After the club closed, it operated as an inn but then eventually stood empty after Hurricane Katrina. Subsequent police raids on the bar drove Painia to fight the constitutionality of the segregation laws of the city in the mid-1960s, and he won, successfully securing an injunction against the police. Painia defied rigid Jim Crow racial boundaries by occasionally allowing white spectators in the club. Gender and sexual norms were regularly played for laughs and titillation with tales of their epic gay Halloween balls and Vaudeville-style sensations still making the rounds today. The unsanitized version of Little Richard’s early hit, “Tutti Frutti,” was born here.
John: “It was like the musicians’ union hall, but it wasn’t.”ĭrag queen singers Patsy Vidalia and Bobby Marchan emceed legendary variety shows, and the space became known for its unforgettable gender and genre-bending entertainment. According to Mac Rebennack, better known as Dr. Painia and his club nurtured New Orleans’ musicians and performers’ careers, offering housing and a space to thrive and organize. Rock-n-roll and R&B icons and innovators like Ray Charles, James Booker, Earl King, Irma Thomas, and Allen Toussaint did stints at “the Drop,” solidifying its reputation as a space for musicians to hone their sound until the early morning hours. It was a center of Black life in the city and one of the spots on the Southern performance circuit for touring acts and audiences alike. In 1970, Little Richard released his tribute song, “The Dew Drop Inn,” insisting that’s where “you meet all your fine friends.” Begun as a barbershop run by African-American entrepreneur Frank Painia, The Dew Drop Inn then blossomed into a restaurant and hotel featuring the “swankiest” night club in New Orleans from 1939 until 1972.
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