Dancehalls in West Baton Rouge Parish

White Eagle

Louisiana writer Ernest Gaines saw a fight there that partially inspired his novel “Of Love and Dust”: from an unpublished speech: “I was visiting some relatives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I think about 1958, and a friend of mine and I went to a bar out in the country…. My friend and I went to this bar, and in this bar I saw a fight betwren two young men. This bar is surrounded by sugar canefields, and most of the people who come here are from the country or from small towns not very far away. They come- to drink, they come to dance, they come to gamble, they come to fight, they come to steal your woman, they come to steal your man. Some of them come, knowing they’ll probably end up in jail that night; They come, knowing they might get cut or even shot at-but they come. They come to forget the hard work in the field all week; they come to forget the menial job they’ve work at-in town all week. They come to forget, to forget, and to forget. And they will accept whatever fate is waiting them. If nothing terrible happens, then the night has been somewhat of a success; if something bad happens, then these things are expected in a bar such as this one. So it was here that I saw the knife fight between the two young men. Fortunately for both, the fight was stopped before either was fatally wounded.” It also inspired the story “Three Men”: Ernest Gaines: “In “Mozart and Leadbelly,” Gaines writes, “The White Eagle was a rough place, and there were always fights, but I wanted to experience it all. One novel, Of Love and Dust, and a short story, ‘Three Men,’ came out of my experience at the White Eagle bar.” Carol Fran and husband/saxophonist Joe Francois performed R&B there in the mid-1950s: part of the Louisiana “crawfish circuit.” ...

Black Pearl

Upscale African American “grown folks” club; open on special occasions 225-773-3358 (Alex Cook) ...

Carousel

Alton Dupuy: It was on 190 East going towards Baton Rouge- on the right just before the old bridge. I hung out there a little while I was at LSU- maybe around 1953. There was a big gambling room on the right side- they said it was closed after gambling became illegal. I think it was still operating though- it had a strange speakeasy feel to it- it was for known high rollers who had serious money to play with. People said that Fats Domino played there back in the day. It was a R&B type place- maybe some rockabilly type stuff. Whatever came before Elvis. I never saw a band there- it was always a jukebox playing in the corner. ...

Sans Souci

Included in a 2006 Louisiana Cajun dance hall list compiled by WYNK Cajun DJ “Tee Mick” Abed, sent to me in personal correspondence from David Marcantel ...

Club Streamline

Chitlin’ Circuit blues club Mentioned in “South to Louisiana” by John Broven: page 145: Tabby Thomas played there in 1952 after returning home from serving in the Air Force on the West Coast. Mentioned in “Flashbacks: Eyewitness Accounts of the Rock Revolution, 1964-1974” by Michael Lydon: page 49-50: In 1968, B.B. King was promised $650 for a gig and stiffed by the promoter, who only paid him $400. A late night food stop at a diner in Baton Rouge resulted in a run-in with local self described George Wallace supporters that ended with sax player Lee Gatling being stabbed in the arm and trumpet player Pat Williams being struck with a chain on the forehead with a heavy chain. ...

Unknown Hall

Alton Dupuy: It was on the left on 190 near the Carousel. It was one of the last bars there to close. I saw Ernest Tubb there in the early 1980s. I think it became a topless place whn it closed. It was a brick building I think- I believe it is still there. ...

Bonne Chance

Included in a list compiled by WYNK Cajun DJ “Tee Mick” Abed, sent to me in personal correspondence from David Marcantel ...