As we noted here, the Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law Lounge will be closing its doors this month after a 16-year run as one of New Orleans’ most beloved small music clubs. We featured the Mother-in-Law and its owner, Betty Fox, in “Crescent City Blues.” And we wrote about some of the club’s history here.
John T. Lewis, Mother-in-Law Lounge, July 2010. Photo by Barry Yeoman
Before it closes, there will be one more concert, December 12 from 8 p.m. till midnight. Producer Patty Lee calls it “A Last Hoorah.” It will feature boogie-rock keyboardist Armand St. Martin and R&B guitarists John T. Lewis and Guitar Lightnin’ Lee (plus “special guests and other musical surprises,” says Lee’s announcement). The $20 entrance fee includes music, drinks, red beans and rice, and posters while they last, and there will be a final auction of Mother-in-Law memorabilia. Proceeds will help defray Fox’s moving expenses.
It will be a bittersweet night, no doubt. Ernie and Antoinette K-Doe provided a home for New Orleans’ blues and R&B musicians, and Antoinette’s daughter Betty Fox tried to keep it afloat after her mother and stepfather died. But it’s been rough going for one of the city’s great institutions.
