Harry Choates

Harry Choates (b. December 26, 1922 in Rayne, Louisiana, USA - d. July 17, 1951 in Austin, Texas, USA) was a Cajun fiddler and songwriter. Choates wrote one of the Cajun classics, "Jolie Blon" (which he wrote to his daughter Linda), and popularized such songs as "Allons A Lafayette". Being an alcoholic, he sold the rights to "Jolie Blon" for $100 and a bottle of whiskey. Due to his bad habits, he was blacklisted by the musicians' union in San Antonio. In 1951, a judge found him in contempt of court and he was jailed, a situation where he ended after a divorce and not being able to pay support to his wife and daughter. After three days of being forced to kick his drinking habit, he started beating his head against the cell bars and fell into a coma. He died a few days later.