Double Bayou Dance Hall (May 25, 2005) — Image by kenne
Archive for the ‘Double Bayou Dance Hall’ Tag
Flashback — Double Bayou Dance Hall Leave a comment
Opened in 1941
Music lovers from
Born in Double Bayou
Still standing
A Christmas Day matinee
Sunday Afternoon At Gruene Hall 1 comment
Sunday Afternoon At Gruene Hall — Photo-Artistry by kenne
‘The Place’
Gruene Hall took on the mantel
‘Texas’s Oldest Dance Hall’
after Hurricane Katina destroyed
the Double Bayou Dance Hall in 2007
locally called ‘The Place’ for 65 years —
there was blues in this place
music by the people for the poor
served up with beer and bar-b-q
— kenne
Double Bayou Dance Hall (‘The Place’)
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Texas Dancehall Days 1 comment
Double Bayou Dancehall (October 19, 2002) — Photo-Artistry by kenne
DOUBLE BAYOU, THAT IS
There’s a sound
coming from a place
down on the bayou,
Double Bayou, that is.
A place where
houserocking blues lovers
would swing to the blues,
Texas Blues, that is.
I miss that place,
a dance hall
down on the bayou,
Double Bayou, that is.
Sixty-seven years
alone the gulf coast,
badly damaged by Ike,
hurricane Ike, that is.
I miss Pete Mayes,
legendary blues man
who ran the dance hall,
Double Bayou, that is.
A true blues man,
everything he sang
had that blues feeling,
Texas blues, that is.
A Pete Mayes concert
at the dance hall
was a holidays tradition,
Christmas Holidays, that is.
“Old House Recognition”
sign how marks the place
where the blues rang
over the bayou,
Double Bayou, that is.
— kenne
Note: Click on the Double Bayou Dancehall below the top image
to see a video on the history of dancehall.
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The Oldest Blues Bar In Texas Leave a comment
Double Bayou Dance Hall (October 19, 2002) — Image by kenne
Down the road from Jackson’s Grocery
the blues was hangin’ on the hot, humid breeze
at Pete’s place where Bar-B-Q was served on
white bread off the back of an old pick-up truck.
On weekends the blues would be swinging through
the tall gulf coast pines of southeast Texas
attracting outsiders from Houston to hear
Pete sing and play The Blues at the Double Bayou.
By chance the life of Pete and the dance hall ended in 2008 —
Hurricane Ike destroyed the dancehall in September,
and after years of poor health, Pete passed away
the following December. He was 70 — for Pete’s sake!
— kenne
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Every Image Has A Story 2 comments
Double Bayou Dance Hall (October 10, 2002) — Image by kenne
I’m fascinated with photos.
When you look at a photograph, what do you see?
Is what you see reality?
Is it posed?
Many of my blog posting start with “Capturing The Moment,” which might imply: taken out of reality; taken out of context; posed.
What is really happening in the moment?
When you look at the above photo, which captured a moment, you don’t get the narrative. You don’t know how the image fits into the world, but if you begin to ask questions related to who, what, where, when and how you can create a narrative — a photo story that effectively places you into the image. Still, when many people look at a photo, they tend to be matter-of-fact about matters of fact.
Because I took the above photo, I know more facts of the narrative. Because I composed this photo, the moment is out of context, in a sense I posed the photo, which is why I believe all photos are posed.
Still, this photo provides the viewer a lot of information from which to create a story that will allow the image to fit into the viewer’s world. It’s a narrative we create using our values, experience and perception, which allows a photo to become attractive to the viewer. The viewer can be connected and not connected — looking at the past as if he/she is there.
Photos offer a powerful look into history, so ask questions.
kenne
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Bayou Blues Leave a comment
Bayou Blues (Pete Mayes and John Broussard at Double Bayou Dance Hall, May, 2003) — Computer Painting by kenne)
Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
— Langston Hughes
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“The Place” Down On The Bayou 4 comments
The Double Bayou Dance Hall, “The Place”, where you could get good smoke brisket
and local women offered homemade pecan, lemon meringue and sweet potato pies. (October 19, 2002) — Image by kenne
Break Between Sets at the Double Bayou Dance Hall, “The Place” (May 25, 2003) — Image by kenne
But the most dangerous thing in the world
is to run the risk of waking up one morning
and realizing suddenly that all this time
you’ve been living without really and truly living
and by then it’s too late. When you wake up
to that kind of realization,
it’s too late for wishes and regrets.
