Zydeco

Zydeco was a bar, restaurant, and concert venue located in the Phoenix Club building at 2001 15th Avenue South, on the corner of 20th Street South, in Birmingham's Five Points South neighborhood.

Steven Knight founded the club on the bottom floor of the building in 1989. The top floor was converted into a 600-capacity concert hall in the 1990s and hosted regional and national touring acts. The original "pub" area became the venue's restaurant, which featured a New Orleans-style menu. An intermediate-level outdoor patio, surrounded by gray split-face concrete block walls, was used for smaller performances and dining.

In 2003, Zydeco was acquired by Josh Billue, a former Georgia football player from Guntersville. Billue's company, Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler Inc. also owned Nashville's iconic Exit/In. Layne Flournoy was hired as manager of the venue.

In 2011, at the prompting of a musician from the Yorkshire metal band Asking Alexandria, members of the crowd pulled down a large number of ceiling tiles. The damage was not significant enough to interrupt the club's schedule. In a 2016 interview drummer James Cassells said that fans continued to bring pieces of ceiling tile to autograph sessions.

Flournoy bought Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler Inc. from Billou after graduating from UAB. He booked artists through his 65 South Productions. Zydeco was one of the first clubs to bring back live music after the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023 Flournoy sold the business to HV Entertainment of Dallas, Texas, which was owned by Birmingham native Arthur Hood. Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler Inc. was evicted for non-payment of rent in November 2024. In a press release, Hood cited the cost of maintaining the historic building, along with a dip in visitors, among the reasons for the closure, and that he expected to reopen in another location.

References

• Colurso, Mary (August 17, 2007) "Owner makes changes but Zydeco still rocks." The Birmingham News
• "Crowd takes ceiling down at Zydeco" (April 14, 2011) WBRC.com
• O'Neill, Christina (August 17, 2016) "Asking Alexandria boast of destructive tour antics." Metal Hammer
• Byington, Pat (May 26, 2023) "Zydeco acquired by Birmingham native, readies for 35th anniversary." Bham Now
• Stuart, Shauna (November 8, 2024) "Zydeco, legendary Alabama music venue, closing: 'This is not the end; it is a new beginning'." AL.com
• Evans, Tyson & Cynthia Gould (November 8, 2024) "Birmingham entertainment venue Zydeco closing after 30 years; evicted by property owners." abc3340.com

External links

• Zydeco website