CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan’s East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters CBGB were for Country, BlueGrass, and Blues, Kristal’s original vision, yet CBGB soon became a famed venue of punk rock and new wave bands like Ramones, Television, Patti Smith Group, Blondie, and Talking Heads. From the early 1980s onward, CBGB was known for hardcore punk.

Wikipedia.org

by Joel Gausten, Senior Editor, Musician’s Atlas & Atlas Plugged / drummer, The Undead. Reprinted with the permission of the author.

Say it ain’t so!

I’m still in a state of shock. On September 30 [2006], the great Country Bluegrass & Blues (CBGBs to y’all) will close its doors after 33 years on the Bowery. I’ve been a writer for half my life, but I’m struggling to come up with the right words to describe the years of fun, memories and inspiration that little dive has brought to my life. After all, how do you sum up a good friend or family member in a few hundred words?

But I’ll give it a go… 

My love affair with CBGB’s began in 1986. That summer, I heard the Ramones for the first time – an event that forever changed my life. In the years that followed, I read endless stories about this Birthplace of Punk, and counted the days until I’d have my chance to play that legendary stage. That day finally came in April 1997, and I still count those 35 minutes as among the happiest times of the musical life.

I’ve played CBGB’s several times over the past nine years, mostly as a member of the Undead with original NYC punk, Bobby Steele. My all-time favorite CBGB’s show was in May 1999, when the Undead headlined a show with the Bullys and Furious George. The place was packed, and all the bands were amazing that night. In subsequent years, this particular show has become especially dear to me. It was the last time I got to share the stage with the great Bullys guitarist, Johnny Heff, a NYC firefighter and American hero who died while saving others on September 11, 2001. It was also the last time I took in a live show by Furious George, whose guitarist, George Tabb, continues to battle considerable health problems as a result of the attacks on New York City. Both of these guys are never far from my thoughts.

So what about the club itself, then? Well, let’s be honest…the place is a rat hole. An absolute dump. CBGB’s is probably the only place in the world where you don’t even have to touch anything, and you still walk out with dirty fingernails! The condition of the notorious men’s bathroom rivals the johns at the Jersey Shore on their worst day – which is why I usually sneak around and use the ladies’ room – (at least sometimes) a marginally better option. The main floor is in such disrepair that it actually has hills, and it’s quite possible that the club has stood for the past three decades only because the band stickers that cover the walls keep the whole place from crumbling.

But CBGB’s also has the greatest sound system in the world, as easily proven by the innumerable “Live at CBGB’s” albums released over the years by more bands than anyone can count. It is also one of the only real onstage destinations for bands around the globe. I remember back in 2000 when one of my old bands, The Graveyard School, shared the stage with a group that had traveled all the way from Texas just to play their one show at CBGB’s. How many other clubs out there hold that appeal? I bet the guys in that band are still talking about it!

Of course, CBGB’s wouldn’t have amounted to anything without the great souls who have graced its stage over the years – many of whom are no longer with us. As CBGB’s leaves our world, we must also say goodbye to Johnny Thunders, Jerry Nolan, Dave Insurgent, Raybeez, Stiv Bators, Robert Quine, Patrick Blanck and, of course, Joey, Dee Dee and Johnny. I also extend my thoughts to the late Matt Herman, whose band Banner of Hope was the first act I ever saw at the place.

Thank you, Hilly Kristal, for more than we could possibly express. You, sir, are the true Godfather of Punk. Thanks for giving all of us a place to call home for the past 33 years!

SIDEBAR: “OMFUG” stands for “Other Music For Uplifting Gormandizers.” (A gormandizer is a glutton.) CBGBs opened in 1973 and remained open until 2006.

What Bands Played at CBGB’s?

Below is a list of just a few of the hundreds of major and burgeoning bands who appeared at the famous CBGB’s:

AC/DC
The B-52’s
Blondie
Blues Traveler
The Clash
Elvis Costello
Dave Matthews Band
Disturbed
Green Day
Goo Goo Dolls
Guns N’ Roses
Iggy Pop
Jeff Buckley
Joey Ramone
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Korn
Live
Lou Reed
Meat Puppets
New York Dolls
The Offspring
Pearl Jam
Plasmatics
The Police
The Ramones
The Replacements
Rufus Wainwright
Smashing Pumpkins
Patti Smith
Soundgarden
The Strokes
Talking Heads
The Toasters
They Might Be Giants
The Troggs

See Burning Down the House: The Story of CBGB, a documentary released in 2009.