Richard's Club was a nightclub and music venue in Lawtell, Louisiana. Proprietor Eddie Richard opened the club in 1947.[1] It was a venue of the Southern Chitlin' Circuit, particularly as a stop between New Orleans and Houston on US Highway 190. Later it became a well known and historically significant zydeco venue. By the late 1990s, the club was regarded as "zydeco's answer to the Grand Ole Opry."[1]
 | |
| Address | 11154 Hwy. 190 Lawtell, Louisiana United States |
|---|---|
| Owner | Eddie Richard, Kermon Richard |
| Type | dancehall, music venue |
| Genre(s) | zydeco, rhythm and blues, blues |
| Capacity | 350 |
| Opened | July 4, 1947 |
| Closed | 2006 |
| Years active | 1947–2006 |
The building was described by Rounder producer Scott Billington as "a long, low-ceilinged building that seemed in danger of shaking loose from its foundations when the music got loud and the dancers filled the floor."[2] In 2008, journalist Nathan Stubbs described the club as still having "7-foot high ceilings, the small wooden tables and 1970s bucket chairs, the well-worn uneven wooden floor, the screen windows with no glass. The bandstand is the same basic platform, one foot up from the dance floor. There are fans, but still no air conditioning."[3]
History
editIn its early days, the club hosted blues and rhythm and blues acts and boxing matches.
Eddie Richard booked Clifton Chenier before he was well known; however, Chenier soon became popular, and the club consequently shifted completely to zydeco.[1][4]
After Eddie's death in 1979, his son Kermon took over the business.[4]
In 1984, Boozoo Chavis started playing regularly at Richard's Club,[5] a moment Scott Billington has identified as significant for zydeco.[2]
In 1989, Rounder Records recorded and released the album Zydeco Live! Direct from Richard's Club, Lawtell, Louisiana.[6][7] This album has the only live recordings released by John Delafose.[1]
Richard's Club closed in 2006 as the result of a family dispute. The same year, Michael DeClouet purchased the building and, after upkeep renovations and a legal battle over the "Richard's Club" name, reopened the nightclub under the name Zydeco Hall of Fame in 2008.[3]
In 2012, local businessman and politician Dustin Miller purchased the building and reopened the dancehall under the name Miller's Zydeco Hall of Fame. However, in 2017, the building burned down overnight due to arson.[8][9]
Notable performers
edit- Chris Ardoin and Double Clutchin'
- Bobby "Blue" Bland[4]
- Boozoo Chavis and the Magic Sounds
- Clifton Chenier
- John Delafose and the Eunice Playboys
- Rockin' Dopsie
- Keith Frank
- John Lee Hooker[10]
- Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers, who have a song called "Richard's Club"[11]
- B. B. King
- Rosie Ledet
- Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Chas
- Louis Prodhomme and the Zydeco Express
- Rockin' Sidney
- Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience
- Big Mama Thornton
- Zydeco Force
References
edit- ^ a b c d Tisserand, Michael (1998). The Kingdom of Zydeco. New York: Arcade Publishing. ISBN 978-1-55970-418-2.
- ^ a b Billington, Scott (April 29, 2015). "Richard's Club and Boozoo Chavis: The Golden Age of Zydeco". Zydeco Crossroads. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b Stubbs, Nathan (August 13, 2008). "The House That Zydeco Built". The Independent Weekly. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c Foote, Ruth (March 21, 1988). "Live Record to Be Cut at Richard's Club". Daily World. Opelousas, Louisiana. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Savoy, Ann Allen (2020). Cajun Music: A Reflection of a People. Vol. 2. Eunice, Louisiana: Bluebird Press. ISBN 9780930169022.
- ^ "Release 'Zydeco Live!' by Boozoo Chavis and The Magic Sounds / Nathan and The Zydeco Cha-Chas". MusicBrainz. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ "Release 'Zydeco Live!' by John Delafose and The Eunice Playboys & Louis Prodhomme and the Zydeco Express". MusicBrainz. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
- ^ Fuselier, Herman (May 19, 2017). "Zydeco Hall of Fame Now an Empty Lot". The Daily Advertiser. Lafayette, Louisiana. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ "Photos: Miller's Zydeco club, Once Host to Legends like B.B. King, Destroyed in Fire Overnight". The Acadiana Advocate. April 26, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ Fuselier, Herman (January 14, 2014). "Rhythm News: Delafose Waters the Roots at Zydeco Hall of Fame". The Daily Advertiser. Lafayette, Louisiana. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
- ^ "Recording 'Richard's Club' by Beau Jocque and the Zydeco Hi-Rollers". MusicBrainz. Retrieved February 25, 2024.