Dancehalls in Lafayette Parish

Tra-la-la

Trahan’s- on Vermilion by Schilling Shack ...

Unknown Dancehall

Mentioned in newspaper item about lost horse: http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86079068/1910-08-05/ed-1/seq-1/ ...

Unknown Hall

Joseph Frank: 12th & Simcoe- Andrew Lloyd killed there by someone he threw out. ...

Unknown Hall

Old dancehall outside Lafayette- then Native American school afterward ...

Webb’s Neighborhood Bar

2023 Moss Street: : 1977 Polk Directory: Bobby & Marella Caffey & Eldine & Ernest (Ben) Benoit-on Moss Street ...

Whit’s Lounge

Don Gassie: Whit’s was a nice bar, well run by Whitney Leger. Sometimes the music would be just a piano player, and at other times maybe Lazy Lester or another similar band. Never heard cajun music there. Whit died not too many years ago (2011) and the Advertiser had an obituary if you are interested. Mirrored posts to check out your hair/clothes. Obituary states that Leger “was in business for twenty years with Whit’s Lounge and twenty years at Carnival Beach in Sunset.” Photos from the Johnnie Allan Collection at the Center for Louisiana Studies, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Caption: Van Preston and the Nite Rockers, Whit’s Lounge, Lafayette, 1960 (L-R): Ivy Vanicor, Van Preston, Poochie Benoit Caption (full band): Whit’s Lounge, Lafayette, circa 1965. (L-R): Abe Manuel, Pee Wee Trahan, Pee Wee Whitewing, Bobby McBride, Al Foreman Matchbook photo from FaceBook group Lafayette Memories ...

Willie Purple’s

Patricia Davison: “Off of Pinhook, across the bridge- down a little incline towards the river. It was a road house type place- very popular from 1970-75. ZZ Top played there 3 or four days before the 1st record came out. Dr. John played there a bunch in his ‘night tripper’ phase- with the big stage costumes and glittered up backup singers. Rufus played there a bunch too.” Mike: “My friends owned Willie Purples- their slogan was “Willie Purple’s: Where music is Love!” One of the owner’s brothers worked at a big record label- Columbia I think. He helped route bands to Lafayette to play there. It was made of rough hewn boards, probably cypress. It always smelled great in there. Once, a show of an English band, Wild Turkey that features the Jethro Tull bassist, got busted by the DEA. The band stayed another night to perform and raise money to bail out those busted. ZZ Top, Dr. John the Night Tripper (with Red Dog, the roadie from Allman Brothers), and lots of good local bands played there.The club was originally Swinging Machine- there were 2 Swinging Machine clubs- first one was where Outback is now- owned by Carol Martin (it burned down). The second one was back by the river- that one became Willie Purples.” ...