Huey P. Meaux

Huey P. Meaux
Meaux with Barbara Lynn
Meaux with Barbara Lynn
Background information
Birth nameHuey Purvis Meaux
BornMarch 10, 1929
Wright, Louisiana, United States
DiedApril 23, 2011(2011-04-23) (aged 82)
Winnie, Texas, United States
OccupationRecord producer

Huey Purvis Meaux (March 10, 1929 – April 23, 2011) was an American record producer and the owner of various record labels and recording studios including Crazy Cajun Records, Tribe Records, Tear Drop Records, Capri Records, and SugarHill Recording Studios.[2][3][4]

Biography

Meaux was born in Wright, Louisiana. After serving briefly in the U.S. Army, he opened a barber shop in Winnie, Texas, where he produced the swamp pop classic "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" by "Jivin'" Gene Bourgeois. He also discovered Barbara Lynn and produced her 1962 hit "You'll Lose a Good Thing".[5]

Huey Meaux at the Austin Record Convention in 1988 (second to left)

Nicknamed "The Crazy Cajun," Meaux, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of the British Invasion, put together a band with Doug Sahm and the English-sounding name of the Sir Douglas Quintet, and scored a hit with "She's About a Mover". Meaux's other credits included such hits as "Treat Her Right" by Roy Head, "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" by B.J. Thomas, "Before the Next Teardrop Falls" and "Wasted Days and Wasted Nights"(1975) by Freddy Fender; "You'll Lose a Good Thing" by Barbara Lynn; "Talk To Me" by Sunny & The Sunliners; and "Big Blue Diamonds" by Gene Summers.[6] He worked with Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Copeland, T-Bone Walker, Rockin' Sydney, Lowell Fulson, Chuck Jackson, Doug Kershaw, Doug Sahm,[7] Rod Bernard, Sonny Landreth, Clifton Chenier, Little Royal, Ronnie Milsap, Mickey Gilley, Delbert McClinton, Dr. John, Clarence "Frogman" Henry, Bob Wills, Lightnin' Hopkins, Tommy McLain, Joe Barry and Johnny Winter also.[8]

In 1996, a police raid of his office turned up thousands of Polaroids and videos of girls, mostly underage, in sexual situations.[5][9] Meaux pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual assault of a child, a drug possession charge, a child pornography charge, and another for jumping bail and briefly fleeing to Juárez, Mexico. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison[6] and was released in 2007.[5]

In 2010, he formed the record label Freedom Express Records, and released an album by Ramon Angel Solis entitled The Mexican Side of Me. Meaux died on April 23, 2011, aged 82.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ Pareles, Jon (November 22, 1999). "Doug Sahm, Musical Voice of Texas, Dies at 58". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Producer Huey P. Meaux Dies" Chron.com Archived 2015-04-19 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "A Guide to the Huey Meaux Papers, 1940-1994". Texas Archival Resources Online.
  4. ^ "Huey P. Meaux Was The Crazy Cajun". The Rag Blog. 22 September 2011.
  5. ^ a b c d Corcoran, Michael (April 24, 2011). "'Crazy Cajun,' a pioneering music producer, dies; career tarnished by child sex crimes". Austin American-Statesman. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 302. ISBN 0-7535-0149-X.
  7. ^ Huey Moe Papers Retrieved 16 November 2021
  8. ^ Huey P Meaux interview Retrieved 29 October 2021
  9. ^ "Music producer had several hits". Los Angeles Times. April 27, 2011. p. AA7 – via newspapers.com.


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