Know Something About Bob Hamm?
If you knew him, worked with him, have a Bud Fletcher record, remember him on KATC, or heard one of his stories — we want to hear from you.
An AI has read Bob's entire personal archive — 145 files of his writing. You can ask it anything about his work, or share your own memories.
Email: stories@bobhamm.com
Who He Was
- "The foremost commentator on the Cajun way of life" — Baton Rouge Morning Advocate
- Co-coined "Acadiana" — named an entire region
- Poems reproduced 100,000+ times — cultural artifacts found in homes across Louisiana
- Creator of Bud Fletcher — first Cajun comedian who didn't mock Cajuns
- News Director, KATC TV-3 • Chief Editorial Writer, The Daily Advertiser
- Author, "Cajun Nursery Rhymes" — regional bestseller
Historical Context
In 1921, Louisiana's constitution banned French in all public schools. For nearly 50 years, Cajun children were beaten for speaking their language. "Cajun" was used as a slur meaning poor and trashy. An entire generation was taught to be ashamed of who they were.
The Cajun Renaissance began in the late 1960s. Cajuns started reclaiming their identity from shame to pride. Bob Hamm was creating during this exact inflection point, when the culture desperately needed authentic voices.
He gave people words to describe who they were when they'd been told to be ashamed of it.
The Invisible Architect
Bob Hamm shaped how an entire region sees itself. He never knew.
Everything he created was designed to disappear into the culture: "Acadiana" became just a region name, not something someone coined. His poems circulated without his name attached. His editorials were unsigned. Bud Fletcher was a character, not Bob Hamm. His speeches were delivered by other people.
This site reconnects a man's name to work that outgrew him.
The Four Crown Jewels
Bob Hamm's most enduring works — poems that defined modern Cajun identity and captured the spirit of a people reclaiming their pride.
What Is a Cajun?
Between the red hills of North Louisiana and the blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico, lives the Cajun. Among the marshes and the bayous, the tall oaks and whispering moss, he carries on the traditions of his hardy Nova Scotian ancestors -- les Acadiens, whose flight from persecution brought them to the lush South Louisiana soil over two centuries ago.
In other parts of the world, little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice, while little boys are made of snips and snails and puppy dog tails. Little Cajun children are made of gumbo, boudin, sauce piquante, crawfish stew and Oreilles de Cochon. And as they grow, Cajun children are given bayous to fish in, marshes to trap in, room to grow in and churches to worship in.
A full-grown Cajun likes fiddles and accordions in his music, plenty of pepper in his courtbouillon, shrimp in his nets, speed in his horses, neighborliness in his neighbors and love in his home.
A Cajun dislikes: people who don't laugh enough, fish enough, or enjoy enough of all the good things God has given to the Cajun Country.
He doesn't like to be hurried when he's resting or distracted when he's working. He doesn't like to see people unhappy, and he'll do all he can or give all he has to bring a smile to a face stricken with sadness.
A Cajun likes to dance and laugh and sing when his week of hard work has ended. And just as Saturday night at the fais-do-do replenishes his store of energy so he can meet the next week's chores with vigor, Sunday at Church refreshes his spiritual and moral values and keeps strong his always-sustaining faith.
A Cajun is a man of tolerance who will let the world go its way if the world will let him go his. He is a man of great friendliness who will give you the crawfish off his table, the Sac-au-Lait off his hook or the shirt off his back. BUT, if you cross a Cajun, he'll give you the back of his hand or the toe of his boot.
He has tolerance for those who earn it, charity for those who need it, a smile for those who will return it, and love for all who will share it. Yet a Cajun can be as stubborn as a mule and as ornery as an alligator. If he sets his head on something, he'll fight a circle saw before he'll yield to your opinions.
And, as fun loving as he is, a Cajun can work as long and hard as any man. He carved out "Acadiana" by hand, from the swamps, marshes and uncultivated prairies. But when the work is done and the argument is ended, a Cajun can sweep you right into a wonderful world of joie de vivre with an accordion chorus of "Jolie Blonde" and a handful of happy little words --- "Laissez les bon temps rouler!"
"LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!"
A Cajun Toast
May there be crawfish in your nets
And gumbo in your pot.
May the Sac-au-Lait be biting
At your favorite fishing spot.
May God's sun be shining brightly
When you need its cheerful rays.
May the oak tree shade you gently
On those lazy bayou days.
May a Bourree game be waiting
When all your work is through.
May the fais-do-do bring pretty girls
To cast a wink at you.
And when your time is over
And your place on earth is gone,
May you waltz right into heaven
To the tune of Jolie Blonde.
A Cajun Prayer
Sun's coming up on the bayou, Lord.
So bright in the clean, cool air,
As I kneel in my Cajun Cabin, Lord,
To offer my morning prayer.
What can I ask of you, Bon Dieu?
What more can a Cajun wish?
I've got black coffee on my stove,
And this grand bayou to fish.
My nets are full and heavy, Lord.
My traps your bounty yield;
I harvest so many riches, Lord,
From your bayous, gulf and field.
When my exiled Cajun fathers, Lord,
Sought refuge in this land,
I know the force that led them on
Was le Bon Dieu's unseen hand.
So, Lord, what more can a Cajun ask
Than what I have today?
Bon sante, bons amis et ma famille,
And le Bon Dieu, who hears me pray?
Then this is my simple prayer, Lord,
A Cajun's humble plea:
May all of those who love you, Lord,
Have all you've given me.
Cajun Blessing
May there be crawfish in your nets,
And gumbo in your pot.
May the sac-au-lait be biting
At your favorite fishing spot.
May God's sun be shining brightly
When you need its cheerful rays.
May the oak tree shade you gently
On those lazy bayou days.
May a Bourree' game be waiting
When all your work is through.
May you fais-do-do bring pretty girls
To toss a wink at you.
And when your time is over
And your place on earth is gone,
May you waltz right into heaven
To the tune of "Jolie Blonde."
What People Said About Him
"Bob loved the English language. He worked very hard to use it properly and to use it well."
"His knowledge of 'old' Lafayette was astounding: there was no better storyteller than Bob Hamm."
"He was a very private person in very public jobs."
"The most popular Cajun humorist during the early 70s."
"Larry Lunsford won't be with us at ten p.m. He's covering one of the biggest stories of his life: the arrival of his first born. The newest junior anchorman in the news field was born about two o'clock and weighed eight pounds. Karen is well, the baby is well, but we're not sure about Larry. He tried to report on the situation and started off with, 'Good ladies evening and gentlemen of the audio radiance.' So we let him off tonight to pass out cigars, or just pass out, maybe..."