New Orleans is known as “The Birthplace of Jazz,” and a hub for the advancement of many musical genres. There isn’t a spot in the city where people can’t hear live music coming from an open door or right there on the street. And there are few places around the city, or country, that can claim the weight of contribution to music like the Dew Drop Inn. A safe haven for the Black community in the 1940’s, ‘50s and ‘60s, the Dew Drop Inn was a place for Black entertainers and artists, a stop on the “Chitlin Circuit,” to cut their teeth. Local developer Curtis Doucette is bringing the historic site – that hosted the likes of Ray Charles, Little Richard and local musicians like Allen Toussaint – back to its former glory, with a few modern extras and a museum featuring the history of the location. Doucette shares how he got involved with the project and what people can expect for the future of the Dew Drop Inn.
Q: How did you get involved with the Dew Drop Inn? It’s actually a passion project for me. I used to be ashamed to admit that I did not know anything about the Dew Drop Inn before this project was brought to my attention. But it’s easy to fall in love with. So the minute that I started to learn some of the history, I fell deeply in love with the project. I even have said at times that this is the first time I’ve fallen in love with a building. And that might be funny, because I’ve been working on buildings for 20 years. But sometimes It’s different, you know? I embarked upon this journey at the beginning of 2021, [but] I really started to think about it and process the possibility in 2020. It became available and I seized the opportunity [in] early 2021. This is a beloved site by many people, and I love it for those same reasons, whether it be its contribution to music, or its contribution to Civil Rights, or because it’s in “The Green Book.” For instance, there’s stories of lawsuits associated with this building that involve people fighting on behalf of Black bar owners in the city. They were facing arrests, literally at their places, for having a race-mix thing happening, because everybody went to have a part of what was happening.
Q: What is special about its impact on American music? I kind of gloss over the music history just because everybody’s kind of aware of it. Right? But, for those who are not aware of the musical history, not only could I sit here for like 10 or 15 minutes and just name people who have performed at the Dew Drop Inn who are notable both locally, nationally, internationally known. Genres of music, one can argue, at the very least, were refined, if not created, here at the Dew Drop Inn, and the special jam sessions, and all of those things that happened. So, it’s not just those notable people, but a shift in what American music looks like, because of what happened at the Dew Drop Inn. You put all those factors into play, it’s easy to fall in love with.
Q: Why do you think the Dew Drop Inn project means so much to people? I think the biggest thing is people. Ray Charles went there and was there all the time. Little Richard wouldn’t even be the Little Richard that we know if it weren’t for the Dew Drop Inn and his time spent in New Orleans. It’s people like Allen Toussaint making this a regular home. Irma Thomas early in her career. I think that’s the number one reason that I think people love it so much. But this place was also a safe haven for Black people, as I mentioned before. It was listed in “The Green Book.” And I think that that brings us a special reverence to this place for people. [Founder] Frank Painia was able to build something under extraordinarily difficult odds. I always talk about this being a story of Black economic resilience, and I’d love to see this change, from resilience but [also] thriving. I’d love to see that happen. Not to say that Frank wasn’t thriving, because I think, man, he did pretty well. He was a very good businessman. I mentioned the Civil Rights history and how they weren’t afraid to challenge the system. [There were] other ways that they weren’t afraid to challenge the system. They didn’t just get arrested here for race mixing. Folks got arrested here because female impersonation was happening. And that was illegal at the time as well. Our emcee was Patsy Vidalia. Because of Patsy’s popularity and the general love for Patsy in this community, Patsy had an annual gala ball here every year for Halloween. In the 1950s; New Orleans; the South. That is groundbreaking. I think that’s groundbreaking for pretty much anywhere in the U.S. in the 1950s. I just think that there’s no shortage of reasons for people to love it, right? I always say it this way, if you’re a Black person, whether you’re from New Orleans or not, this is a reason to be proud, right? If you are a New Orleanian, this place gives you a reason to be proud. If you love the restoration of historical buildings, this place gives you a reason to be proud. If you love musical history or just love music in general, this building gives you a reason to be proud. So we just cover a lot of bases. I mean, I can’t think of one person who can’t find a reason to fall in love with a building.
Q: What can people expect with the new and updated Dew Drop Inn? I won’t be mad if people blur the lines a little bit between our past and future because we really want to take what used to happen back in the day and put it in a modern context. I would always say we want to be as close to what we used to be as possible. The place started off as a barbershop. It evolved into a music venue, nightclub, bar, restaurant, hotel. All of those elements, with the exception of the barbershop, we’re bringing back to some degree, but we’re adding some elements. We have a pool in the back. And that pool will be used not just for our patrons at the hotel, but also for folks who just want to get away from the heat and just come with a daily pass and enjoy the pool here.
True Confession
In 1988 or 1989 I did a rap commercial for my aunt’s beauty salon. Had I just stuck to it I could’ve been ‘Lil Wayne.
Lagniappe
Favorite place to watch live music in the city? Snug Harbor
