For years, The Mountain Dews were much in demand at dance halls, social clubs, and special events. Pictured here are left to right Chuck Fréchette, Bill Beauchesne, and Marcel Larrivée , who started performing together in 1965.  

September 2007

The Franco-American Collection at USM / L-A College, 51 Westminster Street, Lewiston, has a new window exhibit highlighting several aspects of local Franco-American musical styles from choir groups to rock and roll.

The boys’ choir at Saints Peter and Paul enjoyed a regional reputation, touring frequently in both New England and Canada.  L’Orphéon, an all male choral group, sang classical, religious and popular songs, under the long time leadership of Alexis Côté.  The Franco-American Collection has a significant amount of material about these two groups in its archives.

Marching bands were another popular form of musical entertainment. This exhibit features a photo of the Leo Gaumont string band. Mr. Gaumont taught many local musicians traditional French -Canadian folk songs, square dance music and popular tunes of the times.

Also displayed is a photo of the Dominican Band. It was a part of the Association Saint-Dominique, which had its headquarters in a building on Bartlett Street. Among other events, this band performed regular summer concerts in City Park and held fundraising performances in City Hall for church and school building projects. Many of its members came from the Fanfare Ste-Cécile, a boys’ band. When St. Doms High School took over its building, the Montagnard Snowshoe Club assumed sponsorship of this popular band. The Franco-American Collection has a wealth of information on the history and membership of these three groups.

A third style of music, spoon tapping and foot stomping jigs and reels usually included instruments such as the fiddle, the accordion and the harmonica, as shown by  photos of The Mountain Dews and  the Slyvia and Rosaire Roy group.

Franco-Americans also developed an ear for American musical styles, particularly country and western and rock and roll. Pictured in the exhibit are Hal ‘Lone Pine’ Breau, his wife Betty Cody and their son Lenny, who were nationally known c&w artists. Lenny went on to become one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all times.  A new biography, entitled “One long tune : the life and music of Lenny Breau” describes his extraordinary talent.

During the 1960’s, Lewiston earned the reputation of rock and roll capital of Maine. Its battles of the bands and P.A.L. hops drew packed audiences of fans from far and wide. Many of the local rockers were Franco-American, as illustrated in the exhibit by The Innkeepers. 

The Franco-American Collection depends on donations of photos, documents and other mementos in order to preserve local history and culture and present exhibits. For instance, it has a large amount of material on marching bands, but very little on rock groups.

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