NEW ORLEANS (NOLA NOW) - After decades of silence, music finally returns to the historic Dew Drop Inn. It’s a rebirth for the legendary New Orleans music venue, bar and hotel now reopening after an extensive renovation.
Owner and local developer Curtis Doucette Jr. helped restore the cultural landmark in Central City to its former glory.
“So if you were to go outside of this building and look at it and look at an old picture from 1953, you’ll find that it’s pretty much exactly the same,” Doucette said. “There’s a small technical change with the signage that hearkens back to 1968. But other than that, those details are in place.”
During the 1950s and 60s, the bustling club was a magnet for iconic Black musicians. Sounds of legends like Ray Charles, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas and James Brown once echoed through these halls.
“We didn’t just have big names. We had these moments that were groundbreaking in the world of music,” Doucette said.
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And it’s also where the “Architect of Rock and Roll,” the late Little Richard made history, laying the foundation for his hit record “Tutti Frutti.”
“And is not just a hit song. It’s a legendary song that took music in a new direction,” Doucette said. “And that’s what we’re laying claim to here at the Dew Drop Inn.”
The Dew Drop Inn was also a prominent listing in the Green Book, and it became a safe haven during the Jim Crow era of segregation.
“There’s also a history associated with Civil Rights. White people would get arrested for coming to this place because we were in the thick of the segregated era,” Doucette said. “And Frank Pania, the original owner and founder of this business, hired A.P. Tureaud and Dutch Morial to represent this business and other buyers against the city of New Orleans.”
So much of that important history lies in the Dew Drop Inn’s historic barbershop, now transformed into a museum.
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“So we wanted to have a place where we could just generally tell the story and the history of the Dew Drop Inn,” Doucette said.
Even with updates -- like a new pool and patio area -- history still lives on throughout the building with each of its 17 hotel rooms telling a story.
“Each one of these rooms is like a museum exhibit to a special person who spent time here at the Dew Drop Inn,” Doucette said. “This is an opportunity for us to tell our story.”
Doucette says he hopes to honor the past while moving the culture forward for the next generation of great musicians.
“As I talk to music historians and hear just how much our musical culture has permeated the rest of the world, we intend to continue to create a stage for our local musicians to make that magic happen more and more,” Doucette said.
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