Who is Frankie G

We left Gulf Shores this morning for Fontainebleau State Park, Louisiana, a 4 hour drive.

Driving on I10 through Mobile there was still some white stuff on the side of the road from the snow they got 3 days earlier. They have nothing to clear snow, no plows, no salters, so it’s there until it melts. And it has to be warm to melt.

The park is on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, about an hour’s drive from New Orleans. This is a serious lake at 640 square miles in area. The bridge that spans it is 30 miles long and the in the 8 miles in the middle, you can't see land in any direction.

The last two nights in Gulf Shores have taken their toll from a little too much “bar time”, something we’re not used to any more.

It all started two days ago when Darlene noticed in a local paper that “Frankie G from Tennessee” was playing at a nearby piano bar.  We just had to go. So who is Frankie G you are probably wondering.

Let me tell you about Frankie G. Rewind about 15 years, The Red Piano Lounge, Pelican Resort, St Maarten. A much younger Paul and Darlene staggered back to their room after an absolutely devastating evening at the bar, where a much younger Frankie G had just broken yet another bar record for liquor sales. It’s hard to describe how he gets a crowd going  the way he does, but as for the amount of beverages consumed, he leads by example. 

Anyway, we got talking to Frankie, reminiscing about the good old days at the Red Piano Lounge and how did he managed to keep it all together (with the leading by example and all). He has toned things down a bit he says (doctor’s orders) “but if you want to see the old Frankie, drop by the Flora-Bama bar tomorrow night”.

We arrived early. This is the venue. If you can make out what is hanging from the ceiling, you can be sure some serious partying goes on here.

He played 4 hours straight, no breaks, everything from Jerry Lee Lewis to Billy Joel to Queen. The place was hopping and Frankie was putting them away, maybe not like "back in the day" but he was still in good form. Outstanding music, lots of laughs and plentiful beverages. He lives in the Gulf Shores area now and we’ll be sure to check the local paper the next time we’re through here.

Here’s a YouTube video of Mr. G at the Red Piano in St Maarten.

So, still feeling a bit peaked from the recent festivities, we have been thinking about skipping the Big Easy altogether and just exploring some of the more sane small towns along the North Shore of Lake Pontchartrain for the next few days. We've been to New Orleans many times but we have never explored the surrounding area. 

Stay tuned, much like the Southshore, the Northern Shore has some pretty cool stuff going on.