CBGB
The front facade of CBGB
Location(s)	Manhattan, New York
Years active	1973 - 2006
Owner	Hilly Kristal

CBGB (Country, Blue Grass, and Blues) was a music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Founded by Hilly Kristal in 1973, it was originally intended to feature its namesake musical styles, but became a forum for American punk and punk-influenced bands like Ramones, Television, the Patti Smith Group, Mink Deville, The Dead Boys, The Dictators, The Fleshtones, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Blondie, and Talking Heads. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 526 KB) Summary CBGB club facade, Bowery St, New York City. ... For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hilly Kristal (September 23, 1931 – August 28, 2007) was a club owner and musician who was the owner of the iconic New York City club, CBGB, which opened in 1973 and closed in 2006 over a rent dispute. ... country music, see Country music (disambiguation) Country music, the first half of Billboards country and western music category, is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States. ... Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music. ... Blues music redirects here. ... The Bowery is a well-known street in Manhattan that more or less marks the boundary between Chinatown and Little Italy on one side and the Lower East Side on the other—running from Chatham Square in the south to Astor Place in the north. ... Bleecker Street looking west from The Bowery. ... The Five Boroughs redirects here. ... For other uses, see Manhattan (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Hilly Kristal (September 23, 1931 – August 28, 2007) was a club owner and musician who was the owner of the iconic New York City club, CBGB, which opened in 1973 and closed in 2006 over a rent dispute. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Patty Smyth is also a musician, formerly of the band Scandal. ... Willy DeVille on his 2001 album Horse of a Different Color Willy DeVille, singer and songwriter, was born William Borsay in Stamford, Connecticut on August 25, 1950. ... The Dead Boys were a punk band that formed in Cleveland, Ohio about 1975, evolving out of the band Rocket From The Tombs. ... The Dictators are a proto-punk band from New York City. ... Roman Gods (1982) Beachhead (2005) The Fleshtones are a U.S. rock & roll band that blends Garage Rock and R&B. They are famous for their high-energy live shows and dedicated celebration of party music. ... Richard Hell (1949 - ) born Richard Myers, was the frontman for the early American punk band Richard Hell and the Voidoids. ... Blondie is the name of an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ... Talking Heads were an American rock band existing between 1974 and 1991, composed of David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison. ...

The storefront and large space next door to the club served as the CBGB Record Store for many years. Eventually, in the late eighties, the record store was closed and replaced with a second performance space and art gallery, named CB's 313 Gallery. The gallery went on to showcase many popular bands and singer/songwriters who played in a musical style more akin to acoustic rock, folk, jazz, or experimental music, while the original club continued to present the best in harder, louder post-punk, metal, and alternative rock acts. The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ... Folk rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. ... Folk can refer to a number of different things: It can be short for folk music, or, for folksong, or, for folklore; it may be a word for a specific people, tribe, or nation, especially one of the Germanic peoples; it might even be a calque on the related German... For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... For experimental rock music, see experimental rock. ... Post punk generally refers to the particularly fertile and creative period following the initial punk rock explosion. During the first wave of punk, roughly spanning 1976-1983, bands such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones and The Damned began to challenge the current styles and conventions of rock... Alternative music redirects here. ...

The club closed in October 2006. The final concert was performed by Patti Smith on Sunday October 15.^[1] CBGB Fashions (the CBGB store, wholesale department, and online store) stayed open until October 31 at 315 Bowery. On November 1 2006 CBGB Fashions moved to 19-23 St. Mark's Place, where it remains today. For other uses, see October (disambiguation). ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Patricia Lee (Patti) Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American musician, singer, and poet. ... is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Founding

CBGB, a then-little-known rock club, was founded in December 1973, on the site of Kristal's earlier bar, Hilly's on the Bowery, which he ran from 1969 to 1972. Originally, Kristal had focused exclusively on his more profitable West Village nightspot, Hilly's, but complaints from the bar's neighbors forced Hilly's to close, sending its owner back to the Bowery. The full name is CBGB & OMFUG which stands for "Country Bluegrass Blues and Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers". Gormandizer usually means a ravenous eater of food, but according to Kristal here it means "a voracious eater of ... music".^[2] The club was also affectionately called simply "CB's". As its name implied, Kristal intended the bar to feature Country, Bluegrass and Blues music (along with poetry readings), but it became famous as the birthplace of the punk movement. country music, see Country music (disambiguation) Country music, the first half of Billboards country and western music category, is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States. ... Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music. ... Blues music redirects here. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ...

