Walter Angelle’s Club

Eric Castille: It was located across from the original location of Webster’s Bar at Four Corners (Grand Anse Hwy and Coteau Rodaire Hwy) in Cecilia. I’m not sure what the official name was, but everyone called it “Walt-ah’s” after the owner, Walter Angelle. ...

Tonga Island Lounge

LouisianaDancehalls.com reader comment by Roger Tabb: “Tonga Island Lounge was located at the corner of Hwy 90 and Austria Rd in Duson. It has been renovated and is now a home. Would go there with my mom when children were allowed in bars. This was in the 1970s.” ...

Sampey’s Dancehall

LouisianaDancehalls.com reader comment by Dottie Gautreaux: “My great grandparents owned a dancehall in Vacherie, LA (outside of Lockport) during the depression. I really don’t know how long it was opened. I do know that it was destroyed by Hurricane Betsy. My mother, uncle and aunt (all in their 80’s) are still alive and have many stories about growing up and going to dances there. I would love to put you in touch with them so that these stories could be preserved for many generations to come.” ...

Cockatoo

LouisianaDancehalls.com reader comment by Scott Giroir: “Out by Evangeline Downs there used to be (a club called) the Cockatoo, our band Tite Squeeze played out there a couple of times.” ...

Berro’s

LouisianaDancehalls.com reader comment by Steve Picou: “My grandfather, Albert Robert “Berro” Picou Sr. was a colorful character and proprietor of Eunice’s first pharmacy (Picou’s, still in business under Robbie Chachere). After WWll, my father, Eugene D. “Coonie” Picou rushed through pharmacy school at Loyola and in 1949 returned to take-over the drug store because Berro had a health scare, possibly a small stroke. Upon my father’s return, Berro disappeared for weeks at a time. After a few months he announced that he’d built a fine nightclub on the Basile Highway. Sure enough, he built a spacious, tin-roofed wooden building large enough to hold more than 800 patrons. It had a kitchen, a bandstand, a large bar and even a room on the side for gambling. It opened around 1950 and became a busy community resource, hosting meetings, bingo games, events, and lots of concerts and dances. Big bands were the main attraction. Being on Hwy 190, the interstate of its day between Houston and New Orleans, lots of famous acts used the club to fill dates. The Ink Spots, the Platters, and most famously, Louis Armstrong and his All Stars, played Berro’s. But, these were black bands playing a white club during the Jim Crow years, and the family was not popular in some circles. When Armstrong was booked, the drug store received threatening phone calls that they reported to the FBI. Armstrong’s band had a white piano player, Marty Napoleon (who just died a few weeks ago, much to my chagrin, I didn’t know he was alive or I’d have tried to interview him), and this mixed band was evidently particularly disturbing to racists sensibilities. The show went off without a hitch and is a fading legend as there are few living patrons. I have a few pics of the Armstrong show, but no others or of the club thanks to the flood waters of Katrina. But I suspect there are pics out there among family and others. Herman Fusilier collaborated with me many years ago and ran a story in the Daily World that I hoped would connect with people who wanted to tell their stories about that night, and he even found a small ad in the archives. I’d be happy to share more about this and to contact cousins to see if we can find pictures. The club closed on New Year’s Eve 1954-55 after Berro died at the young age of 59 from having lived life a little too well. His wife, Wille Mae Ramsey Picou, died the following year, at the same age, for the same reasons. I was born in 1956 and only know them by the colorful stories I heard from family and friends.” ...

Illusions

LouisianaDancehalls.com reader comment by Joe David: “Illusions teen club and pool hall in Scott (1991-1997) located where Revival Antiques Shop is now. It was open on Friday and Saturday nights with a DJ along with pool tournements. They also had a volleyball beach in the back where they held volleyball tournaments for a short time.” ...

Delta Club

LouisianaDancehalls.com reader comment- Wanda Shannon: “When I was around 9 years old, momma and my step daddy, Billy, had another baby. Made the 10th one for momma. Woke up one night with him screaming to high heaven. The DELTA CLUB was a very large dance hall, right up the road from us, on the Winsboro Highway, in Monroe, Louisiana. Momma would leave Billy there, when she got tired of dancing and then go back and pick him up, so thats where she was when bubba woke me up with his high pitched screaming.That was one big amazing place…there’s lots of stories there! If you could advertise around, you may would get pictures and stories. My oldest sister could probably tell some. Really brings back old memories to me because that was one big wooden floor, very popular and my momma loved dancing and loved Cajun and country music. I was only 9 but that place just captivated me everytime I passed by….” ...

Four Corners

LouisianaDancehalls.com reader comment- Mark Prevost: “…my uncle John Blanchard used to own or run a bar in Kaplan (I think) named the Four Corners.” ...

D Esquire Lounge

D Esquire Lounge East Hwy, 14 Kaplan, Louisiana Phone MI 3-9213 LouisianaDancehalls.com reader comment- Mark Prevost: “…my uncle John Blanchard used to own (The ‘D’ Esquire Lounge) back in the early 60’s. I have the match book cover from it…” ...