Rock-a-Bye Club
Status: Closed
Parish: Vermilion
Location: Forked Island
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.”
Suzanne Breaux: “It was on way to Pecan Island.”
West Summers: “This was a pretty ‘tough’ club, more fights there (than at) other (clubs).”
Paul Breaux: “The Rock-a-Bye was a place that was well known for fights, and if hunters or fisherman stopped, they’d better behave themselves. I remember some hunters stopped one night and were from upstate somewhere, and one of them thought it’d get a laugh, if he started blowing on his duck call. Ambulance had to come pick the three guys up, because those inside, felt like they were being INSULTED, and that was a NO-NO. It’s located at the intersection of Hwy. 35 S. out of Kaplan, and Hwy. 82 coming out of Abbeville and turned in Esther and when it joined up with Hwy. 35, Hwy. 35 switched to Hwy. 82, which follows the coast to Pecan Island, Grand Chenere, Cameron and what was once know as Holly Beach, before Rita hit. The name Rock-a-Bye is so well known, the mention of it, makes most people know what you are talking about.”
From information at the Kaplan Museum:
“Rock a Bye Club: Located in Forked Island, this club was owned by Wilbert Gaspard. Various bands entertained the public. Wedding receptions were held there and the wedding march was a circle around the dance floor. Children were allowed in the building and many held their birthday parties there. This aerial picture of the dance club hung over the cigarette machine for as long as the Gaspard’s owned it. Their children also helped and often slept in a room near by.”
Lurcey “Bruce” Broussard: “(…at the age of 16, I) decided to start my own group which I named ‘Bruce & the Rhythm Kings’. The original band members were (myself), Louis Meaux, Shelton ‘Shine’ Monic, Calvin Monic, and J.D. Villejoin. We played at the Kaplan High School gym and also at the American Legion Home while we were still in high school. The first club we played was the Pelican Inn in Kaplan in 1958. For eleven years, we played at Norma and Wilbert Gaspard’s Rock-a-Bye Club in Forked Island. We also played at the Rainbow Club in Kaplan on Sunday nights.”
Featured in “Today’s Cajuns” by Philip Gould
Gallery:
Photo Credit: James Perry
Ron LeMaire
The Rock-A-Bye Club was in Forked Island, a small farming community 11 miles south of Kaplan in Vermilion Parish not Acadia.
John Sharp
Thanks Ron-
There is a glitch in the website that defers to Acadia parish for lots of the clubs- I’ve contacted the web developer to try to get it fixed.
Best wishes,
John Sharp
WEST summers
THIS WAS A PRETTY “TOUGH” CLUB , MORE FIGHTS THAN OTHERS
J. Choate
I spent many a weekend at the Rock a Bye. When my wife & I got married in 1980, we had our wedding reception there. Many good memories!
Renee D Burkett
My aunt and uncle owned that bar I have so many great memories. I have pictures of me I had to be 6 yrs old! Grew up dancing there.
Dianna Touchet
Before my husband and I were married he came to meet me at the Rock-a-bye but before I got there he made the mistake of saying he was from Abbeville. Forked
Island did not like people from Abbeville. so they left the bar and went to the middle of the road and fought. He told them he was there to date a girl that lived down the road. So they went back to the bar. he then said his name was Ray Charles. Well back to the road for another fight. When they got back to the bar he then made the mistake of saying “you’ll call me Ray Stelly” Big Mistake, half of the population of Forked Island are Stelly’s, and Ray Stelly lived down the road. Back to the road for another fight, which ended when he told them that he was Ray’s cousin. Ray Charles had very curly curly hair and did not look like a Stelly so it took several weeks and fights to convince them that he was a Stelly and a white man. After my kids were born with very curly hair some people at the bar were still saying that they did not believe he was all white.
I remember little kids coming to the bar to get a round of drinks for their table while their parents were dancing,. Some of them could not see over the bar and they were served. The bartender would tell them to make sure they gave their dad’s the change.
The fights would empty about half of the dance hall and they made a circle around the fighters which were usually Stelly’s or Langlinais’s . They were the fighting family’s of the Island. By the late 70’s early 80’s they had to put chicken wire around the band stand because if they didn’t like the band they threw their beers at them.
Dianna Touchet
The fights would empty about half the dance hall to the road in front of the building but would not last long because it was time for another beer. I remember little kids going to the bar to get a set-up (a bottle of whiskey, a bowl of ice, three bottles of coke or 7up, and some glasses) for their table while their parents were dancing. The bartender would tell them to give their dad the change. I was one of those kid’s.
Ronnie
If anyone has any stories of this bar, please email them too me! working on a film project!
[email protected]
please pass my email along and ask anyone with stories of this bar to email me!! this bar has such a rich history!