50 Years Ago at Shakey’s

Bob, Karen, Van, Al, Jamie, and Betty Lou Landry at Shakey’s on June 17, 1976, in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Can it really be fifty years ago that our family started playing at the Shakey’s Pizza Parlor in Lake Charles, Louisiana?  The numbers add up, but it doesn’t feel that way.  Our first night there was on June 16, 1976.  We don’t have a photo from that first night we played, but we did take a few photos on the second night.  

I’ve shared this photo before and I have it dated from June 17, 1976.  I also said that the song we were playing is “(I Like) Mountain Music.”  That makes sense, because it was one of the few songs that Jamie would play on the jug.  No, she was not taking a swig of whiskey while we played a song.  She was blowing or puffing or whatever she did to make that jug sing.

But that first night at Shakey’s followed years of “preparation” in the Landry household.  My dad – Bob Landry – was a band director and choral instructor from before I was born.  And my mom loved music, too.  I think it was her desire to have a family band that led to us singing at ye old pizza joint.  She would play the piano often and sing along.  Of course, we would always follow suit.  If we weren’t singing it quite right, she would correct us and encourage us to match the pitch that she would repeat for us.

Bob, Jodie, and Rob Landry at Shakey’s in December of 1978.

When you grow up in a family with music, you just go along with it and learn how to play musical instruments as well.  I never questioned it.  It seemed like the natural thing to do.  We went to my dad’s summer band program every year and sang and played with the older kids.  We thought we were special!  We’d learn the ukulele first, then move on to guitar and bass.  Then when we were in junior high school, it was time to learn a wind instrument. 

Jodie was first and she chose the flute. In college she played the flute and the bass.  Rob was next.  He played trumpet. I remember him playing along with those old Chicago albums in the living room at home.  Karen got stuck on the ukulele.  Not really.  She really liked the uke and played guitar, bass, and clarinet as well.  Al went along the same path as Rob – guitar, bass, and trumpet.  To help you tell them apart, remember that Al is taller than Rob.  He’s taller than me, too.  Speaking of me, I (Van) was next.  I went with the trombone.  We already had a trombone, so we needed someone to play it.  Not really, I just thought it looked more fun than the other instruments.  It had a slide instead of valves.  Way more fun.  Jamie played the flute.  Of course, you already know that she also supplemented that with her jug skills.

First sign that we used when playing at Shakey’s in 1976.

My dad could play all of the instruments, and he liked to sing as well.  My mom – Betty Lou Bucklin Landry – was a musician as well.  She had been playing piano and singing since she was young.  In the 70s they started playing at parties and receptions and such.  It was just the two of them at that time.  Mom was playing the piano and singing, while Daddy was playing bass or guitar and singing.  On some songs he would play verse or more on the trombone.  They played a lot of old standards from the 40s and 50s.

Then, somehow, the gig at Shakey’s came up.  I think there had been a band there before.  The stage was there with an old piano.  The Shakey’s owner was Gene Fontenot, and the manager was Bill Spreafico.  Daddy had talked to one or both of them, and it was decided that we would be the entertainment on Wednesday through Saturday evenings.  It was exciting and a little scary.  We all sang and played instruments, but we weren’t used to performing like that.  And when I think about it now, we were just kids!  

When we started, Momma made a sign that said that “ye old notes” were to be played by Bob and Betty Landry “and sometimes Karen, Al, Van, and Jamie.”  Momma and Daddy would be the ones there on a regular basis, and us kids would show up when we could.  The oldest three were in college, while the younger three were in high school.  It was the youngest four who were there more often.  Since Rob and Jodie weren’t living in Lake Charles, they would only show up at special occasions.

Opening Night.   All of the years of “preparation” were finally paying off.  As the curtain rose and the spotlight focused on the stage, the Landry Family Band was ready for the big time!  No, no, no.  There was no “opening night,” no curtain, and no spotlight.  We did have a small stage that was lit up.  We set up our instruments, turned on our microphones, and started making memories.