Dancehalls in East Baton Rouge Parish

Waldo’s

African American club- Featured in the 1949 Negro Motorist Green Book: 864 S. 13th Street ...

Boutin’s

Cajun restaurant with dance floor, live music Will Laborde: “Boutin’s closed earlier this year (2015). No more restaurant or dancing.” ...

Tabby’s Blues Box

From the East Baton Rouge Public Library Places website- http://www.ebrpl.com/oaal/places.html#tabbys : “Tabby’s Blues Box and Heritage Hall opened its doors in 1979 as the first and only blues club in Baton Rouge. It featured authentic blues music, offered the original blues “jam,” and welcomed fans from all over the world. The Thursday night Hoo Doo Party was a favorite with college students. Famous local musicians — Henry Gray, Silas Hogan, Raful Neal — could be found playing there when they were in town. Tabby’s son and Grammy Award winner, Chris Thomas King, got his start there and signed his first recording contract in the Blues Box. The “Box” was visited by many famous people: Mike Tyson, Paul Newman, Bruce Springsteen and Shaquille O’Neal were just a few. In 1999, the North Blvd. railroad overpass project caused the demolition of the original location and a new location was found on Lafayette St. in downtown Baton Rouge. The new ‘Box’ opened in 2000 and stayed open until 2004 when Tabby had a massive stroke while waiting to go onstage.” ...

RT’s

No known information ...

Paradise

African American club- Featured in the 1949 Negro Motorist Green Book: 220 Boatnes Street ...

Knights of Columbus Hall

Hollis Boudreaux- “On Airline Hwy. in Baton Rouge was the place to go on a Friday night to dance, meet friends , drink a few cold ones, and join the band if you wanted too. Every band from south la played there, well almost. I invited the Touchet Brothers but it was too far to travel T-Coon told me. Huge dance floor and many tables and chairs too sit on. You could put 600 people in there easy. Then we had to move our dances to the FOP hall because it was bought out by a car dealership, torn down and well you know the rest.” ...

Esquire

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. ...

Candlelight Inn

Photo from the Johnnie Allan Collection at the Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette Caption: Rhythm Masters, Candlelight Inn, Baton Rouge, 1963 (L-R): Willie Tee, Jon Smith, Glenn Himel, Ronnie Broussard, Poochie Benoit, Raymond Cormier ...