07/25/2026
The great vocalist Johnny Adams and guitarist Teddy Royal ahead of a concert celebrating the Dew Drop Inn (we're not sure who the third man is--please tell us if you know).
We're guessing, based on the clothes and on the date (Saturday April 21st) that this was the 1979 edition of "Dew Drop Inn Revisited," a concert series that used to take place after Jazz Fest. (It's hard to make out, but the line-up included former Dew Drop emcee Patsy Vidalia, who died in 1982, which would fit the 1979 theory.)
We're also guessing, based on the unusual architecture in the background, that this photo was taken outside of Allen Toussaint's Sea-Saint Studio in Gentilly.
Royal did a lot of session work at Sea-Saint in the 1970s, according to the Home of the Groove Blog, collaborating with Wardell Quezergue and Senator Jones, among others. He also played in Fats Domino's touring band for many years.
Adams had one-in-a-million vocal talent, and, despite some tough breaks in the record industry, was an admired artist in New Orleans.
You can find more about him, and about Sea-Saint, on A Closer Walk: https://acloserwalknola.com/places/sea-saint-studio/
📸 from the archive of Bunny Matthews
