Lionel J. "Chick" Vidrine Collection
Collection 431
Vidrine, Lionel J. “Chick” (1928–1994). Collection, 1974–1992, n.d.
5 inches
Lionel “Chick” Vidrine was born October 9, 1928 in Grand Prairie (St. Landry Parish). In 1949, his uncle, Claude Morein opened the Southern Club, one of the premier venues for swamp pop music and musicians, located on U.S. Highway 90 in Opelousas, LA. The dance hall/nightclub hosted notable swamp pop musicians and bands from the 1950s through the 1980s, as well as other famous R&B and country musicians and bands. Vidrine operated the club from 1956 to 1994. His brother and cousin operated the club until 1996. In 2014, the building was listed on the Louisiana Trust for Historic Preservation as an endangered historic site.
This collection consists of band contracts between the club and band, financial records, correspondence, flyers, and much more.
Series:
| A. | Band Contracts | 1-01 through 1-10 |
| B. | Financial Records | 1-11 through 1-17 |
| C. | General Records | 1-18 |
| D. | Photographs | 1-19 |
| E. | Correspondence | 1-20 |
| F. | Flyers | 1-21 |
| G. | Benefit | 1-22 |
Inventory:
| Box 1 | |
| 1-01 | Band Contracts: 1974: August - December |
| 1-02 | Band Contracts: 1975: January - June |
| 1-03 | Band Contracts: 1975: July - December |
| 1-04 | Band Contracts: 1976: January - June |
| 1-05 | Band Contracts: 1976: July - December |
| 1-06 | Band Contracts: 1977: January - June |
| 1-07 | Band Contracts: 1977: July - December |
| 1-08 | Band Contracts: 1978: January - June |
| 1-09 | Band Contracts: 1978: July - December |
| 1-10 | Band Contracts: 1984: December |
| 1-11 | Financial Records: Operating statements: 1974: July, August-September, October |
| 1-12 | Financial Records: Operating statements: 1975: March, April, June |
| 1-13 | Financial Records: Operating statements: 1977: December |
| 1-14 | Financial Records: Operating statements: 1978: January-March, June, July-September |
| 1-15 | Financial Records: Operating statements: 1979: May, July, August, September, November |
| 1-16 | Financial Records: Operating statements: 1980: April-June, December |
| 1-17 | Financial Records: Operating statements: 1981: April, July-September, October-December |
| 1-18 | Financial Records: Miscellaneous, Schilling Distributing Company, November 5, 1980 (invoice); Notice of Returned Check (blank forms) |
| 1-19 | General Records: Contact information, business cards, handwritten information, n.d. |
| 1-20 | Photograph: Uncle Pott’s Family Band, 8 x 10, n.d. |
| 1-21 | Correspondence: 1976: July, November |
| 1-22 | Flyers: 1984, 1992, n.d. |
| 1-23 | Benefit: April 26, 1992 for Donny Jennings (photograph, flyer, Itinerary, handwritten information |