Zydeco Joe Citizen- “Now the Offshore Lounge- it was originally right beside a cotton gin.” Listed in “Readers recall clubs where they danced to Louisiana Music” from The Daily Advertiser, December 29, 1998: “Readers of The Daily Advertiser were asked to submit names of’ the clubs where they danced to Louisiana music in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, with a brief recollection of what the club was like and who played there.” ...
Green Lantern
Photo from the Johnnie Allan Collection at the Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Caption: Leo Soileau and his Rhythm Boys, 1944, Green Lantern Club, Lawtell. (L-R) George “T-Chalk” Duhon, Crawford Vincent, Leo Soileau, D.W. “Bollie” Thibodeaux, Desbra Fontenot Old phonebook: “Orchestra Thursday & Sunday nights, Secializing in steaks and chicken gumbo” Next door to the Step-Inn- owner Jack Joubert- Saturday night spot- on site now is the Thibodeaux Electric Sales & Service company: 10107 Prejean Hwy., Lawtell, ...
Joubert’s Hall
Newspaper item about dance, music by Martell String Band in St. Landry Clarion., September 18, 1920 http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88064250/1920-09-18/ed-1/seq-5/ ...
Richard’s
11151 Hwy. 190 West, Lawtell “Grand Ole Opry of Zydeco” Now Miller’s Zydeco Hall of Fame. Photos from the Johnnie Allan Collection at the Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. ...
Side Inn Club
Operated in the 1950s by J. B. Benoit. Located on the Lawtell Highway. ...
Step-Inn Club
Deborah Grimmett: “My grandparents, Effie and Zeno Joubert, Sr., owned the Step-Inn Club in Lawtell. I believe that it actually opened during the prohibition- featuring moonshine and gambling. My sister and I joke that growing up in that environment made us into characters. We tell stories to our unbelieving friends of us being the only white kids dancing at Richard’s Zydeco Club and sometimes, at the Step-Inn Club, that we’d see .45 caliber pistols fall out of ladies’ purses and get put back in just like it was a tube of lipstick. It was a different time. I spent lots of time at the Step-Inn as a child- I even had a favorite waiter who looked after me there- Mr. Jim. When big name traveling bands played there, Mr. Jim and I would walk a chain across Highway 190 so that the overflow crowd could dance outside. When that happened, local traffic knew to take the dirt road behind the club to go around the commotion. My grandmother ran the restaurant all week long, but on Saturday nights it was closed- but she always cooked for the band to make sure that the band got fed. When they took a break at 9 PM, she would serve them dinner. There was a card room that featured bourrĂ©e. At 6 PM, the card players would put their cards face down on the table, join their wives for Mass, and then return to finish the game. Mr. Jim made sure that no one entered the card room while they were away. My grandparents lived behind the club and spent most of their time working there, so they had a beauty salon (Janet’s Beauty Shop- on left end of the club) and a barber shop (Rabbit’s Barber Shop- on right end off the club) built into the ends of the building. My Grandmother loved this convenience, and would get her hair done after lunch in preparation for the long weekend of work ahead. My Grandfather and Uncles did the same at the barber shop. There were doorways on the storefront as well as inside to the barbershop and salon. The plate glass window area on the front of the building was the restaurant. There was door to the bar from the restaurant, and another arched doorway from the bar that led to the dancehall.” Famed Saturday night spot: Next to the Green Lantern: On site now is the Lawtell Post Office. Photo from the Johnnie Allan Collection at the Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Caption: J.B. Fuselier and his Merrymakers circa 1944 (L-R) Desbra Fontenot, J.B. Fuselier, Norris “T-Boy” Courville, and Preston Manuel ...
Hole in the Wall
Small club in Lawtell ...
Miller’s Zydeco Hall of Fame
11154 Hwy 190, Lawtell Destroyed by fire in April 2017 Included in Emily Ardoin’s 2014 thesis “Fais do-do to ‘Hippy Ti-Yo’: Dance Halls of South Louisiana”: “Miller’s Zydeco Hall of Fame is a zydeco club in a rural community. It was opened in 1947 as Richard’s Club and is currently in use now as Miller’s. The building is of a wood frame construction, has a front gabled and metal roof, no straight parapet, and has a foundation of concrete piers. The dance floor is constructed of wood strips. The bar is located in the same room of hall as the dance floor. The building appears to be in a good condition. Full extent of integrity unknown. Appears siding has been changed and porch entry has been added after 1984.” https://www.facebook.com/pages/THE-ZYDECO-HALL-OF-FAME/103992529647560 Zydeco Hall of Fame now an empty lot (theadvertiser.com) ...
Frank Ranch
Photo by John Sharp Included in Emily Ardoin’s 2014 thesis “Fais do-do to ‘Hippy Ti-Yo’: Dance Halls of South Louisiana”: “Frank Ranch is a rural zydeco club located on Highway 190. The building is of an unknown construction, has a front gabled roof, and no parapet.” Next to Goldman Thibodeaux’s house ...
Offshore Lounge
103-127 Par Road 6-40-1: Included in Emily Ardoin’s 2014 thesis “Fais do-do to ‘Hippy Ti-Yo’: Dance Halls of South Louisiana”: “Roy’s Offshore Lounge is a zydeco club located in the largely Creole community of Lawtell. The club was previously called the Gin Side Inn. It was opened in the 1950s as the Gin Side Inn, became the Offshore Lounge in the 1980s, and closed in 2010. It is currently vacant and awaiting rehabilitation. The building is of frame construction, has a side gabled and metal roof, no parapet, and has a concrete pier foundation. The dance floor is constructed of wood strips and the ceiling is composed of plywood panels. The building is in fair condition, with the bar located in the same room as the dance floor. Several alterations made when Roy Carrier when it reopened as Roy’s Offshore Lounge around 1981. All information is from the current owner (Carrier’s son); I don’t have historic photos. A separate bar room attached to the front of the building was removed, and a new bar was constructed inside the main dance hall space. A second stage was added, and a portion of the space was partitioned off for an added kitchen and restrooms. Originally called the Gin-Side Inn and associated with Swamp Pop. Closed after owner’s death. Family is raising money w/benefit concerts to repair septic system; hope to reopen by 2015.” Owned by Roy Carrier ...