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The Grammys Return to the Big Apple: Musical Sites
With the Grammy Awards back in New York, we began thinking about all the places here that are important to the history of music. From the days when jazz musicians dubbed New York “the Big Apple,” the City has been the place to make it big. A lot of the most famous music venues have been lost over the years to development and changing tastes, but many more always pop up, seemingly weekly in Brooklyn and Queens.
1520 Sedgwick Avenue
At party here on August 11, 1973, DJ Kool Herc showed his new technique of mixing the beats from two copies of the same record to extend the break for the dancers. And hip hop was born.
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Apollo Theater
From the swing bands of the 1930s to soul and gospel, rock, and blues, the Apollo has been host to everyone, from Duke Ellington and Count Basie, to The Jackson 5, to President Obama singing Let’s Stay Together to Al Green.
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Lenox Lounge
This legendary art deco lounge once hosted the likes of Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, among other jazz greats.
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Lenox Lounge
Famous patrons of the Lenox Lounge included James Baldwin, Langston Hughes, and Malcom X.
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30-32 West 21st Street
This short-lived second location of Danceteria, with its four dance floors, hosted acts including Madonna, New Order, Billy Idol, Cyndi Lauper, Sonic Youth, the Violent Femmes, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Beastie Boys, and LL Cool J.
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Chelsea Hotel
Musical residents of this long-term hotel included the Grateful Dead, Tom Waits, Patti Smith, Jim Morrison, Alice Cooper, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and the ill-fated Sid and Nancy.
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The Roxy
Home to both hip hop nights and weekly gay dance parties, this spot saw performances from Madonna, Blondie, Talking Heads, Run-DMC, Kraftwerk, The Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Bette Midler, Cher, and Mariah Carey
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126-138 East 14th Street
On their first US tour in 1965, the Rolling Stones played at the Academy of Music, a movie palace and music venue.
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126-138 East 14th Street
In 1976, The Band played the first show under the newly named Palladium. Other musical acts seen here included the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, U2, Def Leppard, P. Diddy, and Lil’ Kim. From 1985 to 1997 it was a nightclub with the same name.
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Webster Hall
A theater and event space since 1886, Webster Hall, in the 1950s, was known as a folk music venue, with performers such as Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, as well as Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, and Frank Sinatra.
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Webster Hall
In 1980, a club called The Ritz took over the space, and performers such as U2, Guns & Roses, Depeche Mode, Ozzy Osbourne, Run-DMC, and Tina Turner played gigs there. MTV broadcast its first live show from here.
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105 Second Avenue
In its short-lived existence, Jimi Hendrix, The Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead, Miles Davis, Crosby Stills, Nash & Young, Derek & the Dominos, Jefferson Airplane, Led Zeppelin, and Frank Zappa all played the Fillmore East.
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CBGB
This East Village dive was a must play for the early punk and new wave bands. The Ramones, the Misfits, Television, Blondie, the B-52’s, Joan Jett, The Talking Heads, and Patti Smith all got their start there.
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289 Hudson Street
The Half Note Club was one of the premier places to hear jazz in the 1960s. John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Cannonball Adderly, Billie Holiday, and Judy Garland all performed here.
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L’Amour
L’Amour was the place to see hard rock in Brooklyn. On the night this photo was taken Quiet Riot was on the bill, and L’Amour was host to Metallica, Kiss, Guns N’ Roses, The Ramones, Slayer, Anthrax, Cheap Trick, Jane’s Addiction, Sound Garden, and a lot of hairspray.
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Louis Armstrong House
This unassuming little house was home to jazz great Louis Armstrong and his wife Lucille. It also housed a recording studio and was where Armstrong worked on new music and entertained visiting musicians.
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