Dancehalls in Acadia Parish

Unknown Dancehall

Newspaper ad about dance & baseball game to welcome home WWI vets: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88064250/1919-06-28/ed-1/seq-8/ ...

Wawaron Club

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 ...

Woodsmen of the World

Photo from the Johnnie Allan Collection at the Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Caption: Eva Boudreaux Benefit Dance, WOW Hall, Rayne, 1958. (L-R) Luby Landry, Cotton Top, Paul Bacque, Berlin LeBleu, Edward Junot, Merton Thibodeaux, Charles Bob Theriot, Doc Guidry, Al Terry, Ulysses Broussard, Dalton Delcambre, (unknown), and Eva Boudreaux (in front) ...

Pier 35

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 ...

Blue Gardenia

Images courtesy of Megan Barras Opened 1955,the club was named after the 1953 film “The Blue Gardenia” which featured Nat King Cole. Well known performers include Rockin’ Sidney, Clifton Chenier, Irma Thomas, Bobby Blue Bland, Earl King, and Solomon Burke. Ray Charles, en route to another gig, stopped to sit in with Burke in the mid- 1950s. The club also featured notable DJs: R.L. Boudreaux, Toka King, Joe Thomas and Raymond Simmons. It closed in 1993. ...

Blue Goose Club

Marty Guidry: owner was Oneziphone Guidry- Located near the Opelousas, Gulf and Northwest Railroad, it stood at the corner of East Harrop and North Arenas Streets. Interestingly, the Blue Goose dance floor was circular rather than the traditional rectangular common in Cajun dance halls. Rayne-Bo Ramblers played (1930s) Joseph Falcon, a noted Cajun accordionist and the first person to record a Cajun song (“Allons a Lafayette”), began his career as a professional musician at the Blue Goose. One evening he decided to take his accordion with him to the fais-do-do at the Blue Goose. When the scheduled band didn’t show, Oneziphore Guidry asked Joe to play. At first he resisted, because he only played for fun and was unsure of himself. With much coaxing from Mr. Guidry, Joe did play and the crowd loved him. At midnight he received four dollars for his night’s work.” ...