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| The Keystone Berkeley, at 2119 University Avenue (at Shattuck), some time in the early 80s |
60s and 70s Rock Nightclub History Navigation and Tracker
Over the years, I have done detailed research into the performance histories of various rock music nightclubs in the 1960s and 70s. The goal has always been to identify an exact record of every musical performer at a club over a given period. Due to the paucity of sources, sometimes the chronicle may be incomplete, but not for lack of effort. In some cases, for less well-documented clubs, the goal is to identify every performer, even if the exact nights of their performances can't be nailed down.
60s rock found its footing in psychedelic ballrooms, and moved on up to civic auditoriums and basketball arenas. By the 1970s, the big business of rock touring took away many of the regional differences. If you saw the Grateful Dead, or Mott The Hoople or the Doobie Brothers in San Francisco, Des Moines or Boston, it was probably pretty much the same in each city. As the biggest bands moved up to the auditoriums, however, the rock audience got older and found that they liked a drink while watching music.
Rock nightclubs, rare in the 60s, were common in the 1970s. Unlike the big arenas, there were distinct differences between regions. There were even differences between parts of the Bay Area. The demographics of parking, FM radio and economies made each club distinct from its competitors, at least for a while. I have not used a precise definition of what makes a "rock nightclub," but the general criteria are:
- Original live rock music (with some exceptions, perhaps)
- Liquor (at least beer)
- Tables and chairs (at least some of the time)
This excludes rock venues with a bar in the back, or coffee shops. There isn't a size limit to my analysis, but my goal is to look at the middle tier of 60s and 70s rock.
By identifying a complete list, the club histories skew away from impressionistic memories that can be clouded by nostalgia. Seeing who was actually booked, the status of that performer at the time--as opposed to how important they would become later--gives a clear picture of the economic forces of any club, and in turn can be revealing about the city and the regional rock scene at the time.
I would not have been able to complete all this work without the assistance of co-conspirators. The Chicken On A Unicycle website has been a joint effort. As to the blogs, the Comment Threads are filled with detailed updates from known and unknown participants, greatly enhancing the scholarship.
This tracker has links to various associated pages on Chicken and specific blog posts. Here and there I also link to a few other posts by others that fulfill my needs. Some forthcoming posts are listed (without links yet, of course) in anticipation of the future.
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| A Tom Weller flyer for Country Joe and The Fish at Berkeley's Jabberwock, November 1-3, 1966 |
Berkeley Rock Nightclubs
The Jabberwock, 2901 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, CA 1964-67
The Jabberwock was a folk club, but it gave birth to Country Joe and The Fish.
List of Jabberwock Performances 1964-July 8, 1967
The Questing Beast, 2504 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA: Performance History 1965-66
County Joe and The Fish got started at the Jabberwock, but they went electric at the Questing Beast.
2976 College Avenue, Open Theater, Berkeley, CA 1965-1966 History
New Orleans House, 1505 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA Performance Listing 1966-1970
The New Orleans, opened as a home for New Orleans-style jazz, rapidly became a rock club by 1966. It was the primary nightclub for original rock music in Berkeley throughout the 1960s. We attempt to identify every performer from 1967 to 1969, and its an excellent survey of original California rock bands just one tier below the Fillmore and Avalon.
Freight and Salvage, 1827 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA Performance Listing 1968-70
The Freight and Salvage was really a folk club, but it was founded by Berkeley hippies in 1968, and it was part of the rock music community, in it own way. We attempt to identify every performer at the Freight and Salvage in 1968 and '69, and its a primer on American music over the next 50 years.
Mandrake's, 1048 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA Performance List 1965-1973
Mandrake's, a converted pool hall on University and San Pablo, mainly presented blues and jazz, but by the end of the 1960s, it presented a lot of rock as well.
The Babylon, 2504 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA Performance Listings 1969-70
The Babylon featured original rock music, almost all from local East Bay bands.
