The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???

Subject: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 06:01 PM

Well, well, well...

Seems I can't recall any threads on the Cellar Door on M. St, just across the Ket Bridge and kinda next door to Dixie Liquor...

Seems that I was down there once a month for many years catching folkie acts... And seems that every folkie, except Bob Dylan, played the club at least once and many such as Joan Baez, many times...

Any other folks been there???

B~

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 06:09 PM

I was there a couple of times... once to see Bryan Bowers in 1973, before I moved here. My wife was there many times, as she lived here.

Crowded little room!

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 06:11 PM

(Once I moved here, my place of choice was The Red Fox Inn in Bethesda, because they had open mic for **folk** on Mondays)

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Rapparee
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 06:20 PM

My wife used to go there whenever she could. 'Course, like her momma and folks before her she was borned in DC and raised up mostly around there and most of her kinfolks live there 'ceptin' those that don't. Me -- I ain't never even been to Wolf Trap or the Birchmere.

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 06:37 PM

I've been to Wolf Trap several times (National Folk Festival was there for many years)...Birchemere only once....

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bobert
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 06:45 PM

Yeah, Bill, I used to go to Wolf Trap... It was the best of good festivals because the performers would sit under a tree and lead informal workshops...

B~

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bill D
Date: 06 Feb 12 - 06:54 PM

Indeed! I spent many happy hours on that grass...

(I know Andy Wallace, who was director the last 7-8 years at Wolf Trap)

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: clueless don
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 09:16 AM

I went to the Cellar Door at least twice - possibly more, I can't remember. Saw Kevin Burke and Michael O'Domnaill (sp? I think I may have left out an "h") there. The intro act was a local Irish group called The Hags. I was a Hags fan.

Went to the Red Fox Inn once - nice place. Went to the Birchmere lots of times, but I have never been to the present location. Used to go to Wolf Trap every year for the Washington Irish Festival, after it left Glen Echo and before it moved, briefly, to Montgomery County Fairgrounds.

Don

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 11:49 AM

Oh yeah... The Birchmere... It needed to get moved.... Bad location... Saw Steve Earle there... He was an hour late but that was back in his druggie days...

B~

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bob Hitchcock
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 04:43 PM

Went to the Cellar Door many times after moving to D.C. in 1978, among the many shows I attended:-

Bert Jansch
Watersons and Martin Carthy
Max Roach
Seldom Scene
Danny Gatton
Tom Principato
Etc.etc.etc

Also been to all the Birchmere's and played at them too.

Bob.

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Nancy King
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 05:03 PM

I remember the Cellar Door in the mid '60s -- went there several times, but the only performer I really remember seeing there is Donal Leace. I was pleased to see him a few years ago at the Washington Folk Festival -- glad to know he's still around and performing.

A friend of mine in those days lived in a townhouse just a couple of doors up the hill (was it 29th St.? 30th St.?) from the Cellar Door on the corner of M St. in Georgetown. Several times, when we had music parties at her house, total strangers would drop in -- they'd been in line for the Cellar Door (a very small venue), but heard the music coming from the house and decided we were a better (or at least quicker and cheaper) deal.

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 05:33 PM

Didja serve beer, Nancy???

BTW, I also heard the Seldom Scene there but heard them several places in and around DC, including a private party...

I did see Paul Siebel, Ricthie Havens, Leo Kottkee and Goose Creek Symphony there... Oh, and Joan Baez... Hmmmmm??? I know there were lots more but those were the ones that come to mind...

B~

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Skivee
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 07:08 PM

Clueless Don, you stole my Cellar Door post word for word. :-) why would that be?

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Padre
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 07:16 PM

The Country Gentlemen had a regular weeknight gig (Tuesday?) down the street from the Cellar Door at a really hardcore bar called the Shamrock. Big blotches of dayglo paint on the walls, and a sign over the bar, "YES, we have Cold Duck!"

I saw Ian and Sylvia several times at the Cellar Door, with Brewer and Shipley as the opening act.

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bobert
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 07:31 PM

Yup, I remember the "Country Gentlemen" and the Shamrock... Never went in there but I remember the all but permanent "Country Gentlemen" sign in the window...

Hey, I went to the Ian and Sylvia concert...

Further down the street was another bar, the "Silver Mirror" (I think) on the river side of M St. where "The Cherry People" was the club band for some time... I booked them to play in Richmond one weekend...

