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2 Your Town Zachary: Teddy's Juke Joint celebrates local history, music, tradition
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ZACHARY— If you are looking for a place to hang out at night and listen to rhythm and blues, Teddy's Juke Joint has been the place for almost 50 years.
Lloyd “Teddy” Johnson Jr. turned his childhood home into a juke joint, a club that hosts rhythm and blues musicians every night, continuing a tradition that dates back more than a century to the birth of blues in the deep south that was most recently highlighted in the Louisiana-shot film "Sinners."
Johnson's joint off Old Scenic Highway has been in business for more than 46 years.
“I didn’t have no idea that I would make this place my juke joint,” Johnson said.
At the legendary juke joint, the walls are adorned with posters of past performances, pictures of musicians, and even license plates from visitors.
“People want to be a part of the place and be remembered, and it means everything to me,” he said.
You can even find pieces of Johnson's childhood inside the club like his tricycle that hangs from the ceiling.
“I got my picture hanging up there with a diaper on,” Johnson said.
There are different articles of Johnson and his juke joint that you can even spot when you walk in. On one wall, there’s a New York Times piece highlighting Teddy’s Juke Joint as one of the few juke joints that still exist in the country.
Johnson has several accolades, many of which can be found in the club. Above the bar hangs a proclamation from former Mayor-President Melvin “Kip” Holden, designating Johnson as the honorary mayor of Baton Rouge.
In 2023, Johnson was honored with The Blues Foundation's "Keeping the Blues Alive" Award, which recognizes individuals and organizations internationally for their contributions to the blues.
“The reason I've been staying in this business for so long is to prove to young black people that you can be successful if you stick to something long enough,” he said.
Johnson said everyone is welcome, no matter where you’re from or your background. He said he wants people to feel as if they belong. He added that he never thought this would become his legacy.
“To know about me and read about me is something I never imagined,” Johnson said.
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