The Long Branch, 2504 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA Performers Listing May-December 1971
The Long Branch, at the infamous Berkeley music address of 2504 San Pablo, expanded the building and replaced the Babylon in May 1971. This post is a detailed discussion of every performer who was known to have played the Long Branch in 1971, even if some dates are uncertain.
2504 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA: The Long Branch Performance History October-December 1973 (Long Branch III)
Keystone Berkeley, 2119 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA Performance Listings 1972
The Keystone Berkeley replaced the New Monk, going from a fraternity beer joint to Berkeley's primary rock club throughout the 1970s. This post is a detailed discussion of every performer who played Keystone Berkeley in 1972.
Keystone Berkeley, Berkeley, CA: Performance Listings, January-April 1975
The Keystone was still the second best gig in the Bay Area during this period.
Jerry Garcia played the Keystone Berkeley at least 243 times. His relationship to Keystone Berkeley was unique to Garcia's career, and an essential lynchpin of the club.
Bay Area Survey Rock Nightclub Survey, January-April 1974 Performance Listings
A snapshot of East Bay rock nightclubs in 1974, including analysis of performers for Keystone Berkeley (January), the Long Branch (February), Bill Graham Presents (March, at Winterland and Berkeley Community Theater) and the Freight and Salvage (April).
San Francisco Rock Nightclubs
The Matrix, 3138 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA Performance Listing 1965-70
The Matrix was San Francisco's first, and for a while only, hippie rock night club. This page is a list of performers at the Matrix, to the best of our knowledge.
The Matrix, 3138 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA: Performer Listing January-June 1970 (Matrix I)
This
post provides a detailed analysis of all the known performers at the
Matrix during the first half of 1970. As the tiny Matrix became a less
lucrative gig, the club turned into a musician's hangout and the music
played was pretty interesting. Not least--besides Bruce Springsteen
dropping in--Jerry Garcia began his long collaboration with bassist John
Kahn.
The Matrix, 3138 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA: Performer Listing July-September 1970 (Matrix II)
Continued analysis of performers at the Matrix in 1970. Merl Saunders joins Garcia and Kahn.
The Matrix, 3138 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA: Performer Listing October-December 1970 (Matrix III)
The Matrix is in decline a club, but it is all the more fascinating for having become Jerry Garcia's hangout.
The Boarding House, 960 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA: Performance List March-July 1971 (Boarding House I)
The first year of the Boarding House in 1971 was quite different than the years that followed. Proprietor David Allen tried to make it an "Acoustic Music Salon" and Dinner club, and San Francisco didn't seem to want that.
Whisky A Go-Go, San Francisco, 568 Sacramento St, San Francisco, CA: March 11, 1967
The West Hollywood Whisky A-Go-Go had a long forgotten San Francisco branch. I obtained a photo of the Grateful Dead's performance there on March 11, 1967. I discuss what little is known about the club, with some links to other posts.
2629 Bayshore Blvd, San Francisco, CA The Moonrose Forest (formerly George's Log Cabin) November 1969
Bay Area Rock Nightclub Survey, May-September 1974
A snapshot of Bay Area rock nightclubs in 1974, including analysis of performers at The Great American Music Hall (May), the Boarding House (June), the Orphanage (July), the Inn Of The Beginning in Cotati (August) and the Lion's Share in San Anselmo (September).
Palo Alto Rock Nightclubs
Palo Alto Psychedelic Rock Shows, 1965-66 (Palo Alto I)
Palo Alto, to hear Palo Altans tell it, was the birthplace of psychedelic rock. Palo Alto's first rock nightclub was The Big Beat, at 998 San Antonio Road. Right before it opened, the club was rented by The Merry Pranksters for the Palo Alto Acid Test on December 18, 1965, with the Grateful Dead providing the music. The Big Beat was never that interesting again.
