Existing comment:
Let the Good Times Roll
Georgetown has been a performance hub for musicians in a wide range of popular genres -- jazz, folk, blues, bluegrass, country, and rock.
During the 1960s and 1970s the Cellar Door, at the corner of 34th and M Streets, featured artists such as Miles Davis, Linda Ronstadt, B.B. King, Sonny and Cher, John Denver, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters and Bonnie Raitt, as well as comedians Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Woody Allen and Steve Martin. Just across the street at Desperado's one could see the likes of Bo Diddley. According to music lore, in February 1979, George Thorogood with the Delaware Destroyers and the Washington-based Nighthawks were performing on opposite corners. At midnight, by prior arrangement, both bands began to play the Elmore James hit Madison Blues. Thorogood and Hawks guitarist, Jimmy Thackery, exited the clubs and stopped nighttime traffic with an extended guitar jam.
Blues Alley, one of the oldest jazz supper clubs in America, is located just off Wisconsin Avenue below M Street. Blues Alley showcased internationally renowned artists such as Dizzy Gillespie, and continues to host sensations like Wynton Marsalis and Ahmad Jamal. Many artists have recorded live albums in the club. The Emergency Club, in the 2800 block of M Street was an alternative to Blues Alley. It was a non-alcoholic venue founded by teenagers that hosted such acts as the Kinks, Bob Seger and Asleep at the Wheel.
Near the river at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and K Street was the Bayou, the first local venue to host U2, Bruce Springsteen and the Dave Matthews Band. It was Georgetown's oldest performing venue, having opened in 1939 as a Dixieland jazz club. The club was closed in 1998 and razed in 2000. |