1970s

In 1973, before Hilly's on the Bowery became CBGB, two locals named Bill Page and Rusty McKenna convinced Kristal to allow them to book concerts. While the term "punk rock" had not yet been invented, the acts booked by Billy Page and McKenna helped lay the musical foundation for the bands that followed.^[3] After the Mercer Arts Center collapsed in August 1973, there were few locations in New York where unsigned bands could play original music, and a couple of Mercer refugees—Suicide and Wayne County—played one-off gigs in the very early days of CBGB. Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Suicide is an American rock music group intermittently active since 1971 and composed of Alan Vega (vocals) and Martin Rev (synthesizers and drum machines). ... Wayne County & the Electric Chairs were part of the original first wave of punk band froms the 1970s. ...

On March 31, 1974, Television began a long-term Sunday night residency at the club, an event that many see as the key moment in the early history of the New York punk scene. Although Kristal was often quoted as saying that Television was the first band to bring punk rock to CBGB, this was a myth; there was actually a punk show in progress the first time Tom Verlaine visited the club. ^[4] However, it was Television's shows that started a flood of "street music" (as punk acts were initially known) performances on the Bowery. is the 90th day of the year (91st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Tom Verlaine (born Thomas Miller, December 13, 1949, in Morristown, New Jersey)[1] is a singer, songwriter and guitarist, best-known as the frontman for the New York rock band, Television. ...

At the third Television gig on 14 April 1974, Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye from the Patti Smith Group were in the audience; that band went on to make its own CBGB debut on 14 February 1975. Other early performers included The Stillettoes (featuring future Blondie vocalist Debbie Harry on back-up vocals), who supported Television on 5 May 1974. The newly-formed Blondie (under its original name of Angel & the Snake) and Inmate!,The Ramones both arrived in August 1974. Mink DeVille, Talking Heads, The Shirts, The Heartbreakers, The Fleshtones, Steel Tips and many other bands followed in quick succession. April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Patricia Lee (Patti) Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American musician, singer, and poet. ... Guitarist, composer and writer Lenny Kaye was a member of the Patti Smith Group and has been Smiths most frequent collaborator. ... is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Blondie is the name of an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ... Deborah Ann Harry (born July 1, 1945, in Miami, Florida) is a singer-songwriter and actress most famous for being the lead singer for the punk rock/new wave band Blondie. ... is the 125th day of the year (126th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... The Ramones (L-R, Johnny, Tommy, Joey, Dee Dee) on the cover of their debut self-titled album (1976), cementing their place at the dawn of the punk movement. ... Willy DeVille on his 2001 album Horse of a Different Color Willy DeVille, singer and songwriter, was born William Borsay in Stamford, Connecticut on August 25, 1950. ... Talking Heads were an American rock band existing between 1974 and 1991, composed of David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison. ... The Heartbreakers was a punk rock group formed in New York in May 1975 by Johnny Thunders (vocals/guitar) and Jerry Nolan (drums) who had just quit the New York Dolls and Richard Hell (vocals/bass) who was forced out of Television, the band he had founded with Tom Verlaine... Roman Gods (1982) Beachhead (2005) The Fleshtones are a U.S. rock & roll band that blends Garage Rock and R&B. They are famous for their high-energy live shows and dedicated celebration of party music. ...

CBGB's had only one rule for a band to follow in order to play at the venue: they had to write original music. No cover bands were booked to play there. However, regulars like Television and the Ramones sometimes played a handful of covers during their sets. In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ...

