The Cellar (teen dance club)
Encyclopedia
Located in Arlington Heights, Illinois
, The Cellar teen dance club
provided live musical entertainment in the 1960s. Founded in 1964 by Paul Sampson (a local record store
owner who later became a music promoter
and manager
), this music venue
primarily featured Rock and Roll music
acts, although some Blues
acts performed as well. Original location is uncertain. Many residents that attended many a concert don't seem to agree on its original spot. It moved to an unused warehouse
on Davis Street, along the Chicago and Northwestern
railroad tracks (42.087271°N 87.991744°W). It closed in 1970.
The Cellar became a notable venue for several reasons, providing teenagers from the region with a place to congregate and to dance
.
It was also notable because of its talented regional house
/ repeat bands, such as: the Shadows of Knight
, The Mauds
, H.P. Lovecraft
, Saturday's Children
, Ted Nugent
with The Amboy Dukes
, The Huns, The Raevns, The Other Half, and Little Boy Blues.
Despite the fact it was a modest warehouse venue in a northwestern suburb
of Chicago
, The Cellar attracted national and international Rock acts, such as:
The Who
, The Cream
, The Byrds
, Buffalo Springfield
, and The Spencer Davis Group,
There are a number of notable considerations to keep in mind about The Cellar:
has been documented as a live Cellar sound recording. The Shadows of Knight recorded the songs on this (not quite correctly titled) album at The Cellar in December 1966: Raw and Alive at the Cellar, Chicago, 1966!
Lind, Jeff. "History of Chicago Rock." Illinois Entertainer (July 1978)
Mart, Teresa. "Crossing Centuries -- Our Suburbs: Celebrities Have Roots in Local Communities." Daily Herald [Arlington Heights, Illinois] (December 28, 1999)
Arlington Heights, Illinois
Arlington Heights is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about 25 miles northwest of the city's downtown. The population was 75,101 at the 2010 census....
, The Cellar teen dance club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
provided live musical entertainment in the 1960s. Founded in 1964 by Paul Sampson (a local record store
Record shop
A record shop or record store is an outlet that sells recorded music. Although vinyl records and audio cassettes are no longer sold in the majority of music stores, in favour of compact discs and home video recordings products, people in some countries, like the UK, still use the term "record...
owner who later became a music promoter
Promoter (entertainment)
An entertainment promoter i.e. music, wrestling, boxing etc is a person or company in the business of marketing and promoting live events such as concerts/gigs, boxing matches, sports entertainment , festivals, raves, and nightclubs.- Business model :Promoters are typically hired as independent...
and manager
Talent manager
A talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
), this music venue
Music venue
A music venue is any location used for a concert or musical performance. Music venues range in size and location, from an outdoor bandshell or bandstand or a concert hall to an indoor sports stadium. Typically, different types of venues host different genres of music...
primarily featured Rock and Roll music
Rock and Roll Music
"Rock and Roll Music" is a song written and recorded by rock and roll icon Chuck Berry which became a hit single in 1957 and has been covered by many artists....
acts, although some Blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
acts performed as well. Original location is uncertain. Many residents that attended many a concert don't seem to agree on its original spot. It moved to an unused warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
on Davis Street, along the Chicago and Northwestern
Chicago and North Western Railway
The Chicago and North Western Transportation Company was a Class I railroad in the Midwest United States. It was also known as the North Western. The railroad operated more than of track as of the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states before retrenchment in the late 1970s...
railroad tracks (42.087271°N 87.991744°W). It closed in 1970.
The Cellar became a notable venue for several reasons, providing teenagers from the region with a place to congregate and to dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
.
It was also notable because of its talented regional house
House band
For the British band that existed from 1984-2001, see The House BandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to...
/ repeat bands, such as: the Shadows of Knight
Shadows of Knight
The Shadows of Knight are an American rock band from the Chicago suburbs, formed in the 1960s, who play a form of British blues mixed with influences from their native city. At the time they first started recording, the band's self-description was as follows: "The Stones, Animals and Yardbirds...
, The Mauds
The Mauds
The Mauds were an influential band in the 1960s Chicago music “garage band” scene that included The Buckinghams, The Cryan Shames, New Colony Six, The Ides Of March and Shadows of Knight. The Mauds was founded in 1965 by Bill Durling, rhythm guitar. Bill knew Jimy Rogers from 1964 and convinced...
