ADVERTISEMENT

Back to How Stars Found Fame: These Special Music Venues Proved to Be a Lucky Charm for Many Artists

CBGB

Getty Images

This music club at 315 Bowery at Bleecker Street in NYC was a fixture in the 1980s and 90s' music scene and a lucky place for many bands and singers. Opened in 1973 by a man named Hilly Kristal, a list of bands were made famous by their performances there, including the Ramones and the Patti Smith Group. The Ramones gained a lot of attention for their shows there (they did 74 in one year!), and were signed to a recording contract in 1975 by Seymour Stein of Sire Records. The Patti Smith's Group performance there was an audition for Arista Records, and Clive Davis signed them after several of their shows there. CBGB was also where Dave Matthews Band got lucky. In August 1992, a year after forming in Virginia, DMB was booked to perform at CBGB. Kristal was reportedly so impressed with them during their soundcheck that he called around to record companies, alerting them to the talent. That night at the show, RCA Records was the only label to send a representative, and they signed the band. Many other legendary musicians and bands found major fame after performing at CBGB, which closed in 2006. Patti Smith performed the last, final concert there. Read the long list of history here and here.

ADVERTISEMENT


Follow AOL Music on Tumblr

CATEGORIES



Also on AOL

Your Settings

{email}

Subscriptions

Weekly Newsletter

AOL Music Blog news in your mailbox. Top Articles, reviews, photos & more.

Realtime alerts

Daily alerts


Update
Cancel