Legendary Cajun music artist Cleveland Crochet has passed away at the age of 92 years old.  Cleveland was known for mega hit "Sugar Bee" which was the first Cajun record to break into Billboard's top 100 in 1961.

In his career, Cleveland played with so many legendary musicians like Sidney Brown and Jo-El Sonnier and many others.  Here is a look back on his career.

Cleveland Crochet
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Crochet has big hits with "Sugar Bee" and "Drunkards Dream" on the Goldband record label.

Here are the lyrics to the hit song!

Sugar bee, sugar bee
Sugar bee, sugar bee
Sugar bee, sugar bee
Sugar bee, sugar bee

Sugar bee, sugar bee
Look what you done to me

Well, you said you'd be
My honey all night long
When i found you, baby
You were doing wrong

Sugar bee, sugar bee
Sugar bee, sugar bee
Sugar bee, sugar bee
Look what you done to me

Yeah

Well, you came home this morning
Bout a quarter to four
Found another woman
Sitting at my door

Sugar bee, sugar bee
Sugar bee, sugar bee
Sugar bee, sugar bee
Look what you done to me

-----www.lyricsreg.com

Cleveland recorded this famous hit with Goldband Records.

The leader of Cleveland Crochet and the Sugar Bees, Crochet was a fiddler from Lake Charles who had previously recorded for Folk-Star and Leader. Originally known as "Cleveland Crochet and the Hillbilly Ramblers," the group showed up at Goldband's doorstep in 1960, and asked Eddie Shuler to listen to their sound. The group reworked several Cajun songs -- "Sugar Bee" and "Drunkard's Dream" -- for Goldband, by adding steel guitar, a rock and roll backbeat, and English lyrics. In early 1961, "Sugar Bee" became the first Cajun record to break into Billboard's top 100. Crochet told a local paper "The Enterprise" that he hoped to quit farming after the success of "Sugar Bee." "`I sure hope I'm all through worrying about acreage allotments and marketing quotas . . . I'm spending my time now setting up bookings for the band, and arranging recording sessions with Eddie Shuler here in Lake Charles.'"

---Goldband Records

Cleveland Crochet was born January 30, 1919 in Hathaway, Louisiana. A big piece of our Heritage has been lost with the passing of Cleveland Crochet.

Crochet played fiddle for Cleveland Crochet and the Hillbilly Ramblers, sometimes known as Cleveland Crochet and the Sugar Bees.  The original members of the band in 1950 were Crochet, Charlie Babineaux, Tilford McClelland, Sidney Brown, and Eddie Benoit. In early 1961, the band’s record “Sugar Bee” became the first Cajun record to break the Billboard’s Top 100, peaking at number 80.  Later, band members included Leroy Broussard, Elce Broussard, Edison "Red" Lopez, Newton "Red" Saltzman, John Crochet, Verris "Shorty" LeBlanc, Cliff Newman, Jessie Stutes, "Pee Wee" Broussard, Robert Thibodeaux, Rufus Thibodeaux, Jo-El Sonnier, and Eugene Thibodeaux. Crochet resided in Iowa, Louisiana. In 1998, the Lake Charles chapter of the Cajun French Music Association inducted Crochet into its Hall of Fame.

--McNeese Library

 

In later years, Cleveland also had some music released on the Swallow Record Label as well.

Funeral arrangements will be handled by Johnson's Funeral Home of Lake Charles.

A big piece of our Heritage has been lost with the passing of Cleveland Crochet. He will surely be missed!

 


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