Palo Alto Psychedelic Rock Shows, 1967 (Palo Alto II)
In April, 1967, The Poppycock opened in downtown Palo Alto, at 135 University Avenue. It presented original rock bands, and downtown Palo Alto slowly came to life. I list what is known about performers at The Poppycock this year (and elsewhere in Palo Alto).
Palo Alto Psychedelic Rock Shows, 1968 (Palo Alto III)
In 1968, the modest Poppycock books a lot of good Bay Area rock bands. I review the status of all the known performers from the year.
Palo Alto Psychedelic Rock Shows, January-June 1969 (Palo Alto IV)
Rock music is exploding in the Bay Area, and some really good bands play the Poppycock. The club is starting to seem on the small side, however. This post identifies all the Poppycock performers from the first half of 1969.
Palo Alto Psychedelic Rock Shows, July-December 1969 (Palo Alto V)
In the second half of 1969, the Poppycock has become too small to compete with other venues. Some really good bands play the club on weeknights, some that really interest us today, but the club was wearing out its welcome in downtown Palo Alto. It would close quietly in mid-1970.
East Palo Alto is usually left out of the Palo Alto story, because, well, it's inconvenient.
In Your Ear, 135 University Avenue, Palo Alto, CA: Performer Listing, May 1971-December 1972
In Your Ear opened at the site of the Poppycock (135 University). Nominally, it was a jazz club, but it had a broad booking policy that included jazz, blues and rock. A fire on New Year's Eve 1972 closed the club. Fellow scholar CryptDev has the details of all the known performers.
Homer's Warehouse, 79 Homer Lane, Palo Alto, CA: Performer Listing 1971-73
Quiet Palo Alto did not like the noisy rock of the Poppycock downtown. A few blocks away, and quite literally across the railroad tracks, Homer's Warehouse booked bands in a quonset hut that was formerly a warehouse. The fun lasted until 1973. CryptDev has what details survive of the known performers.
Sophie's, 260 S. California Avenue, Palo Alto, CA: Performer Listing 1976
After a quiet period, rock music returned to Palo Alto. This time, however, it wasn't downtown, but rather on the main street of what was formerly Mayfield, the rowdy predecessor to Palo Alto. Sophie's opened in 1975. I review the performers in 1976, when the club was migrating from just being a Top 40 dance bar to an original music club (Sophie's would become the Keystone Palo Alto in 1977).
Keystone Palo Alto, 260 South California, Palo Alto, CA: Performers List, January-July 1977 (Palo Alto VIII)
Freddie Herrera extended his Keystone empire to Palo Alto, but survival was initially a close call.
Palo Alto Rock History Navigation
I have a page listing all my Palo Alto and South Bay posts, including Night Clubs, other venues and some bands.
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| The Leaves, opening the Whisky A-Go-Go in Sunnyvale, August 1965 |
Bay Area Rock Nightclubs
These are some pages and posts to assorted rock nightclubs around the Bay Area
The In Room, Swiss Chalet, 635 Old County Road, Belmont, CA 1965
The In Room opened in February 1965 and did not last a year. Yet an 8-week booking for the Warlocks made the band.
Whisky A-Go-Go, Washington and Murphy, Sunnyvale, CA: Fall 1965
Briefly, there was a franchise of West Hollywood's legendary Whisky A-Go-Go in suburban Sunnyvale, between San Jose and Palo Alto. It only lasted a few months--but we have photos.
Wayne Manor, Washington and Murphy, Sunnyvale, CA: 1966-68
The Sunnyvale Whisky closed, and then re-opened as Wayne Manor, a Batman-themed club. At the time, the comic book was a popular TV show.
Frenchy's, Hayward, CA: Performance Listings, January-June 1966
There were very few rock clubs booking original music in the Bay Area in early 1966, but Frenchy's, at 29907 Mission Boulevard in Hayward, was one of them. Far more interesting than you might think.
Inn Of The Beginning, 8201 Redwood Highway, Cotati, CA: Performance Listings 1968-75
A complete list of performers at the Inn Of The Beginning from 1968-75, albeit without commentary.
