Tabby’s Blues Box, the famous juke joint founded by late Baton Rouge blues legend Tabby Thomas, is being revived by Thomas’ son at Red Stick Social in the old Electric Depot, WAFB-TV reports.
The original Tabby’s Blues Box and Heritage Hall opened in 1979 on North Boulevard and was destroyed in 1999 due to the North Boulevard railroad overpass project. Thomas opened a second version of the Blues Box on Lafayette Street in downtown Baton Rouge in 2000. That location closed in 2004 after Thomas suffered a stroke while waiting to go on stage. He died 10 years later in 2014.
Thomas’ son Chris Thomas King, a Grammy Award-winning blues guitarist now has an ownership stake in Red Stick Social and plans to reopen in Mid City.
The stage area inside of Red Stick Social will be rebranded as Tabby’s Blues Box. Signage and memorabilia from the musical careers of Tabby and Chris Thomas King will be prominently showcased and on display.
The first “Hoodoo Party” night will be in January 2020 and will feature an all-star cast of local legends and regional blues musicians for a sensational jam session. Read the full story from WAFB-TV.
