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| Doug Weston's Troubadour West Hollywood, California troubadour.com |
After an emotionally draining few days contemplating global terrorism, brainy blogger needed a very long weekend and decided to turn things over to #historichappyhour. The hashtag was all too willing (maybe a little too willing) to take over the post for the day. The hashtag thought about what to write and decided to profile another one of Los Angeles's venerable rock clubs, The Troubadour in West Hollywood. Hashtag dug around the archives and came up with a May 2013 article for WeHoville by Chad Zachary Mulchin titled "WeHo's Biggest Little Club: Troubadour Through the Years." While the hashtag may not be so great at keeping up-to-date, you have give it points for being clever.
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| Rod Stewart performing at The Troubadour Photography by Classic Concert Photos hollywoodreporter.com |
Doug Weston (d. 1999), the club's founder, was instrumental in launching the careers of rock and folk singers such as Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, and Joan Baez. In his 1999 obituary for the Los Angeles Times, former Times rock critic Robert Hilburn said,
Doug Weston was arguably the godfather of the Southern California singer-songwriter movement in the late '60s and early 70s, someone whose unshakable belief in the inspirational power of music made his club both a showcase and meeting hall for much of the best young talent of a generation. (articles.latimes.com; accessed Nov. 18, 2015)
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| Nina Simone kalamu.posthaven.com |
Chad Zachary Mulchin spoke to the Christine Karayan, the daughter of the current owner Ed Karayan, she told Mr. Mulchin:
When I met him he was definitely eccentric...I think everybody in the music industry is eccentric to a point. He was definitely more flamboyant than the average person of that age. Back in 1957, there was no place for musicians and comedians and people of that sort, who were inclined to congregate, to demonstrate their craft and have a community-so he started The Troubadour.
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| Richard Pryor vs-uc.com |
When it came to booking talent, Mr. Weston was fearless. He had no compunction about booking controversial, dare we say blacklisted, acts such as Lenny Bruce, "who was arrest in 1961 for using the then-obscenity 'shuck' on stage." You thought people are too easily offended today? Ms. Karayan continued,
Back then you couldn't say the things you can say now...Even though it was a First Amendment scenario, it didn't hold up. I believe he got handcuffed on stage.
Sorry, YouTube was not around back then. Computers were still in the Stone Age.
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| James Taylor noted.blogs.com |
It was my understanding that a lot of them lived up in Laurel Canyon. They would come down and just hang out, hoping to get to play and be a part of something bigger...That's when the 'Monday Night Hootenanny' started. Doug would have them audition and if they had 'it' they got to perform. It became a place where A&R people would go and literally, sign people of the stage.
The Troubadour continued to flourish during the seventies, featuring a performance by Elton John. Ms, Karayan noted, He played his first U.S. shows at the Troubadour, but he didn't hang out here, obviously; he's a British artist. The era also witnessed memorable shows by other Google-wrothy act such as Cat Stevens, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Joel, Van Morrison, The Pointer Sisters, Miles Davis, Leonard Cohen, and Bob Dylan. The comedy duo Cheech and Chong were discovered at the club. chad Mulchin writes, "In 1974, troublemakers John Lennon and Harry Nilsson were ejected for heckling The Smothers Brothers."
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| Elton John c.1970 performing songwriter.com |
Unfortunately there's not a lot of old memorabilia from that era to support the stories, I think a lot of it is word of mouth...Our goal with the Troubadour is to always be perpetuating those memories, whether it's little bands in the corner or the next big thing. There nothing like a live show. Whatever genre of music you're into, it's always a moment in time.
Fans and followers of Southern California rock icons Eagles owe a debt of gratitude to the club. Founding band members Glenn Frey and Don Henley met at the club long before they penned the immortal song "Hotel California." Ms. Karayan picks up the story,
The Eagles never performed at the Troubadour. They did as different bands, but never as the Eagles. They met at our front bar and decided to form.
James Taylor was also a long-time patron. Ms. Karayan observed, He hung out a lot at the Troubadour...He lived up the street in Laurel Canyon. He was a regular. I think he got his break when Carly Simon had him sit in with her. They later married. Tom Waits also owes much to the club. Ms. Karayan said,
Story goes, he would come to the Hootenanny all the time, begging to get the opportunity, and one day somebody fell out or got sick and Doug side 'Take your guitar up there and play.' He was signed on the spot...
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| Linda Ronstadt c.1976 bigozine.com |
It was a breeding ground for anyone who was creative...It wasn't a velvet rope scenario. It didn't matter who you were, ultimately you all got treated the same. You can wait like everyone else, you did wait like everyone else. A&R people, they waited, Doug didn't care.
Doug Weston's unyielding style of management was partially responsible for the establishment of The Roxy (a future post) in 1973. Ms. Karayan attributed The Roxy Doug Weston's downfall.
That attributed to his...[Elmer Valentine]. Lou Adler and David Gefffen opened up theory because they had enough of Doug's 'eccentric ways. Either they didn't feel respected or those contracts made the artists feel like indentured servants. So, they opened a venue to do their way.
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| Duran Duran, early eighties dailymail.co.uk |
The glam hair metal phase, that's when I believe the Troubadour lost favor for a little while. The pay to play to play (period)...All those early new wave acts, like Duran Duran and The Damned were playing the Roxy and the Whiskey because the Troubadour was stuck in this weird time warp.
In short, pay to play meant that emerging bands had to pay a venue to let them play live.
Be that as it may, the "weird phase" still brought many now-legendary bands. Metallica made its debut in 1982 and Warrant followed them in 1984. Perhaps the most (in)famous debut was Guns N Roses who premiered its album Appetite for Destruction in 1985. Less than a year later, the band returned for an encore show. This time David Geffen was in the audience, signed the band following their set, and the rest is rock and roll history.
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| Pearl Jam, nineties stereogum.com |
In the early nineties, a decision was made to change the way the club did business. Christine Karayan described it,
Around '92, '93 there was a conscious decision that a change must be made...Not necessarily returning to it former glory but at least a reputable glory. It was at this point they made a brief alliance with Goldenvoice (a concert promotion and ticket sales corporation). It was a long uphill battle for a long time.
During the nineties bands such as Pearl Jam, No Doubt, and Radiohead played the Troubadour. Lance Hubp came on board and kind of took it and ran with it, Ms. Karayan told Chad Mulchin. In 1999, Doug Weston passed away from pneumonia. The same year Johnny Cash performed one his final shows with June Carter at the club.
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| Queens of the Stone Age the guardian.com |
Christine Karayan fondly remembered Joe Strummer,
Joe Strummer was one of my absolute favorites...He was the most charismatic person I have ever met. Super down to earth, kind to anyone. Before the shows he asked if he could come to the venue and hang out, just to get the vibe. He would come down, have a drink, meet the fans. He was a genuine human being. When he was on stage, his one request was that all the air must be turned off-the word 'inferno' is an understatement. These guys come to the show straight from the office in suits and ties. They're drenched by the end, high-fifing each other, not one complaint.
Rock on Joe Strummer. Rock on Troubadour. The Troubadour continues to be one of the places to play for emerging bands. Christine Karayan sees big things for the club's future. #historichappyhour is looking forward to another 58 years of rock and roll history.
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