Hardcore punk

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Vivien Goldman: An interview with the Punk Professor

Though CBGB was utilized as a hot spot for touring bands to hit when they came through New York, the scene that kept the bar alive during the 1980s was New York's underground hardcore scene. Sunday at CBGB was matinee day (also named "thrash day" in a documentary about hardcore skinheads)^{[citation needed]}. Every Sunday, a handful of hardcore bands took the stage in the afternoon to dinnertime hours, usually for cheap. Bands made famous by matinees include Gorilla Biscuits, Inmate!, Cro-Mags, Agnostic Front, Sick Of It All, Reagan Youth, Warzone, and Youth Of Today. Image File history File links WikiNews-Logo. ... Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ... The Music Scene is part of the Demoscene. ... The Dark of the Matinée, or Matinée as it is also known, is the second single by Franz Ferdinand. ... Hardcore punk, now commonly known as hardcore, is a subgenre of punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s. ... Skinheads, named after their shaven heads, are members of a subculture that originated in Britain in the 1960s, where they were closely tied to the Rude boy of the West Indies and the Mods of the UK. English Skinhead on cutdown circa 1991 Categories There are a number of different... Gorilla Biscuits are a New York straight edge hardcore punk band on Revelation Records, consisting of Anthony Civarelli, Walter Schreifels, Arthur Smilios, Alex Brown and Luke Abbey. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Agnostic Front are a New York Hardcore Punk band formed in New York City in 1982. ... Sick Of It All (SOIA) is a New York Hardcore band formed by brothers Lou Koller (vocals) and Pete Koller (guitar), Armand Majidi (drums) and Rich Capriano (bass) in 1984. ... Reagan Youth (a play on Hitler Youth) was a band started by singer Dave Rubinstein (Dave Insurgent) and his friend and guitarist Paul Bakija in Queens in the early 1980s. ... Warzone was a hardcore punk band from New York City. ... Youth of Today was a straight edge hardcore band from New York City. ...

Over the years, the CBGB's matinee became an institution, before violence both in and out of the scene caused Kristal to refuse to book hardcore shows. By 1990, CBGB did not book any hardcore punk shows. CBGB's brought hardcore back at various times, and for the last several years of its existence had no rules about what genres could and couldn't be featured.

Closing

CBGB after it closed

In 2005, a dispute arose between CBGB and the Bowery Residents' Committee. The Committee billed Kristal $91,000 in back rent, while Kristal claimed he had not been informed of increases in his $19,000 monthly rent. After the lease expired, they reached an agreement for the club to remain for fourteen more months while Kristal dropped his legal battles and his attempts to get historic landmark status for the club. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 2195 KB) This is a photo of CBGB after they closed and the awning was stolen or taken down. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2816x2112, 2195 KB) This is a photo of CBGB after they closed and the awning was stolen or taken down. ... The term National landmark may refer to one of two programs of the United States government: National Historic Landmark National Natural Landmark Also see: Listed building (United Kingdom equivalent) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Kristal planned to move the club far from its roots with a new CBGB's in Las Vegas, Nevada. The owner planned to strip the current club down to the bare walls, bringing as much of it to Nevada as possible. For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ...

"We're going to take the urinals," he said. "I'll take whatever I can. The movers said, `You ought to take everything, and auction off what you don't want on eBay.' Why not? Somebody will."^[5]

The club finally closed on October 15, 2006. The last week featured multi-night stands by Bad Brains and The Dictators, along with an acoustic set by Blondie. Younger groups such as Avail and the Bouncing Souls also performed. is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bad Brains are an American punk rock band, originally formed in Washington, D.C. in 1979 . ... The Dictators are a proto-punk band from New York City. ... Blondie is the name of an American rock band that first gained fame in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ... This article is about the band named Avail. ... The Bouncing Souls are a punk band, formed in 1987. ...

