marksville native Jules Broussard has shared studio and stage with such luminaries as Ray Charles, Boz Scaggs, Van Morrison, Carlos Santana, Earl Grant, Elvin Bishop, Art Garfunkel and Doctor Hook.
Jules began when he was only twelve years old, organizing bands and playing lead saxophone around Avoyelles Parish. After a stint in the US Air Force and then traveling throughout the US, Europe and Asia, Jules settled in San Francisco and has been a Bay Area favorite for over 30 years.
JULES wrote this to Randy DeCuir in 2008: I was born in Marksville at my grandfather's house in 1937. His name was Lonis DeSelle. I grew up in Bunkie until 1945, and then moved to Alexandria, finished high school in 1956, went into the Air Force Band from '56 to '60. I then lived in Waukegan, IL (to be close to Chicago) for 2 years, then moved to San Francisco in in 1962, and have been here ever since. The first band I ever played with was in Marksville in 1949 - the Johnny Wallace Band. We sure had a lot of fun back then. We had music for both sides of the railroad tracks! The most amount of time I spent in Marksville was around 1949 through 1956; I was in and out. I played with my uncles (James Broussard, drums; and Harry Broussard, saxophone). We used to play at the Blue Moon nightclub in Bunkie, and there may have been one with that same name in Marksville, but I'm not 100% sure. Both clubs were outside the city limits, or on the highway.
CYPRESS CITY
BRUCE DAIGREPONT
BLIND MAN GASPARD
BUDDY GUY of Lettsworth
LITTLE WALTER JACOBS
LES FRERES MICHOT
Bishop JOE SIMON
AVOYELLES BOOKS & HISTORIES:
AVOYELLES PARISH WIDE GENERAL HISTORIES
AVOYELLES PARISH WIDE SPECIALIZED HISTORIES
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THE CIVIL WAR IN AVOYELLES
AVOYELLEANS IN CIVIL WAR BATTLES
AVOYELLES FAMILY HISTORIES OUT OF PRINT:
COUVILLON - To Avoyelles with the Couvillons by Ira Couvillon
MICHOT-NORMAND family of Avoyelles by Elaine Miller Richardson and Randy DeCuir
NORMAND - Series by Mark Normand
NECK - From Alsace to Lorraine
PORET - Dr, Isadore Poret by Ory Poret
PONTHIER
SAUCIER - Gariel's people - By Dr. Walter Saucier
SCALLAN -The Scallan family of Avoyelles by Ronald A. Scallan
AVOYELLES BIOGRAPHIES and DIARIES:
Sgt. William Bordelon
Jim Bowie
Frenchy Brouillette
Margery Cushman
CARLOS deGRANDPRE
Edwin Edwards
Alden Laborde
Rev. Robert Trevathan PARISH
John P. Waddil
Vincent Simmons
MAMA FANNIE is the story of Fannie Cromton Griffin, born to slave parents and grew up on a plantation in Gold Dust in southern Avoyelles. The book was carefully researched by Marian Olivia Heath Griffin.
12 YEARS A SLAVE:
Made into an Oscar winning Motion Picture, this story was written by Solomon Northup who spent nine years in slavery in Avoyelles Parish.
BOOKS WHICH CONTAIN CHAPTERS or
CONTENT CLOSEY RELATED TO AVOYELLES:
AVOYELLES AUTHORS:
Authors from or with ties to Avoyelles
By ARNA BONTEMPS
Arna Bontemps, nationally famous Black children's author, has deep roots in Avoyelles, descending from the French immigrant Jean Bon Temps who operated a steamboat landing on Red River in the 1800s. Arna's father moved to Alexandria where Arna was born and the family home has been preserved as a cultural center.
By JAMES CARVILLE
James is a half-Avoyellean, son of the late Nippy Normand of the Bay Hills Community of Avoyelles. He is a well known national political commentator and professor.
By DONNA CAUBARREAUX, aka Pepper Phillips
By LANCE DAUZAT
JAY DUCOTE
Baton Rouge Chef with roots in Cottonport
BY DR. SUE LYLES EAKIN:
By MADELINE BENNETT EDWARDS
By DONNA HANKINS
KRISTEN JOHNSON GREMILLION
Dr. DAVID HOLCOMBE
By AUDREY MAYEUX KELLER Mayeux in Gum Ridge family
ERROL LABORDE
Errol's roots are all in Bordelonville - his father a Laborde and his mother a Bordelon. A distinguished New Orleans icon, Errol is the publisher of Louisiana Life magazine and a noted local public TV commentator in the New Orleans area.
By CARLOS A. MAYEUX, Jr. CROSSROADS
MANSURA VOL I
MANSURA VOL II
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1927 FLOOD
ANCESTRAL JOURNEY: Long Journey Home is Cathy Lemoine Sturgell's story of several early Louisiana families, including Bret, Coco, Drapeau, Goudeau, Gremillon, and Tassin families from France. You can find out more about her book and its availability by contacting her at cathysturgell@yahoo.com or writing to her at 83 Hiwassee Road, Lebanon, TN 37087-9258.
By RUTH McENERTY STUART (1849 - 1917)
RUTH McENERTY STUART was a native of Marksville, a member of the Routh family which Ben Routh Park on Red River is named after. Her father was a one time mayor of Marksville. Stuart first published in February 1888 in the New Princeton Review. She sold a second story to Harpers New Monthly Magazine shortly thereafter; in the early 1890s she moved to New York City.
Stuart was active in her literary career from 1888 until 1917, producing some 75 works. Between 1891-97 she produced "20 books, short stories, sketches, and reprinted verses she had originally published in magazines". She was known not just for her writing, but also for oral performances of her work. Her most famous work is said to be Sonny (1896). She was also occasionally a sub-editor at Harpers.
Stuart has been characterized as belonging to the school of "American local color writing that emphasizes regional characteristics in landscape, way of life, and language." Stuart's treatment of blacks forms a significant portion of her corpus and, if potentially troublesome today, "contemporary critics acclaimed her as providing an authentic representation of African Americans." Her work is said to be of the same school as Kate Chopin.
Stuart's work was appreciated in England. She became a member of the Lyceum Club there in 1904. In 1915 she was granted an honorary Litt.D. in 1915 by [Tulane University]. Also in 1915 a literary club, Ruth McEnery Stuart Clan, was founded and named in her honor.
Stuart died in New York City in 1917 and was buried in New Orleans.
Several of her titles are available for free at:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/3831