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Reaux, Roscoe & Lee

About Me

We perform the Music of the Old South. The music that we play and perform spans the period of roughly 1760 to 1860, and includes origins that are Celtic, English, Appalachian, minstrel show, slave and plantation, riverboat and sea, patriotic, romantic, military and more. The three musicians of Reaux, Roscoe & Lee are Alvin C. Reaux; Robert Roscoe; and Charles E. Lee. Our combined professional musical experience totals more than 100 years. Instruments that we play are the violin, upright bass, banjo, mandolin, dulcimer, harmonica, zither, guitar, 6-course guitar, tin whistle, fife, bugle, jew's harp, limberjack, bodhran, tambourine, triangle, concertina, jawbone, spoons, rattletrap and bones. On occasion, we can also provide clavichord, harpsichord, and pianoforte. We bring an authentic flavor to the Music of the Old South, performing only period pieces. It's often our custom to offer entertainment at dances, balls, and in performance in many venues. Our stock in trade, in addition to more than 300 songs, spans period amusements such as the recitation of poetry; burlesque, or comedic, sermons; temperance speeches, sermons; a medicine show act; a burlesque phrenology lecture; and a near-magic show. We dress in period civilian attire, although we do have the capability of appearing in either Confederate or Federal uniforms, too. We bring our music stands, ladderback chairs, and a lectern equally useful for music and preaching. For evening performances where we provide lighting, we have a tin chandelier for the group. Our CD, "Whole Hog, Hide And All," presents us in a variety of songs, flaws and all.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 5/17/2008
Band Members: Reaux, Roscoe & Lee is a trio whose members are:Reverend Alvin C. Reaux. Brother Reaux, known to most folks as "Cookie," has been a musician for decades. His mastery of banjo, violin, mandolin, guitar, and percussion instruments is the talk of everyone who has opportunity to hear him perform and witness him just burn it up. His gospel is the white-hot musical flame of the minstrel show, the theater, the church and the front porch of the antebellum period. His playing is what draws the crowds. A native Louisianian, our Cajun brother has been known to tip a mug or julep cup every now and then, and when he does you'll hear a ot of the French influence he brings to our party, and that may be accompanied by his medicine show palaver!Squire Robert Roscoe. Dear Squire Roscoe comes to Louisiana via Nebraska, and adds much polish to the trio. Also a musician of decades, Brother Roscoe's talents are seemingly endless. Wrestling a double bass almost the same size as he, he brings far more than the solid underpinning of the bass to the group. Dulcet tones come from his voice, more pleasing than the night wind through the Spanish moss draped from the live oaks, more lovely than the gentle creek whispering. Brother Roscoe, or Bob as he's better known, also has great skills with violin and dulcimer and spoons that may well surpass his abilities on the double bass. His singing, whether melody or harmony, is extraordinary, and is the making of this trio vocally. Squire Roscoe also has a treasury filled with some of the worst magic tricks that, when the occasion is right, are the delight of all who observe.Dr. Charles Lee. Dr. Lee, also something of a musical antique with decades of experience behind him, is known for the powerful projection of his voice and his determined beating of the guitar. Also able to perform on dulcimer, bodhran, tambourine, "cheater" spoons, zither, limberjack and bones, Brother Lee fills in the little gaps between the other two true musicians. His love of poetry and nonsense sometimes result in his adding the recitation of a poem of two for the crowd. His famous temperance poem "Whiskey" has been a staple of amusement and has even driven some to drink over the years. Once a gospel sharp, his delivery of the sermon once preached by a country preacher in antebellum days has delighted many.
Influences: Stephen Foster, Daniel Decatur Emmett, Cool White, The Ethiopian Serenaders.
Sounds Like: nothing you've heard in 150 years, more or less. We play the Music of the Old South in as authentic a manner as we're able without traveling back to the days before the War Between the States and hearing for ourselves how those folks made it sound.
Record Label: Whistlin' Dixie
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

A New Dimension in Religion

Friends,Those of you who have spent any time with us at all know that there's a spiritual element to Reaux, Roscoe & Lee. Why, many's the time that Brother Reaux has fallen to his knees after consumin...
Posted by on Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:39:00 GMT

When we need to be amplified....

Friends,We prefer always to play without amplification.  Playing without amplification preserves not only a sound we believe is fairly unique, but helps maintain the appearance we wish to project.Howe...
Posted by on Fri, 06 Feb 2009 09:51:00 GMT

A Venue Drought

Friends,For our genre of music, there is something of a drought in our region.  Our music has been a rather rare form for a hundred forty or so years, and today is an acquired taste. Although the tast...
Posted by on Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:01:00 GMT

Come Visit Us Online Elsewhere

Friends,We're in the process of adding two more websites.  We have done some preliminary work on one new website (besides this), and hope you might stop by for a look.  We're also at:http://sites.goog...
Posted by on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 10:00:00 GMT

Reaux, Roscoe & Lee's Upcoming CDs

Friends,Reaux, Roscoe & Lee has begun work on three new CDs.  We are presently at work on a CD of holiday music - mainly Christmas songs - from the antebellum era; a CD of a variety of antebellum song...
Posted by on Fri, 30 Jan 2009 09:39:00 GMT

Christmas Greetings!

Dear friends,We wish each and every one of you a festive Christmas season, with hopes that your dreams and aspirations for the coming year will be crowned with success!  For us, this is a time fo...
Posted by on Mon, 22 Dec 2008 08:12:00 GMT

Washington Artillery & 3 Doors Down

All three of the men of Reaux, Roscoe & Lee are reenactors with the Battalion Washington Artillery of New Orleans, which was the founding organization for what has become the 1/141st National Guar...
Posted by on Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:59:00 GMT

Playing the Hits of the 40s, 50s & 60s (1840s, 50s & 60s)

Friends,We're proud as we can be to announce that we're booked in these days after the hurricane!  We appreciate the many kind notes from so many of our friends, and look forward to perhaps one d...
Posted by on Mon, 22 Sep 2008 10:38:00 GMT

Spirituals & Religious Songs

We offer a large selection of spirituals and hymns appropriate to the antebellum period.  Those include:Amen And Can It Be That I Should Gain Angel Band Brethren We Have Met To Worship Come Y...
Posted by on Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:27:00 GMT

Songs Best Suited For General Performances

A number of songs are far better suited for performances than for dancing.  Those we commonly offer include:America, My Country 'Tis Of Thee Auld Lang Syne Aura Lee The Banks Of The Ohio Barba...
Posted by on Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:23:00 GMT