From: "Dik de Heer" Date: Wed Jan 30, 2002 1:15 am Subject: Born To Be With You : Cleveland Crochet CLEVELAND CROCHET Born 30 January 1929, Jennings, Louisiana Leader / violinist of a Cajun combo. Early in 1961, "Sugar Bee", on Eddie Shuler's Goldband label, became the first Cajun record to break into the Billboard Hot 100, climbing to no. 80. Label credit went to Cleveland Crochet, though the vocalist was Jay Stutes. Eddie Shuler was always striving for new sounds. During the rock 'n' roll days he spent five years trying to find a Cajun band that could play rock 'n' roll. He finally found it in 1960, with Crochet's combo (The Hillbilly Ramblers), and knew he had a hit, but Shuler had all kinds of trouble trying to get some airplay. The DJ who broke the record on KJET in Beaumont was none other than Clarence Garlow , the great songwriter and bluesman. "Sugar Bee" stood apart from other Cajun records because it was sung in English and because the accordion (played by Shorty LeBlanc) sounded like a blues harmonica. And then of course, there were the raucous vocals and fearsome steel-guitar work of Jay Stutes. The follow-ups "Sweet Thing", "Hound Dog Baby", "Come Back Little Girl" and "Coming Home" were in the same Cajun rock 'n' roll format as the hit, but the element of surprise was gone and The Sugar Bees (as the band was renamed when Jay Stutes took over as leader from Cleveland Crochet) split when Shorty LeBlanc died in 1965. Jay Stutes died on May 19, 2000 (age 66). "Sugar Bee" is available on many compilation CD's, five on Ace alone.