Chateau Liberte, 22700 Old Santa Cruz Highway, Los Gatos, CA
The Chateau Liberte was a legendary early 1970s nightclub, but I have been unable to find a consistent source for bookings. This post is a meditation on the peculiar economics of the club itself (with a picture of the Zig Zag Man swimming pool).
The Red Ram, 444 E William St, San Jose, CA
I know very little about this place, except that the pizza joint near San Jose State booked rock bands for a few months in 1970. At this time (early 1970), there were no nightclubs in San Jose booking original rock bands.
Lion's Share, 60 Red Hill Avenue, San Anselmo, CA: Performance Listings April-June 1971
The Lion's Share was just a local musicians hangout, but since it was in Marin County, it was a happening place for a while.
West Hollywood Rock Nightclubs
Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood, CA: Performance List 1966-70
The Whisky A-Go-Go in West Hollywood started as a dance club, but it became America's first high profile rock club. Local bands and touring bands wanted to play the tiny Whisky in the 60s, just to see and be seen.
Whisky A-Go-Go, West Hollywood, CA: Performance List 1971-75
Whiskey A-Go-Go, 8901 Sunset Blvd (at Clark), West Hollywood, CA: January-June 1971 Performance Listings (Whisky I)Rather unexpectedly, with the rise of The Troubadour, the Whisky becomes the home for Jazz-rock and Prog bands.
The Trip, West Hollywood, CA: Performers List 1965-66
Elmer Valentine, the proprietor of the Whisky A-Go-Go, had another West Hollywood club, The Trip (at 8572 W. Sunset). The Trip was more attuned to the psychedelic era, and the Valentine migrated the booking policy of The Trip over to the Whisky.
Thee Experience, 7551 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA: Performance List March-December 1969
Thee Experience was an intriguing competitor for The Whisky A-Go-Go, but it was only open for several months in 1969.
Thee Experience proprietor opened an "upscale" rock club called Thee Experience, and the club opened with the acoustic Grateful Dead. The club was ahead of its time, but didn't last.
The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA Performance List January-April 1970 (Troubadour I)
The Troubadour had been open (in some form) since 1957, and while generally a folk club, it took on critical importance in the early 1970s. If rising singer-songwriters wanted to make it big, they had to play the Troubadour.
The Troubadour, West Hollywood and San Francisco, CA: Performance List May-August 1970 (Troubadour II)
The Troubadour expanded its footprint beyond Hollywood and opened a branch at 960 Bush Street in San Francisco.
The San Francisco Troubadour closed with barely a trace, while the West Hollywood club continued to thrive.
Elsewhere
Boston Psychedelic Rock Concert Chronology, January-June 1967 (Boston I)
This chronology includes all of the "major" underground venues for psychedelic rock shows, including the Tea Party and the colleges.
The Cross Town Bus and the Psychedelic Supermarket are added to the mix.
Cafe Au Go Go, 152 Bleecker St, New York, NY Performance List 1965 (Au Go Go I)
The Cafe Au Go Go was Greenwich Village's main rock club from 1965 through 1969.
Cafe Au Go Go, 152 Bleecker St, New York, NY Performance List January-June 1966 (Au Go Go II)
Cafe Au Go Go, 152 Bleecker St, New York, NY Performance List July-December 1967 (Au Go Go III)
Cafe Au Go Go, 152 Bleecker St, New York, NY Performance List January-June 1967 (Au Go Go IV)
Cafe Au Go Go, 152 Bleecker St, New York, NY Performance List July-December 1967 (Au Go Go V)
Cafe Au Go Go, 152 Bleecker St, New York, NY Performance List January-June 1968 (Au Go Go VI)
Cafe Au Go Go, 152 Bleecker St, New York, NY Performance List July-December 1968 (Au Go Go VII)
Cafe Au Go Go, 152 Bleecker St, New York, NY Performance List January-June 1969 (Au Go Go VII)
Cafe Au Go Go, 152 Bleecker St, New York, NY Performance List July-October 1969 (Au Go Go IX)
Cafe Au Go Go, 152 Bleecker St, New York, NY Performance List 1964-1965 (Au Go Go pre-rock)
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| Oakland's Loading Zone, ca 1968 |
Band Performance Histories
The performance history of some smaller bands gives us a good snapshot of Bay Area venues at the time, including the various clubs.
