12/May/2008
Zachary Juke Joint Offers Blues, Soul and Character
By Summer Suleiman
Teddy
At first sight, it appears to be a scene out of a 1920s flapper movie. Colorful disco lights hang from the ceiling, and license plates from all over the country line the walls.
There’s so much character in this place, it’s hard to know exactly where to begin our story.
Teddy Johnson, owner of Teddy’s Juke Joint, walks out of a tiny back room with a big, beige cowboy hat and a wide smile across his face.
He is as friendly as the place boasts and when I extend my arm to greet him, he opts for a hug, saying he “doesn’t shake pretty women’s hands.”
It’s only about five o’clock in the evening and people haven’t arrived for the Sunday night blues jam session. We sit down at a small table in the corner and Teddy points out that it is the exact place where he was born. The joint was originally the house he grew up in and 31 years ago, he decided to turn his love for blues into a place that people in Zachary could enjoy.
“I do it because I love it. I’ve been playing music since I was five years old,” Johnson said.
As a child, Johnson listened to his grandfather play blues. He says blues is a feeling deep inside of him, that won’t go away.
“I’m sixty two years old, and I plan on running this place until I die,” he said.
Characters
Just when I thought it couldn’t get anymore interesting, I met Johnson’s wife Nancy Truchan. She cooks up meals seven days a week and helps run the joint.
Truchan grew up in New York near Syracuse and moved to Baton Rouge in the ‘70s with Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) as a public health nurse in Scotlandville. She met Teddy through a co-worker and says she soon fell for the blues too.
“I love the blues. I love all kinds of music and I love what we do here. I wouldn’t change it a bit. It means something to us,” Truchan said.
But Truchan admits she was skeptical when Teddy first shared the idea of turning his childhood home into a juke joint.
“When I first saw the building, I told him to burn it down. But then it started shaping up. It’s something Teddy always wanted, and I’ve always stood by him,” Truchan said.
The Blues
By this time the band has arrived and begins setting up on the small, make-shift stage at the rear of the joint. James Johnson, the lead guitarist, extends a warm and familiar greeting to Truchan.
She knows the customers in the blues bar by name. It seems more like a gathering of old friends than a place of business. The welcoming vibe easily lends itself to strangers like myself. Truchan said that’s what’s special about the juke joint.
“I like to see people having a good time. They come in and they’re relaxed,” Truchan said.
At the heart of the juke joint is the band. Lester Delmore is the lead drummer setting up tonight. He plays every Sunday night with the house band.
He sits back as cool as ever on a tiny bench outside when I pass him. He’s one of those people you can look in the eyes and know they are full of interesting stories to tell. When I sit down next to him, he pours his story out to me, as genuine and soulful as any blues song.
Like many musicians, Delmore comes from a musical background. His father, uncle and brother played the drums and his mom and sister played the guitar. Delmore said he took a shot at other things like sports in high school, but nothing was quite like playing music.
“It’s a gratifying feeling, especially when you’re playing with good guys. You just ride the music. It’s like dancing - you get a feel for the music and just roll with it,” he said.
Delmore began playing with experienced musicians after high school and traveled all over the state. His favorite place to play is Europe in venues like the 100 Club in London. After playing and traveling for years, Delmore returned close to home, but the blues kept calling him.
“I came back to Baton Rouge and tried to settle down, but I just kept going back to the music,” Delmore said. He’s been playing drums for over 30 years now.
History
It’s hard to imagine so much history in one tiny place. Sometimes the small things that are most meaningful are overlooked. But just off a main road in Zachary, behind gravel and greenery, there’s a story waiting to be told.
If you’re interested in visiting Zachary’s first, best and only true juke joint, you can find Teddy’s place is at 17001 Old Scenic Hwy, at the corner of Old Scenic and Heck Young Road.
By Summer Suleiman
Teddy
At first sight, it appears to be a scene out of a 1920s flapper movie. Colorful disco lights hang from the ceiling, and license plates from all over the country line the walls.
There’s so much character in this place, it’s hard to know exactly where to begin our story.
Teddy Johnson, owner of Teddy’s Juke Joint, walks out of a tiny back room with a big, beige cowboy hat and a wide smile across his face.
He is as friendly as the place boasts and when I extend my arm to greet him, he opts for a hug, saying he “doesn’t shake pretty women’s hands.”
Teddy Johnson, owner of Teddy's Juke Joint (left) and friend (right).
It’s only about five o’clock in the evening and people haven’t arrived for the Sunday night blues jam session. We sit down at a small table in the corner and Teddy points out that it is the exact place where he was born. The joint was originally the house he grew up in and 31 years ago, he decided to turn his love for blues into a place that people in Zachary could enjoy.
“I do it because I love it. I’ve been playing music since I was five years old,” Johnson said.
As a child, Johnson listened to his grandfather play blues. He says blues is a feeling deep inside of him, that won’t go away.
“I’m sixty two years old, and I plan on running this place until I die,” he said.
Characters
Just when I thought it couldn’t get anymore interesting, I met Johnson’s wife Nancy Truchan. She cooks up meals seven days a week and helps run the joint.
Truchan grew up in New York near Syracuse and moved to Baton Rouge in the ‘70s with Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) as a public health nurse in Scotlandville. She met Teddy through a co-worker and says she soon fell for the blues too.
“I love the blues. I love all kinds of music and I love what we do here. I wouldn’t change it a bit. It means something to us,” Truchan said.
But Truchan admits she was skeptical when Teddy first shared the idea of turning his childhood home into a juke joint.
“When I first saw the building, I told him to burn it down. But then it started shaping up. It’s something Teddy always wanted, and I’ve always stood by him,” Truchan said.
The Blues
By this time the band has arrived and begins setting up on the small, make-shift stage at the rear of the joint. James Johnson, the lead guitarist, extends a warm and familiar greeting to Truchan. She knows the customers in the blues bar by name. It seems more like a gathering of old friends than a place of business. The welcoming vibe easily lends itself to strangers like myself. Truchan said that’s what’s special about the juke joint.
“I like to see people having a good time. They come in and they’re relaxed,” Truchan said.
At the heart of the juke joint is the band. Lester Delmore is the lead drummer setting up tonight. He plays every Sunday night with the house band.
He sits back as cool as ever on a tiny bench outside when I pass him. He’s one of those people you can look in the eyes and know they are full of interesting stories to tell. When I sit down next to him, he pours his story out to me, as genuine and soulful as any blues song.
Like many musicians, Delmore comes from a musical background. His father, uncle and brother played the drums and his mom and sister played the guitar. Delmore said he took a shot at other things like sports in high school, but nothing was quite like playing music.
“It’s a gratifying feeling, especially when you’re playing with good guys. You just ride the music. It’s like dancing - you get a feel for the music and just roll with it,” he said.
Delmore began playing with experienced musicians after high school and traveled all over the state. His favorite place to play is Europe in venues like the 100 Club in London. After playing and traveling for years, Delmore returned close to home, but the blues kept calling him.
“I came back to Baton Rouge and tried to settle down, but I just kept going back to the music,” Delmore said. He’s been playing drums for over 30 years now.
History
It’s hard to imagine so much history in one tiny place. Sometimes the small things that are most meaningful are overlooked. But just off a main road in Zachary, behind gravel and greenery, there’s a story waiting to be told.
If you’re interested in visiting Zachary’s first, best and only true juke joint, you can find Teddy’s place is at 17001 Old Scenic Hwy, at the corner of Old Scenic and Heck Young Road.
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