Tipitina’s is a music venue located at the corner of Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street in Uptown New Orleans, which opened in 1977. The name was inspired by a well-known song by Professor Longhair who also performed there until his death in 1980. It 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, and originally served as a gambling house, gymnasium, and brothel.
In the early years, it had a juice bar and restaurant as well as a bar. The only remnant of the juice bar is the banana in Tipitina’s logo. In the early 1980s, the studios of radio station WWOZ (anon-profit, community-supported radio station) were located in one of the apartments upstairs from the club. In 1998, Tipitina’s opened a second location on North Peters Street in the French Quarter, which for a time was also a regular live music venue but is currently used for private events and parties. Apart from running these venues, Tipitina’s has established Tipitina’s Foundation, a non-profit organization to support local music and musicians. The foundation has been especially active in supporting the musicians affected by Hurricane Katrina.
The Daily Omnivore 
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