Cleanliness and Godliness Skiffle Band
Phoenix/Mt Rushmore
There was a tangle of related bands, the Vipers, Universal Parking Lot, Blue House Basement, Phoenix, Mt. Rushmore and Potter's Wheel. We sort them out.
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, Performance List 1969
Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen migrated from Ann Arbor, MI to Berkeley in the Summer of 1969, and played every gig in town.
Loading Zone Performance List 1970 (Loading Zone I)
Loading Zone Performance List 1971 (Loading Zone II)
Loading Zone Performance List 1972 (Loading Zone III)
James And The Good Brothers: Overview and Performance Listings, 1970-71 (Next Riders I)
The
Canadian trio of James Ackroyd and Bruce and Brian Good met the
Grateful Dead on the Festival Express, and Jerry Garcia invited them to
San Francisco. For about a year, the band was part of the extended
Grateful Dead family.
The Lost Horizons series are intriguing bits of research where the story remains just out of reach.
January 24, 1970 Live Oak Park, Berkeley, CA: Floating Lotus Magic Opera Company (Lost Horizons I)
February 6-7, 1970, Red Ram, 444 E Williams St, San Jose, CA: Bronze Hog (Lost Horizons II)
March 20, 1970 The Prune Pit, 30 S. Central Avenue, Campbell, CA: Ship Of The Sun (Lost Horizons IV)
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| 998 San Antonio Road, site of the Big Beat and the Palo Alto Acid Test (as of 2009) |
Nightclub Events
These posts are about specific events at (mostly) Bay Area nightclubs. Included for completeness.
December 18, 1965: The Big Beat, 998 San Antionio Road, Palo Alto--Lost and Found
3138 Fillmore Street, San Francisco The Matrix pre-opening
November 28-December 1, 1966: The Matrix: Grateful Dead/Jerry Pond
The Matrix, San Francisco, CA February 19, 1969 Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady/Weird Herald
The Matrix, San Francisco February 1969 High Country with Jerry Garcia and David Nelson
August 6-9, 1969 The Matrix, San Francisco New Riders Of The Purple Sage
December 15, 1970: The Matrix, San Francisco, CA: Jerry Garcia and Friends with David Crosby
April 1965, Whisky A-Go-Go, San Francisco, CA: Johnny Rivers
Whisky A-Go-Go, San Francisco 1965-67
Whisky A-Go-Go, San Francisco 1965-67
Washington and Murphy, Sunnyvale, CA Whisky A Go Go, August 1965 The Leaves
Washington at Murphy, Sunnyvale, CA: Wayne Manor 1966-67
Questing Beast, 2504 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA
The demise of the Questing Beast.
