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Tipitina's is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown
New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
, United States.


History

Local music enthusiasts opened the venue on January 14, 1977.Gambit Weekly - Blake Ponchartrain - New Orleans Know-It-All
The name was inspired by a well-known song, "
Tipitina "Tipitina" is a song written and originally recorded by New Orleans pianist and singer Professor Longhair. His original version was recorded and released in 1953 by Atlantic Records. Although the nature of his contributions are unknown, recordi ...
", by
Professor Longhair Henry Roeland Byrd (December 19, 1918 – January 30, 1980), better known as Professor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday o ...
who also performed there until his death in 1980. Before adopting use of "Tipitina's" as its name, the facility was known as "The 501 Club," in reference to its street address (501 Napoleon Avenue). Tipitina's stands as one of the best-known clubs in New Orleans. The building itself was constructed in
1912 This year is notable for Sinking of the Titanic, the sinking of the ''Titanic'', which occurred on April 15. In Albania, this leap year runs with only 353 days as the country achieved switching from the Julian to Gregorian Calendar by skippin ...
, and prior to becoming Tipitina's, it served as a gambling house, gymnasium, and brothel. In the early years, it had a juice bar, restaurant, and a bar. The only remnant of the juice bar is the
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
in Tipitina's logo. In the early 1980s, the studios of radio station
WWOZ WWOZ (90.7 FM) is a non-profit community-supported radio station in New Orleans. It is owned by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation. The station specializes in music from or relating to the cultural heritage of New Orleans and the sur ...
were located in one of the apartments upstairs from the club. During that time, WWOZ would occasionally carry a Tipitina's show live by literally lowering a microphone into the club through a hole in the floor. Tipitina's closed for a time during the 1984 World's Fair, when much of the local music scene was drawn to venues in and around the Fair. The building was then remodeled to remove the upstairs apartments in favor of a higher ceiling in the downstairs music venue and reopened. In
1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
, Tipitina's opened a second location on North Peters Street in the
French Quarter The French Quarter, also known as the (; ; ), is the oldest neighborhood in the city of New Orleans. After New Orleans () was founded in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the city developed around the ("Old Square" in English), a ...
, which for a time was also a regular live music venue as well as open for private events and parties but is currently closed. Apart from running these venues, Tipitina's established the Tipitina's Foundation, a non-profit organization to support local music and musicians. The main focus of the Tipitina's Foundation was to provide musical instruments and uniforms to New Orleans public high school marching bands. The Foundation was especially active in supporting the musicians victimized by
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...
. The Tipitina's Foundation closed shortly after Tipitina's was sold in late 2018. During the annual
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (commonly called Jazz Fest or Jazzfest) is an annual celebration of local music and culture held at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana. Jazz Fest attracts thousands of vi ...
period, Tipitina's hosts a concert series titled "Fess Jazztival", which is a play on "Jazz Festival" and Professor Longhair's nickname, "Fess". In December 2018, Tipitina's was purchased by the members of the New Orleans–based jam band Galactic from Mary and Roland von Kurnatowski, who had owned the venue since 1997. Galactic formed th
Tip-It Foundation
a donor advised fund supported by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, after purchasing the club. The Tip-It Foundation's mission is to support and promote the future of the Gulf South's music, culture and heritage via the Tipitina's venue and brand.


Live albums

Numerous live albums have been recorded at Tipitina's, including: * The Radiators / '' Work Done on Premises'' (1980) *
The Neville Brothers The Neville Brothers were an American R&B/soul/funk group, formed in 1976 in New Orleans, Louisiana. History The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937–2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 19 ...
/ ''Nevillization: Live at Tipitina's'' (1982) *
Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The band's best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro. Jane's Addicti ...
/ ''Live – Tipitina's, New Orleans, LA, 16 Jan '89'' (1989) *''Piano Night at Tipitina's'' (1995) * Anders Osborne / ''Live at Tipitina's'' (1998) * Galactic / '' We Love 'Em Tonight: Live at Tipitina's'' (2001) *
Professor Longhair Henry Roeland Byrd (December 19, 1918 – January 30, 1980), better known as Professor Longhair or "Fess" for short, was an American singer and pianist who performed New Orleans blues. He was active in two distinct periods, first in the heyday o ...
/ ''Ball the Wall: Live at Tipitina's 1978'' (2004) *The Radiators / '' Earth vs. The Radiators: the First 25'' (2004) * Tuts Washington / ''Live at Tipitina's '78'' (2005) * Dr. John / ''Right Place, Right Time: Live at Tipitina's'' (2006) * Bonerama / ''Bringing It Home'' (2007) * The Blind Boys of Alabama / ''Live in New Orleans'' (2009) ''DVD'' *
Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, drummer Jon Fishman, and keyboardist Page McConnell, all of whom perform vocals, with Anastasio being the ...
/ ''New Orleans Relief'' (2010) *
Mem Shannon Mem Shannon (born December 21, 1959, in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States) is an American blues musician. He is currently signed to Toronto's NorthernBlues Music. Shannon is a former taxi-cab driver turned bluesman.Scott Jordan"Mem Shannon' ...
/ ''Live: A Night at Tipitina's'' (2007) * Black Top ''Blues-a-rama'' Vol. 1–7 * Tipitina's is featured prominently in
Wilco Wilco is an American Rock music, rock band based in Chicago. The band was formed in 1994 by the remaining members of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo after singer Jay Farrar's departure. Wilco's lineup changed frequently during its fir ...
's '' Wilco Live: Ashes of American Flags'' documentary and the accompanying downloadable live album


See also

* List of jazz clubs *
List of music venues This is a list of lists of some notable music venues worldwide. Lists * Asia ** Singapore * Oceania ** Australia *** Melbourne * North America ** Canada *** Toronto *** Montreal ** United States *** San Antonio *** Portland, Oregon *** Denver ...


References


External links


Official siteTip-It Foundation site
{{Authority control Music venues in Louisiana Culture of New Orleans Jazz in Louisiana Jazz clubs in the United States Event venues established in 1977 1977 establishments in Louisiana