May 29, 2013—
MAMOU, La.—The good folks of rural Mamou know how to start Saturday on the right foot. Fred’s Lounge opens at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, 420 6th St. in what is left of uptown Mamou (pop. 3,300). It closes at 2 p.m. For the rest of the week.
Hardscrabble regulars and a sprinkling of European tourists dance to live Cajun-French music from Don Fontenot and Les Amis De La Louisiane (Friends of Louisiana) who play in the middle of the bar. The lounge only holds about 150 people. The event is broadcast live between 9:30 and 11:30 every Saturday morning on a tinny AM frequency that is also magical for American gospel and 1950s rhythm and blues because it sounds [...]