The final concert was performed by Patti Smith and broadcast live on Sirius Satellite Radio. Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers attended the show and even performed on a handful of songs with Smith and her band. Flea turned 44 at midnight, and the band and crowd sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Television's Richard Lloyd also guested on a few songs, including a reworked version of the title track to "Marquee Moon". Toward the end of their set, the band played "Gloria", paying tribute to the Ramones during the chorus by alternating between the original lyrics and the "Hey! Ho! Let's go!" of "Blitzkrieg Bop". In her final encore, the song "Elegie", Smith listed many of the musicians who died since they last played at CBGB. Patricia Lee (Patti) Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American musician, singer, and poet. ... Sirius Satellite Radio NASDAQ: SIRI is one of two satellite radio (SDARS) services operating in the United States and Canada, along with XM Satellite Radio. ... Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16, 1962 in Melbourne, Australia), better known by his stage name Flea, is the bassist for the alternative rock rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. ... Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. ... Happy Birthday may refer to: Happy Birthday to You, a traditional song Happy Birthday (1970 album), a record by Pete Townshend Happy Birthday (1980 song), a record by Stevie Wonder Happy Birthday (1981 album), a record by Altered Images Happy Birthday (1983 song), a song by Weird Al Yankovic Happy... Richard Lloyd (born 25 October 1951, Pittsburgh, PA) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, probably best-known as a former member of the rock band Television. ... Marquee Moon was Televisions 1977 (see 1977 in music) debut album. ... Gloria is the title of many different songs, both in contemporary popular music as well as classical music of the sacred Christian genre. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... This article is about the song by American punk rock group The Ramones, for the English punk band, see Blitzkrieg Bop (band). ...

Hilly Kristal died from complications from lung cancer on August 28, 2007. CBGB still has the go ahead to move to Las Vegas sometime in 2008, although after Kristal's death it was rumored that the move would be called off. is the 240th day of the year (241st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ...

On November 2, 2007 it was announced that high-end men's fashion designer John Varvatos will open a store at CBGB's former space at 313 Bowery in spring 2008.^[6] is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Image:TN JohnVarvatos2004. ...

Famous acts

• List of famous musical acts that have played at CBGB

Famous musical acts that have played CBGB, the club in New York City. ...

Notes

An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand the article to establish its notability, citing reliable sources, so as to avoid its being considered... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: If you are familiar with the subject matter, please expand the article to establish its notability, citing reliable sources, so as to avoid its being considered... is the 254th day of the year (255th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... BBC News is the department within the BBC responsible for the corporations news-gathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... is the 285th day of the year (286th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C.. It is also one of the citys oldest papers, having been founded in 1877. ... For other uses, see November (disambiguation). ... is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

References

• Beeber, Cat Stevens. The Heebie-Jeebies at CBGB's: A Secret History of Jewish Punk. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2006. ISBN-13: 978-1-55652-613-8.
• Brazis, Tamar (ed.). CBGB & OMFUG: Thirty Years from the Home of Underground Rock (1st ed.). New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., Publishers, 2005. ISBN 0810957868.
• Heylin, Clinton. From the Velvets to the Voidoids (2nd ed.). Eastbourne, East Sussex: Gardners Books, 2005. ISBN 1-905139-04-7.
• Kozak, Roman. This Ain't No Disco: The Story of CBGB. Boston: Faber and Faber, 1988. ISBN 0-571-12956-0.

External links

• Official site
• Rekindling the Punk Flame, article
• The End of an Era, article
• Las Vegas Herald story on club's move
• The Heebie Jeebies at CBGB's, Book
• Between Punk Rock and a Hard Place
• Rock ‘n’ Roll High School
• CBGB Takes Final Bow Before Eviction
• CBGB's Last Hours, MTV News article from 11/6/2006 about the dismantling of the club
• Glide Magazine: Notable Acts that have played CBGB
• Punk's had its day at CBGB

Coordinates: 40°43′31″N, 73°59′31″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...