Chickie Wah Wah
- Music Nola
- Jul 19
- 2 min read
Chickie Wah Wah is THE headquarters for great live music in Mid-City; not to mention one of the best music venues in town. They get some amazing performers here, both local and out-of-town, and the sound is great. A big asset for this place is that it’s right on the Canal Street streetcar line so you can get there in minutes from the French Quarter (get off at White Street, and it’s only $1.25).
It originally opened as a music club in 2006 in the former Canal Bus Stop dive bar under the direction of Dale Triguero. After Triguero’s death in 2021, it shut down for a period but a group of music industry veterans stepped in to bring it back and it’s rolling better than ever as of 2026.
“I never had a particular desire to own a music club but I always loved the place,” Patrick Templeman, one of the co-owners, told Offbeat Magazine in 2022. “I really liked what Dale [Triguero] had going on there … When I heard the tragic news that he had passed away, I said to myself that if nobody else will help this club continue on then I’ll raise my hand and help. But I wasn’t the only person that felt that way.”
Food: None (occasional pop-ups or food trucks)
Where’s the name come from?
In 1956 Ace Records released a single, “Chickie Wah Wah,” by Bobby Marchan, with music and lyrics by Huey “Piano” Smith. Marchan was one of the first drag performers in New Orleans in the mid 1950s – and from 1957 was a touring member of Huey Smith’s group “The Clowns.” In the 1990s his company Manicure was involved in hip hop music booking and promotion including Take Fo’ Records bounce music artist DJ Jubilee. Marchan was also involved with the formation of Cash Money Records. [SOURCE: Chickie Wah Wah official site]
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