B~

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: GUEST,gillymor
Date: 07 Feb 12 - 09:49 PM

The Shamrock is where CG's banjo player, Bill Emerson, got shot in the arm so I heard. Used to see the CG there and Sharpy Clark, another fine bluegrass band. Right next to the Club LT with their 10 cent death balls.
I saw so many great acts at the Cellar Door including Doc Watson, John Hammond Jr., Kottke, Steve Goodman. I was at the Hoots there one night when Steve Stills showed up and with a couple of Burritos (if memory serves) to jam.

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 02:16 AM

I saw John Denver, Billy Joel and others at the Cellar Door. And the Gents with Ralph Stanley and 2 puppies - Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley - at the Shamrock. Charlie Waller let me play his guitar. What really impressed me was the fact that the musicians would walk among the audience during their breaks and hawk their albums. Those were the days!

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: clueless don
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 08:30 AM

I don't know, Skivee. Alike minds think great?

"Hags Fans". Now there's a Karass! Or is it a Granfalloon?

Don

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Nancy King
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 10:39 AM

Bobert, the fact that I can't remember means there probably was beer...

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bobert
Date: 08 Feb 12 - 12:43 PM

Lotta that kinda stuff going on back then... And I ain't just talkin' beer...

B;~)

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: GUEST,Karen
Date: 21 Apr 12 - 07:52 PM

My roommate and I went to the Cellar Door very often...and stayed for the after hours shows in the 1960s. We lived in Georgetown on Q St. Joe and Eddie were my favorite performers. Ian and Sylvia, Donal Leace - who performed at Strathmore a few years ago and sounded exactly the same - and so many others played at the Cellar Door.

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Bobert
Date: 21 Apr 12 - 09:46 PM

Love it...

B~

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: GUEST,Dropthumbs
Date: 22 Apr 12 - 12:08 PM

Ahh, The Cellar Door. Many happy times. Donal Leace lived upstairs in a tiny apartment, and we would gather there after the shows. I saw Gordon Lightfoot open for Ian and Sylvia, John Denver with Bill and Taffy Danoff and the first performance of "Take Me Home,Country Roads". Chris O'Connor, eventually John Denver's road manager was the sound and lights guy, then Bill Danoff took over. Lots of Georgetown students worked there. Charlie Fishman, the owner was a real pain in the butt, but a good judge of talent. After performing there (as an emergency replacement for an act that could not get there) he told my partner, Mark Thaler, that he had a great voice and a good chance at a career; he told me to not give up my day job!

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Jun 15 - 12:21 AM

In the late 60s, the following acts played The Cellar Door:
Richard Pryor, Modern Jazz Quartet, Gordon Lightfood, Ian & Sylvia, Pozo Seco Singers, John Denver, Chad Mitchell Trio, Count Basie and His Orchestra, Joe Williams, David Steinberg, Bobby Darrin, Rod McKuen, James Taylor, Cannonball Adderly, Herbie Mann, Odetta, Bill Haley and the Comets, Ricky Nelson, Little Stevie Wonder (his comeback), Staple Singers, Peaches & Herb, The Platters, the Everly Brothers, Patchett & Tarses, Miriam Makeba, and so many more.

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: GUEST,Guest
Date: 26 Feb 16 - 02:32 PM

I went to The Cellar Door many times, saw Ricky Nelson there..

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: GUEST,Gerald Yancey
Date: 13 Jan 19 - 08:55 PM

I worked as a waiter there from 1968 to 1971 while a student at Georgetown. Great memories. Still in contact with some of my old fellow coworkers. Saw and spoke with the likes of Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, Miles Davis, Pops Staples, Uncle Dirty, Ian and Sylvia, John Denver, BB King, Muddy Waters, Count Basie,Ricky Nelson, Donal Leace, Art Blakey and countless others Best performance ever ...Thelonius Monk.

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: GUEST,Catfish Ketchum
Date: 12 Jun 22 - 09:16 PM

I was there the night Nixon resigned….Aug 8 1974 but can’t remember who played that night. Anyone remember?

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: GUEST,Lin
Date: 14 Jun 22 - 04:39 AM

I was reading somewhere that Jim Croce played there.
I was a fan of his music but never saw him in concert.
Did anyone see him at the Cellar Door.

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: GUEST,Dave shiflett
Date: 14 Jun 22 - 08:25 AM

Saw Dave Bromberg there soon after Wanted Dead or Alive was released. Good show.

Subject: RE: The Cellar Door, Washington, D.C.???
From: Hagman
Date: 14 Jun 22 - 08:23 PM

The Wikipedia entry for The Cellar Door lists the major live albums recorded there, and has a long list of performers who graced its stage. Alas, I never got there, but have listened to the Seldom Scene and Miles Davis (not together) from there by proxy many times.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cellar_Door