North To San Francisco: The Warlocks in The South Bay, 1965
November 12, 1965: Tiger A Go Go, San Francisco Airport Hilton, Burlingame
1836 El Camino Real, Redwood City, CA-The Nu Beat (later The Spectrum)
4301 El Camino Real, San Mateo, CA: The Trip November 1966-Spring 68
June 18, 1965, Frenchy's, Hayward, CA: Lords Of London
April 15-21, 1966, Frenchy's, Hayward, CA: Peter Lewis with Peter and The Wolves
May 21, 1966, Frenchy’s, Hayward, CA: Neil Diamond/The Mothers
September 30-October 1, 1967: Frenchy's, Hayward, CA: Sly and The Family Stone plus T-Bone Walker
29097 Mission Blvd, Hayward, CA: Charlie Musselwhite at Frenchy's November 7, 1969
807 Montgomery, San Francisco-Roaring 20s May 1967
Varni’s Roaring Twenties and the New Salvation Army Banned
October 27, 1967: The Napoleon Five featuring Napoleon Murphy Brock, Fireside Lounge, San Mateo, CA
4742 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA: The Rock Garden (1967)>The Ghetto Club (1967>1971)
1106 Solano Avenue (901 San Pablo Avenue), Albany, CA--The Lucky 13
1048 University Avenue, Berkeley-Mandrake's
527 comments in the thread, read them all (really)
8201 Old Redwood Highway, Cotati, CA The Inn Of The Beginning, Cotati, CA 1969
1275 Pine Street, Walnut Creek, CA The Hawks's Nest: The Socialites November 6-December 4, 1969
November 7-8, 1969 Mr. D's, 412 Broadway, San Francisco, CA: Three Dog Night/Hoyt Axton
3101 E. 14th Street, Oakland, CA: Ann's New Mo-The Naturally Stoned, November 7, 1969
3101 E. 14th Street, Oakland, CA: Ann's New Mo-Skull's May 10-11, 1968
March 5, 1970 Freight and Salvage, Berkeley, CA: Peter Rowan and Richard Greene
April 10, 1974 Freight and Salvage, Berkeley: David Grisman and David Nichtern
September 1-6, 1970 The Troubadour, 960 Bush Street San Francisco, CA: Elton John
September 9, 1971 Gold St Club, San Francisco: Pigpen
The Matrix, San Francisco, CA (412 Broadway): 1973 Shows
February 2, 1974, Keystone Berkeley: New Riders of The Purple Sage with Jerry Garcia (Home, Home On The Road)
October 11-12, 1975 Keystone Berkeley Jerry Garcia Band w/Nicky Hopkins--Tim Hensley, electric piano
December 21-22, 1976, Keystone Berkeley, Berkeley, CA: Jerry Garcia Band (Who Is John Rich?)
Jerry Garcia and Keystone Shows Overview
January 9-10, 1976: Sophie's, Palo Alto, CA: The Jerry Garcia Band with James Booker
December 5, 1977: Keystone Palo Alto, Palo Alto, CA Robert Hunter and Comfort (Alligator Moon-FM XIV)
January 9-10, 1976: Sophie's, Palo Alto, CA: The Jerry Garcia Band with James Booker
"So What" The Jerry Garcia Band: Keystone Palo Alto, Palo Alto, CA November 3, 1978
May 19, 1979: The Old Waldorf, San Francisco, CA: Reconstruction/Horslips
Posts
Are you the Malcolm I knew in early 70's at Longbranch? I bought Milt's on Gilman St. Bill Seifert 415-419-1442 Please call me!
ReplyDeleteHi Bill. Are you still at this number? Mail me. mswjr47@aol.com
DeleteI remember a club in Los Gatos in the early 70’s called “Johnny ( something). Anybody remember the rest of that name?
ReplyDeleteMountain Charlie’s was the spot in Los Gatos in the 70s
ReplyDeleteThe Odyssey Room at 799 E El Camino in Sunnyvale 1979 to 1989 ! Live music 7 nights a week Name band concerts on Monday nights and on the weekends Eddie Money, Cold Blood, Tower of Power, Edgar Winter, Leon Russell, the Tubes, Greg Kihn, Earthquake, Sons of Champlain, Elvin Bishop, Eric Burden, Chambers Brothers, Canned Heat, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, Stoneground, The Beau Brummels, Norton Buffalo, Fish and Chips, Van Morrison, B.J. Thomas, Joy of Cooking, The Guess Who, Black Oak Arkansas just to name a few
ReplyDeleteCapacity 800
Thanks for the detailed information about the Odyssey Room. It's very hard to find out anything about it. I think it actually went back to 1974, or even earlier. Lots of good bands played there.
