The Miller-Roy, former Chitlin' Circuit stop, to be honored on NELA Music Trail

Ian Robinson, Monroe News-Star
Updated ·2 min read
The Miller-Roy Building, which housed the Savoy Ballroom on the third floor, will be honored with a marker on the Northeast Louisiana Music Trail.
The Miller-Roy Building, which housed the Savoy Ballroom on the third floor, will be honored with a marker on the Northeast Louisiana Music Trail.
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Editor’s note: The correct date of the marker unveiling is Thursday, Oct. 12.

Legendary Black entertainers such as Louis Armstrong and Lena Horne crooned in the third-room ballroom of the Miller-Roy Building during the late '30s and early '40s.

Now, some 80 years later, the downtown Monroe building will be honored for its contributions to music.

The Miller-Roy in Monroe, which housed the worldly Savoy Ballroom, will be honored with a marker on the Northeast Louisiana Music Trail and a musical performance on Thursday, Oct. 12 at 4:30 p.m.

The Savoy Ballroom became a stop on what was known as the Chitlin' Circuit — performance venues that extended throughout the eastern, southern and midwestern United States where Black entertainers were welcomed during segregation.

Black patrons would put on their finest and sometimes travel from miles away to dance and listen to some of their favorite artists of the time such as Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Count Basie and his Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billy Eckstein, Rosetta Tharpe and Ethel Waters.

(FILES) Undated filed photos taken in the 50s shows Lena Horne (Lena Mary Calhoun Horne ), US actress and Jazz singer, born in 1917 in New York. Jazz singer Lena Horne, who was the first black performer to be signed to a long-term contract by a major Hollywood studio, died late May 09, 2010 at the age of 92, according to The New York Times. AFP PHOTO/FILES (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)(Photo Credit should Read /AFP/Getty Images)

The Miller-Roy building was built in 1929 by Dr. J.C. Roy, a Black dentist, and Dr. J.T. Miller, a Black doctor, as headquarters for the local Black-owned businesses. The first two floors housed offices of Black professionals, including doctors and dentists. It also housed beauty salons, pool halls, restaurants and insurance agents.

The Miller-Roy and the Savoy Ballroom are two of the most historically significant locations in the center of Black culture in Northeast Louisiana, building owner Mike Echols said.

"It being recognized on the [Northeast Louisiana] Music Trail is, one, I think a very important honor and something that was a long time coming," Echols said. "I'm excited to be a part of it and I look forward to the celebration when we commemorate that as well as celebrating the rich history of both the Miller and the Roy family, and the African-American community that that building has been restored."

A special performance from Robert Wright will be held at the Miller-Roy following the unveiling.

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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Northeast Louisiana Music Trail honors Chitlin' Circuit stop in Monroe