[Dixielandjazz] PC Basin Street

[Larry Walton Entertainment - St. Louis]

> Also the "working girls" were either black or white,(but always light) but
> the clientele was primarily the upper crust white folk.  There was another
> area in New Orleans designated for the black customers.

It depends a whole lot on the house as to what kind of clientele they had. 
There were houses that catered to almost anything you might want including 
male houses.  Some were for high class and others for the lowest of the low. 
Brothels were originally spread all through New Orleans and the district was 
an effort to get them out of the "nice" neighborhoods.  There were houses 
that catered to various races.  Some of the White madams even advertised 
themselves as quadroons.  There were "theatrical" shows that must have been 
something else.

I think the only way you could characterize it is to say that if people were 
willing to pay then the district was willing to provide it.

It was a different time than today and it's not a good idea to apply 21st 
centaury morality to 100 or more years ago although it does make very 
interesting reading.  There was even a photographer that worked the district 
that signed his photos with a particular locket or broach that he would put 
on the girls.  There was a whole industry built around the district from 
kids that carried coal (" Coal Cart Blues") to the Musicians that worked in 
the better places ("Mahogany Hall Stomp").

Apparently children were raised in all this and it seems they had a rather 
industrial view of it all, much like a farmer breading cattle today that had 
little to do with anything except that's the way they lived.  There is a 
narration by one of the working women who was born and raised in the 
district in the book "Storyville" that would give you a picture of the era.
Larry
St. Louis
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Rebecca Thompson" <rebecca.e.thompson at verizon.net>
To: "Larry Walton" <larrys.bands at charter.net>
Cc: "Dixieland Jazz Mailing List" <dixielandjazz at ml.islandnet.com>
Sent: Wednesday, July 18, 2007 1:04 PM
Subject: Re: [Dixielandjazz] PC Basin Street


>I get a real chuckle out of listening to the lyrics to Basin Street after
> learning the history of the street.  It was near the boat docks where the
> brothels were located. There were no sewers, hence all sewage ran through
> the streets.  Hard to imagine that Basin Street is like heaven on earth!
>
> Also the "working girls" were either black or white,(but always light) but
> the clientele was primarily the upper crust white folk.  There was another
> area in New Orleans designated for the black customers.
>
>
> Rebecca Thompson
> Flower Mound, TX
>
>
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