Annotation:Durelle's Victory Breakdown
X:1 T:Durelle's Victory Breakdown T:Slippery Stick, The S:Gerry Robichaud M:4/4 L:1/8 R:Reel B:Corfield - "Tunes from New Brunswick" (2024, p. 35) D:Rounder CD 7016, Gerry & Bobby Robichaud - "The Slippery Stick" (1995) Z:AK/Fiddler's Companion K:G e3f|:S(g/a/g)dg Bgdg|f-gdB cdef|ggdg BgdB-|ceAc BGBd| ggdg Bgdg|fgdB cdea|abaf {a}gedB|1ceAc BGBd:|2 ceAc BGGG|| |:dGBG dGBd-|dB{d}cA =FEFc-|c=F{B}AF cFA-c-|cdcA GFGd| GGBG dGBd |cAFA G-FGd| GGBG dGBd-| dB{d}cA =F-EFc | FFAF AFA-c-| cdcA G-FGd| GGBG dGBd |cAFA GdefS||
DURELLE'S VICTORY BREAKDOWN. AKA and see "Slippery Stick (The)." Canadian, Reel (whole or cut time). Canada, New Brunswick. G Major. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. The title is named for New Brunswick prize fighter Yvon Durelle (1929-2007), who had a string of victories in the 1950's. His career culminated with a light-heavyweight championship bout with the reigning champ, Archie Moore, held at the Forum in Montreal in December, 1958. Durelle was listed as the 4-to-1 underdog, but knocked the champion down three times in the first round, and once again in round four. However, as the fight wore on Moore rallied and eventually knocked Durelle out in the eleventh round. The match was voted the sporting event of the year by the Canadian press. Moore had a total of 229 bouts in his career, and later in life opined, "I still think Durelle was the toughest man I ever faced." The title for the tune was given by Angus Robichaud, according to Peter Corfield.
The tune was apparently in circulation as an untitled reel in the mid-20th century. Peter Corfield notes that the reel was learned by Gerry Robichaud (1931-2013) as a boy, likely taught to him by retired fiddler Oscar Melanson in the 1940's [1] . The Robichaud brothers, Bobby and Gerry, recorded the tune in 1995 giving it the name "Slippery Stick", which was also the name of their CD.
- ↑ Melanson was a friend of the Robichaud family, and although bedridden with symptoms of infantile paralysis he would whistle the tunes from Gerry to learn.