DeleteDo you know if the Sunnyvale Odyssey had any connection to an earlier place called the Odyssey in San Mateo (1970-71)? It was at 1606 El Camino Real (at 16th Ave, near Hiway 92). I looked into it here
https://rockarchaeology101.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-odyssey-1606-s-el-camino-real-san.html
Hi gary schmidt here I opened the odyssey room in Sunnyvale New Year’s Eve in 1968 closed it December 1989 had no connection with the odyssey mentioned further north I hadn’t heard of that one there was a club that opened in San Jose called disco Odyssey for a couple years I sued them for trade name infringement when they immediately had a murder there a month after they opened kind of a rough spot they change their name when we sued them but it did cause some temporary damage to our reputation the newspapers listed it as a murder at the Idyssey room in Sunnyvale All the acts listed by your anonymous her there most of them multiple times. I think we set a record as far as continue as Knights of rock dance bands and that we went a little over 18 years continuous never missed a night through power failures and bomb scares. That’s over 7000 nights of live dance band rock music continuous. The last six or seven years we had two or three vans on Friday started music at 5 PM to pick up the Silicon Valley after work crowd. Eddie Money played the odyssey room every Sunday night for a year and I believe it was 72 his last night on Sunday I’d have to think back or research the date a little bit that Monday he went up to for an appointment with Bill Graham and sign his record deal he called me on Tuesday or Wednesday and said Gary I don’t think I’ll be coming back next Monday great guy used to visit with him at the bar every Sunday night six months later he was an opening at the show at the Colosseum for the Rolling Stones Bul Graham presents of course. I’m alive and well living in Virginia City two blocks down from the Red Dog Saloon. Can be reached at Nobullschmidt@hotmail.com. Doing a taped historical interview with my friend Bill Quarry this afternoon in San Leandro at his print shop. Steve bond is doing a historical documentary on Bill and wants to interview me. Bill and I did concerts in various venues for a lot of years and Bill was a long time associated with Frenchy’s in Hayward. Got a run for now !
DeleteGary thanks for all this amazing back story about the Odyssey Room
DeleteAny Odyssey Room customers can leave messages here or at Odyssey Room Revisited or with nobullschhmidt@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteRock on !!
Saw Edgar Winter/Leon Russell on a double bill in ‘89. Leon had so much hair - looked like cousin IT. The mike disapperred somewhere in his beard. No stage - they were set up on the floor. Incredibly loud! Fantastic show.
DeleteNobullschmidt@hotmail.com
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember Continental Ballroom in Santa Clara, California in the 60's? and there was one called Al's (or possibly Big Al's) in the Bay Area in the late 60's early 70's possibly around Sunnyvale or Mountain View, Ca.
ReplyDeleteThe Continental Ballroom was at 1600 Martin. It was used by various promoters, so there wasn't a continuous history, compared to places like the Avalon or Fillmore.
DeleteThe main Big Al's was a topless club on Broadway in SF. However, there were "satellites" in San Mateo and Palo Alto. They were just pizza-and-beer joints, not topless. They definitely had rock bands.
The Palo Alto one was near the Mtn View border. I believe the address was 4199 El Camino, which would put it at ECR and Charleston. The Warlocks (Dead) played the PA Big Al's a view times in Fall 65.
It was Big Al’s Gas House in south Palo Alto ditto on everything else including The Warlocks
DeleteI went there a lot while attended San Jose State and living in Sunnyvale. It was part of my inspiration in opening up the odyssey room in Sunnyvale in 1968 which I operated for 20 years
Gary Schmidt
Nobullschmidt@hotmail.com
Does anyone else remember a small bar on Union Street in San Francisco called the Drinking Gourd? Live music. Word is that Jefferson Airplane was created there, although they didn't play there.
ReplyDeleteThe Drinking Gourd was at 1898 Union. Marty Balin met Paul Kantner there, on "audition night" in early '65 or so.
Delete