Contributed by Maine Historical Society
Description
Musician and radio celebrity Betty Cody (1921-2014) grew up in a large Franco family based in Lewiston/Auburn. Betty Cody was a stage name for Rita Cote Breau. She wrote to her cousin, Adrienne Theberge, during the height of World War II and discussed their relatives serving in the war.
Cody was bilingual, speaking French and English when she started her radio and recording career at age sixteen. She performed with her husband, Harold Breau, also known as Hal Lone Pine, in the band The Lone Pine Mountaineers. They traveled continuously on the US and Canadian radio circuit, as Cody noted in this letter, separating them from their four-year-old son, Lenny Breau, who Cody nicknamed “Sonny.” Cody reported she and Hal "miss him so much after having him two weeks with us up here. That’s the trouble with show business, you can’t stay in one place too long, you’ve Got to keep moving."
Cody mentioned selling photographs of The Lone Pine Mountaineers, Hal Lone Pine, and even baby “Sonny” Lenny Breau—all of them dressed in Western Wear—was a large source of income for them. She also reported Lenny said when he grows up, he "wants to be a cowboy ha! ha!" Lenny Breau gained worldwide acclaim over his career as one of the most accomplished jazz guitar players in the world.
Transcription
About This Item
- Title: Betty Cody letter about WWII and show business, Bangor, 1945
- Creator: Rita Cote Breau
- Creation Date: 1945-02-28
- Subject Date: 1945-02-28
-
Locations:
- Bangor, Penobscot County, ME
- Auburn, Androscoggin County, ME
- Media: Ink on paper
- Dimensions: 17.8 cm x 12.7 cm
- Local Code: Coll. 4162, Box 1/4
- Collection: Cote and Theberge family World War II collection
- Object Type: Text and Image
Cross Reference Searches
Standardized Subject Headings
- Breau, Lenny (1941-1984)
- Cody, Betty, 1921-2014
- Correspondence--Maine--Bangor
- Country musicians--Maine
- Lone Pine, Hal
- Mountaineers (Musical group : Hal Lone Pine)
- Musicians--Maine
- Women musicians--Maine
- World War, 1939-1945
People
Other Keywords
For more information about this item, contact:
Maine Historical Society485 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101
(207) 774-1822 x230
Website
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. No Permission is required to use the low-resolution watermarked image for educational use, or as allowed by the applicable copyright. For all other uses, permission is required.
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