Dew Drop Inn

The Dew Drop Inn at 2836 LaSalle Street in Central City was founded in 1939 by barber Frank Painia, who expanded his shop into a hotel, restaurant, lounge, and nightclub that became the epicenter of Black entertainment in New Orleans from the 1940s through the 1960s. As a hub of the Chitlin' Circuit, the Dew Drop hosted Ray Charles, James Brown, Little Richard, Sam Cooke, Ike & Tina Turner, and Otis Redding -- and it was on this stage that Little Richard first improvised "Tutti Frutti." The venue also made Civil Rights history when Painia sued the city in 1964 over segregation laws that prohibited integrated audiences, winning an injunction that ended police raids. The club closed in 1970 as desegregation opened new options for Black performers, and the property suffered further in Hurricane Katrina. A $7.8 million restoration completed in 2024 returned the Dew Drop to its 1950s facade as both an intimate music venue and 17-room boutique hotel, honoring one of the most historically significant music spaces in the American South.