His real name was Bill McGinnis, but almost everyone who went to Gulf Shores knew him by his trade name or nickname of “Papa Rocco.”
The man who served up pizza and oysters to thousands of Alabamians and visitors has died.
At his advanced age, Papa had apparently made “business continuation” arrangements, and at this time, it is not expected that his legacy to the beach will miss a beat. Papa Rocco’s will remain open except for a brief funeral interruption, which will be announced.
Papa Rocco’s is a full-service restaurant on the main drag, Highway 59, as it comes through the center of Gulf Shores heading two blocks further south to the beach. You get to the T-end of 59 at Beach, and that’s all you can go. Welcome to the Gulf of America.
In addition to pizza, oysters and other beach food, Papas is famous as a gathering place. When visitors or locals say, “Let’s meet at Papa Rocco’s,” no other directions are needed. It’s always beach attire. Except for the occasional convention in town, very few suits and neckties will be seen in Papas.
Will there be a visitation or celebration of life for Papa at his restaurant? We will soon see.
Papa was also a supporter of Alabama-based entertainers. Often, the back corner of the restaurant served as a small entertainment stage, and some local entertainers got their start right there.
One story reveals a great deal about Papa Roco and his utilization of local Alabama talent. In reading the story, maybe “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” It has a message for “Only You.” It brought in entertainment right at “Twilight Time.” And none of the entertainers were “The Great Pretender.” If you are not a fan of the rock hits of the 1950s, you will not see where I’m going with this.
A Mobile resident, Bo Grant, had been a singer for the 1950s-1960s super-smash group, “The Platters.” He was semi-retired but was looking for a venue where he could continue to perform the hits of The Platters, which he knew so well. In Baldwin County, Bo kept hearing the name Bill McGinnis, owner of Papa Rocco’s.
Here is the story as related by Papa Roco to the Gulf’s outlet, "The Mullet Wrapper":
“He came by and we had a good conversation,’’ McGinnis said. “He knew that Johnny Williams (formerly of the Drifters) sang here for years, and he was looking to establish something similar to that. We decided to schedule four dates to see if it works out for him and for us and see where it goes from there.’’
“I listened to him on youtube and he was great. “I love all those Platters songs. I think this is something that could really work.’’
And work, it did. Grant has been a semi-regular on alternating weekends at Papa Rocco's. Sometimes, the same old regulars show up to get platters of oysters, platters of pizza and platters of The Platters' hits by their semi-retired singer.
The Platters were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Remember the blockbuster movie "American Graffitti?" The Platters are the only group to have three of their songs featured in the classic movie about a bygone era. It sparked a nostalgic revival of old-time rock and roll.
Now, the music of decades gone by is sometimes heard over pizza and oysters at Papa Rocco's. Bill McGinnis started it. Let's all continue it.
Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler’s beat is the colorful and positive about Alabama -- her people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].
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