Jungle Club
Status: Closed
Parish: Iberia
Location: New Iberia
A Mexican entertainer, Filo Gonzalez, was a regular here- Bobby & Marella Caffey & Eldine & Ernest (Ben) Benoit: DL Menard- right in the middle of town on Center Street- where Arceneaux Ford is now. The only one I remember that would play in there regular was Al Perry.
Gerald Dautreuil
Alex Romero, Sr abt 1890-1974 owned The Jungle Club abt 1938-1956 at 1301 Center St on the east side of Center immediately past DeLasalle Dr. Bands that played there included Jimmie Davis & His Band with Oran Doc Guidry (fiddle known for Colinda), Glenn Miller & His Orchestra, Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra, The original La. 6 Ochestra featuring Cap Hebert (trumpet) & Wilton Hebert (clarinet, sax, piano), TheJungle Club was a very popular Dance Hall & Bar known as a SALOON. Around 1957, his son Alex Romero, Jr used it for a boxing club & boxing’matches. Mr & Mrs Alex Romero’s property included his tourist court (motel) as well as his wife’s grocery store. The property was divided & part sold to Leblanc & Broussard in 1964 where they built a new dealership & relocated from Main St in early 1965. The remainder was sold to a Mouton who opened a new ESSO gas station there abt 1960.
Gerald Dautreuil
I lived with my parents Orphe & Donatile Babineaux Dautreuil & my brother Leroy “Lee” Dautreuil in an apt attached to my parents’ Dautreuil’s Grocery Store on DeLaSalle Drive then named Old Abbeville Hwy. in New Iberia, La,. across our gravel road & behind The Jungle Club property parking lot. The parking lot often would be filled @ The Jungle Club & many customers parked in our grocery store parking area. We enjoyed hearing some great music there through our opened bedroom windows with the attic fan going on warm nights. Very close was Hattie’s Bar & Dance Hall as well as the Casablanca Club also a bar & dance hall.
The owners of those 3 dance halls treated me like I were their own child & I have fond memories of them. All the business owners in that area got along very well & were friends. In addition to the 3 night clubs there was Red Spot Grocery owned by Louis “Red” Darby next door to Hattie’s. His sister Hattie Darby Ackal (as best I recall) owned Hattie’s Bar & Dance Hall as well as a hotel on the Old Abbeville Hwy. In addition there was The Silver Hut restaurant very near on Center St serving hamburgers to dine in or take out as well as Estes Well Service on Old Abbeville Hwy owned & operated by the daughter of Miss Hattie, Mattie Estes & her husband.
My parents would sometimes go dancing @ The Jungle Club & I along with a few other children would sometimes go with our parents. I recall laying on 3 saloon chairs & being instructed to ” Fais Do-Do (fais doe-doe)” in french by my mother, WONDERFUL MEMORIES.