It’s even too late to dream.
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Double Bayou, That Is Leave a comment
Double Bayou Dance Hall (October 19, 2002) — Image by kenne
DOUBLE BAYOU, THAT IS
There’s a sound
coming from a place
down on the bayou,
Double Bayou, that is.
A place where
houserocking blues lovers
would swing to the blues,
Texas Blues, that is.
I miss that place,
a dance hall
down on the bayou,
Double Bayou, that is.
Sixty-seven years
alone the gulf coast,
badly damaged by Ike,
hurricane Ike, that is.
I miss Pete Mayes,
legendary blues man
who ran the dance hall,
Double Bayou, that is.
A true blues man,
everything he sang
had that blues feeling,
Texas blues, that is.
A Pete Mayes concert
at the dance hall
was a holidays tradition,
Christmas Holidays, that is.
“Old House Recognition”
sign how marks the place
where the blues rang
over the bayou,
Double Bayou, that is.
— kenne
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Swinging To The Blues Leave a comment
Swinging To The Blues — Image by kenne
He shadow dances,
She is a red-hot mama,
Swinging all night long.
— kenne
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Livin’ On Bayou Time 3 comments
Front Door To Jackson’s Grocery, Double Bayou (The Place), Texas. — Images by kenne
All-time is created equal,
but we don’t use it equally.
Some are livin’ on bayou time,
while others in a New York minute.
My time is your time,
but it is not mine to give.
You can’t give away
something that isn’t yours.
…unless you share the moment.
— kenne
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Rural Southern Grocery Stores And Juke-Joints 4 comments
Image Source: Library of Congress
I recently observed this Library of Congress photo of a gas station, grocery store and “juke-joint” in Melrose, Louisiana. This image reminded me of rural northern Alabama where I lived with my grandparents for several of my childhood years, minus the “juke-joint.” This photo also reminded me of Jackson Grocery in Double Bayou, Texas. No juke-joint here, but a few hundred feet down the road you will find the Double Bayou Dance Hall. The grocery store still exist, however, the dance hall was badly damaged by hurricane Ike and remains closed.
kenne
Jackson Grogercy in Double Bayou, Texas (Note the guy on the left) — Image by kenne
Double Bayou Dance Hall, Double Bayou, Texas — Image by kenne
Dancing at The Double Bayou Dance Hall — Image by kenne
Related articles
- Capturing The Moment – The Ghosts Of The Double Bayou (kenneturner.wordpress.com)
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Double Bayou Dance Hall In Chambers County 5 comments
Sweet Mama Cotton with Pete Mayes & The Texas Houserockers at The Double Bayou Dance Hall — Image by kenne
This revisit came about by an email I receive yesterday from Sheryl Shaw, who is with the Chambers County historical commission. They are gathering photos and memorabilia from Double Bayou Dance Hall and Pete Mayes and the Texas Houserockers for exhibiting at the museum. She requested use of the video of photos I a short time after Pete’s passing away, which would be an honor for it to be a part of the exhibited.
For the uninitiated, The Double Bayou Dance Hall, in the small black community of Double Bayou in Chambers County sixty miles east of Houston. I dedicated to the memory of Pete Mayes and Billie Dietz. It was through Art and Billie Dietz that we learned about the Double Bayou Dance Hall. Steve Bucher also educated me on Dance Hall. The old Double Bayou Dance Hall still exist, but barely since hurricane Ike played hell with the 1941 structure. As secretary for the historical commission, Sheryl is helping to renew interest in restoring the dance hall. If you would like to learn more about their efforts, you can contact Sheryl at Dunkit42@aol.com.
kenne
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Capturing the Moment — Double Bayou Dance Hall Revisited, Again Leave a comment
Image by kenne, 2010 (Original Images 2002)
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Capturing The Moment – Double Bayou Dance Hall — Revised Leave a comment
Double Bayou Dance Hall, 2002 – Image by kenne
Pete Mayes at The Double Bayou Dance Hall, 2002 – Image by kenne
Double Bayou Dance Hall, 2002 -Image by kenne
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Capturing the Moment — Pete Mayes Leave a comment
Pete Mayes & John Broussard at The Double Bayou Dance Hall, May, 2003 – Image by kenne
Becoming is Superior to Being 