Adam Hebert

Artist: Adam Hebert

LP: The Best of the Cajun Hits

Song: "I'd Like to Know"
[ listen ]

Artist: Adam Hebert and Country Playboys

LP: Cajun Hits - Volume 2

Song: "North Side Door"
[ listen ]

After crossing the Mississippi state line and spending the night in Natchez next to the Mississippi River, I drove along the Natchez Trace Parkway, headed toward Jackson. A few miles southwest of Jackson is the little town of Raymond, where there's a legendary record store called Little Big Store. I'd already had it on my list, but Tess at Lagniappe Records in Baton Rouge also mentioned it, saying the store, located in an old train depot, is filled with records! It reminded me of scenes from AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD where Klaus Kinski talks about trying to find El Dorado, the mythical city of gold somewhere in the South American jungle. Fortunately, unlike Mr. Kinski, I had a good map and I didn't get shot with arrows, so I arrived at Little Big Store on time and unharmed. With multiple rooms stacked to the brim with well-organized records (and seemingly almost entirely unpicked-over by tourists and hipsters), the place really is a delightful oasis of vinyl gold in the middle of small-town Mississippi. And they ship records to anywhere in the world! You can watch a short video with photos of the store on their website here. Betty and Merwin, who were working there the Sunday afternoon when I stopped by, are both really friendly and played samples from the records I was interested in on the store's player. Among other things, I picked up these wonderful first two volumes of greatest Cajun hits by various artists on Swallow Records, a southern Louisiana label, from the late 1950s. There's not much info on Adam Hebert on the web, but you'll find a little here and general notes from the backs of both LPs are included below. If you'd like to read about the history of Cajun music, go here.

 [ Uncredited Cajun band from cover of "Cajun Hits - Volume 2" ]

[ Adam Hebert and Country Playboys ]

 [ Adam Hebert receives award in 2007. I love that he wears a clip-on tie. ] 

[ I love it in an adoring, non-condescending way. ]

[ Adam Hebert: 1923—2010 ]

 [ Betty and Merwin at Little Big Store—Raymond, Mississippi ]