Teddie's Juke Joint - the Last Juke Joint in Baton Rouge

Teddy's Juke Joint

If the house is rockin', be sure to come knockin'. Teddy's Juke Joint, the last self-proclaimed juke joint in the Baton Rouge area, is still going strong with fantastic live music blaring from the simple wooden stage inside a 2 room bar off Old Scenic Highway north of Baton Rouge.

As you are driving on Old Scenic Highway toward Highway 61 in Zachary, Louisiana, you'll pass a non-descript white building set far back from the road. If you slow your car down a bit, you might hear the live rhythm and blues music vibrating it's way out of the juke joint shack, and if you're really lucky, you'll turn left and park it for a few hours at Teddy's.

It's easy to miss the joint...and that's why the Teddy's Juke Joint white painted sign is something to watch closely for if you head out that way. It's really just a small wooden building with a stage, 10 or so tables, a couple of leather banquettes, a long bar, and various Teddy paraphenalia propped and hung for decorations, including Christmas lights, 50 year-old working disco balls, old wooden scooters, water pumps and 1950s lineloeum chairs. A huge Teddy Bear is propped in the corner behind the make-shift stage. Just step inside the dark room for a few minutes, and Teddy will tell you all about every piece deocrating the place, how his Grandmother bought the land in the 1920s, even where the leather booths rested last, and he does all the 'splainin' from the microphone in the D.J. booth at the back of the bar.

If you are hungry when you head that way, you can try the red beans and rice for under $6.00 or maybe opt for the Turkey Wings. The rest of the menu is simple fare, and cheap, albeit more fried food that I wanted to sample.

We went for the live music and I was thrilled with what we found. We heard the Circuit Breakers play, an Austin-like rock-a-billy band and I've never heard a guitar player cover a Chuck Berry tune as well as I did that night. The Sharecroppers opened the evening with classic R&B, and were just as enjoyable a group. Teddy sat down with us for awhile and listened...he is the biggest live music fan in the place.

It's one of those places you just gotta' go, and when you do, bring some friends, your dancing shoes and a map -- just in case you pass the white sign a little too fast....

16999 Old Scenic Hwy Zachary, LA 70791 - (225) 658-8029