Biography
Cleoma Breaux Falcon earned lasting recognition in Cajun music through her work as a singer and guitarist. Alongside her husband Joe Falcon she produced the very first Cajun recording when the pair cut “Allons à Lafayette” for Columbia in New Orleans in 1928. She also stood out as one of the scant number of women who dared to appear in public as Cajun performers during that era. Appearances in dancehalls were widely viewed as unsuitable for women and could easily brand a female singer as disreputable, yet Breaux performed anyway, most likely because her husband shared the stage with her. Even so, hazards persisted; the couple performed behind a wire enclosure meant to deflect objects thrown by audience members while their daughter Lulu stayed safely beside them. Additional sessions for the pair took place on the Okeh, Bluebird, and Decca labels. In 1940 a car struck Breaux and dragged her, leaving injuries from which she never completely recovered; she died the next year.