The Eastown Theatre went from being an opulent, family-friendly movie house in Detroit around the 1930s, to a rough-and-tumble rock-and-roll rave spot plagued by bad luck in the 1960s. After being shut down for a brief period in the early ’70s, the Eastown was renamed the Showcase Theatre and opened up for another run in Read More
Tag: History
A Slice of History From Detroit Rock City
New Bethel Baptist Church, located on Linwood St. and previously located on Hastings, was founded in 1948 by the Reverend C.L. Franklin. In the 1960s, Franklin was recording sermons from New Bethel Baptist on the gospel label Chess Records, becoming one of the first ministers to do so. He was known as the man with Read More
A Slice of History From Detroit Rock City
Did you ever hear the one about Paul McCartney dying and being replaced by a doppelganger in 1966? The “Paul Is Dead” controversy than began as The Beatles were in their final years as a band together was fueled right here in Detroit, MI. Russ Gibb, WKNR-FM Detroit DJ and Grande Ballroom Godfather, received a Read More
A Slice of History From Detroit Rock City
If you were a kid who spent most of their TV watching time obsessed with the old Nickelodeon lineup, you most likely made the tune-in for ‘The Adventures of Pete & Pete,’ a classic which harbors a laundry-list of cameos and guest starring roles, including Donovan, Debbie Harry, LL Cool J, Michael Stipe, and more. Read More
A Slice of History From Detroit Rock City
Music and boxing may not quite go together like peanut butter & jelly, but in Detroit’s long history of both, there is one figure who became a legend in music and fought on the same bill as a legend in boxing. Berry Gordy Jr. is the name that put Motown on the map and brought Read More
A Slice of History From Detroit Rock City
In 1971 over a 72-hour period of time, a band comprised of 3 musicians from Flint, MI managed to completely sell out their show at Shea Stadium in New York City. Ticket sales from this event grossed over $300,000, and at the time, The Beatles held the record for the fastest sold-out show in the Read More
A Slice of History from Detroit Rock City
Detroit is a city known for founding and popularizing many influential forms of music (Techno, Hardcore, Motown, etc.), but if you want to get technical, Detroit could also be considered the birthplace of both punk rock and heavy metal. Why? Because in 1969, Barry Kramer and Tony Reay started a rock and roll publication in Read More
A Slice of History From Detroit Rock City
The Lourds were a group of high school kids from Detroit who formed in the very early 1960s, wanting to play some straight-up rock and roll. In 1964, The Lourds had the opportunity to enter a “Battle of the Bands.” When the group went on to perform, they played covers of the songs “High Heeled Read More
A Slice Of History From Detroit Rock City
Hank Ballard was a native of Detroit who was considered (along with Bill Haley) to be one of the first rock and roll artists to emerge in the 1950s. Hank Ballard released a song called ‘Teardrops On Your Letter’ in 1959 along with his group, The Midnighters. On the B-Side of that single was another Read More
A Slice Of History From Detroit Rock City
The Spinners were an influential group of 5 Ferndale natives on the Motown label who regularly played inside the lounge at the legendary 20 Grand Nightclub in Detroit. In the late 1960s, the club had a house band which boasted a fellow Detroit guitarist so impressive to The Spinners, that he was added to their Read More
A Slice of History from Detroit Rock City
In the summer of 1925 in Highland Park, MI, a boy named William John Clifton Haley was born. William John Clifton Haley eventually shortened his name to Bill Haley, got himself some Comets as a backing band, and became dubbed ‘The Father of Rock and Roll,’ thanks to hits like Rock Around The Clock and Read More
Detroit Funk History
Detroit funk legend Dennis Coffey became the first white person to have their song played on Soul Train. Season 1 Episode 15. Artist: Dennis Coffey & The Detroit Guitar Band Track: Scorpio Click here to enjoy full performance from Soul Train!