, H.P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft (band)
H. P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1967 and named after horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Much of the band's music was possessed of a haunting, eerie ambience, and consisted of material that was inspired by the macabre writings of the author whose...
, Saturday's Children
Saturday's Children
Saturday's Children is a 1940 American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring John Garfield, Anne Shirley, and Claude Rains. It is a third-time remake of the original Maxwell Anderson play.-Plot:...
, Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
with The Amboy Dukes
The Amboy Dukes
The Amboy Dukes were an American rock music band of the late 1960s and early 1970s from Detroit, Michigan, best remembered for their hit single "Journey to the Center of the Mind", and for launching the career of Ted Nugent...
, The Huns, The Raevns, The Other Half, and Little Boy Blues.
Despite the fact it was a modest warehouse venue in a northwestern suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, The Cellar attracted national and international Rock acts, such as:
The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
, The Cream
The cream
"The cream" is a testosterone-based ointment that is used in conjunction with anabolic steroids such as tetrahydrogestrinone in order to mask doping in professional athletes....
, The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield
Buffalo Springfield is a North American folk rock band renown both for its music and as a springboard for the careers of Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Jim Messina. Among the first wave of North American bands to become popular in the wake of the British invasion, the group combined...
, and The Spencer Davis Group,
There are a number of notable considerations to keep in mind about The Cellar:
- For Garage rockGarage rockGarage rock is a raw form of rock and roll that was first popular in the United States and Canada from about 1963 to 1967. During the 1960s, it was not recognized as a separate music genre and had no specific name...
bands/newly forming groups, The Cellar' took them out of their garagesGarage (house)A residential garage is part of a home, or an associated building, designed or used for storing a vehicle or vehicles. In some places the term is used synonymously with "carport", though that term normally describes a structure that is not completely enclosed.- British residential garages:Those...
and/or rehearsalRehearsalFor other uses, see Rehearsal or Dress rehearsal A rehearsal is a preparatory event in music and theatre that is performed before the official public performance, as a form of practice, and to ensure that all details of the performance are adequately prepared and coordinated for professional...
spaces and provided them with on a stage and a teenage audienceAudienceAn audience is a group of people who participate in a show or encounter a work of art, literature , theatre, music or academics in any medium...
eager to hear their music. Once on the stage, these Cellar' groups gained regional and, in some cases (such as the Shadows), national followings. Further, it provided these local groups with the extraordinary opportunity to open for the major acts who also played there, such as H.P. Lovecraft opening for The Who on June 15, 1967.
- The Cellar actualized one of the true tenets of Rock and RollRock and rollRock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
music: it provided a place where people could dance. Indeed, one could view the ultimate demise of true Rock and Roll music with the transition from dancing to seated venues. Once seated, fans only listened and the experience became more cerebral—which is not exactly a word one primarily associates with the vibrant physicality of Rock and Roll. Defined in its most traditional sense, Rock and Roll is sustained by movement and action. The Cellar served as an environment that allowed the essence of Rock and Roll to flourish.
Recordings
At least one albumAlbum
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
has been documented as a live Cellar sound recording. The Shadows of Knight recorded the songs on this (not quite correctly titled) album at The Cellar in December 1966: Raw and Alive at the Cellar, Chicago, 1966!
Sources
Davis, Jon. "'Feelin' Groovy' Exhibit Takes Graphic Trip back to the 60s." Daily Herald [Arlington Heights, Illinois] (October 2001)Lind, Jeff. "History of Chicago Rock." Illinois Entertainer (July 1978)
Mart, Teresa. "Crossing Centuries -- Our Suburbs: Celebrities Have Roots in Local Communities." Daily Herald [Arlington Heights, Illinois] (December 28, 1999)
External links
- http://www.jimyrogers.com.futuresite.register.com/_wsn/page1.html
- http://www.jimyrogers.com.futuresite.register.com/_wsn/page2.html
- http://www.jimyrogers.com.futuresite.register.com/_wsn/page3.html
- http://www.modernist.com/lbb/history.html
- http://shadowsofknight.com/