Turn your minuses into pluses. Bad things often turn into good things with time and hard work. Slogans to live by.
In the latest edition of my “Austin- Zeitgeist” column, named so because I hope to explore an “A-Z” range of topics, we published a photo of what I thought was Charlie’s Playhouse. But instead of that legendary juke joint’s 1206 E. 11th Street address, it turned out the photo was a block west, showing the late, great Southern Dinnett soul food eatery. Reader Dave Bedrich, an astute Austin music historian pointed that out.
I asked if he knew where I might find an actual picture of Charlie’s, which flourished from 1955- 1972 and he suggested the photographs of Neal Douglass, who shot for the Austin American Statesman from the 1930’s to the 1950’s. Luck had the entire collection Douglass donated to the Austin History Center before his death in 1983 online. They were listed alphabetically according to subject and when I got to “Singers” I found some interesting shots of women at an undisclosed nightclub in East Austin, dated Oct. 7, 1955.
They were amazing photos, with three women, fully-clothed, standing up against a sparkly wall in one, then individually shown dancing to a blues band in three other shots. One woman was wearing a towel that said “Your F.B.I.”
Trying to determine if this could possibly be Charlie’s Playhouse, I focused on the walls, the ceiling, the stage. I posted the photos on Facebook to see if any of my “friends” knew which club they were taken at. And then I started looking closely at the dancers, with the muscular calves, broad shoulders, flat chests.
OMG!
They were men, I’m pretty certain. I received a post from a lifelong Austinite who ventured that the club was probably the I.L. Club on E. 11th St. because “they were the first to let the hippies play between the drag floor shows.”
In the ‘50s and ‘60s, there were black transvestite nights at a blues club in East Austin? One owned by Ira Littlefield, the father of the leaders of top gospel act the Bells of Joy.
Still trying to find out more on this “roots of Rupaul” scene, but these photos were taken 58 years ago- a month before I was born- so anyone who was around is in their late 70’s at the youngest. But these photos are too great not to share now. And if anybody has any info, please Facebook message me.
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