Rosie asked what was happening in his old hometown, but the couple was perhaps a little too drunk to be able to give a good review. His face always lit up when he saw a familiar face come through the door. He played the piano and sang and smoked cigars and talked with friends. Roosevelt Sykes, or Rosie, as he was known, had just started his set. Roosevelt Sykes at Court of Two Sisters, Bourbon Street Here guests could deposit their bills if they wanted to hear a particular song. This was a piano bar and the bowl on the piano was a tradition that certainly existed in New Orleans since long before Jelly Roll Morton days. The Court of Two Sisters had the cheapest drinks on Bourbon Street so I first went in there. ![]() These Dixieland musicians probably also owned these clubs. They usually took a break after a couple of minutes.īourbon Street’s biggest clubs were called Al Hirt’s and Pete Fountain’s. On some nights you could see young black boys tap dance or even do the hambone in the street for pennies. All this in just a few hundred meters, and then I had not counted the traditional jazz and other musical attractions. Art Neville & The Neville Sounds could be seen at the Ivanhoe piano bar (601 Bourbon) and Benny Spellman in the Dream Room. Frankie Ford resided at the Backstage while Roosevelt Sykes and Smilin’ Joe (= Cousin Joe) worked back to back at Ye Old Tavern of the Court of Two Sisters. This must be the most music-filled street in USA. Through the open doors his distinctive vocal was heard. Outside the 577 Club opposite, were the faded colour images from Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry ‘s tour with the Beatles. But all distractions faded away when I saw Fats Domino’s jovial face looking at me from a large poster outside Al Hirt’s (501 Bourbon). Here and there were small “holes in the wall” where you could buy a beer and maybe a drink if you were too tired to walk the few steps to the next bar. Only six weeks earlier she had celebrated her 50 th birthday. ![]() She had been the undisputed queen of striptease in the 1940s and 1950s. Unfortunately, the projector machinists used to cut away frames for their own collections and in the end there was not many seconds left for the audience to enjoy. She was a headliner in the short film cinemas of Stockholm specializing in documentaries from nudists camps. The noise was almost deafening with all music, drinking people and cars using their horns trying to make their way through the crowd. ![]() In such environments good music usually thrives. They had the same healthy cross-fertilization between music clubs and striptease joints. The French Quarter reminded me of the Soho district of London. It was a Monday night, but the heat was on there. It took less than a ten minutes quick walk to get there. Within a few minutes, equipped with a newly purchased map, I was on the way to Bourbon Street. I had only heard Fats Domino in his “ The Fat Man” singing about the streets of Canal and Rampart, and Bourbon Street was mentioned by others. New Orleans was a of course a natural destination for me, but I did not know a soul in town or where I should go. ![]() It was located in a run-down house with shabby grey-green carpeting. After arrival, I checked in at The Georgian Hotel on Canal Street. The plane to New Orleans left Miami at 6:40 pm.
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