Long Island N.Y. - Country & Western Night Clubs

[Kenneth Kotsay]

Back in 1975 while living in Whitestone, NY and enjoying my first go on the pedal steel I used to frequent the following country music night spots:

JABBY'S (Old Westbury)

WAGON WHEEL (Huntington)

O'LUNNEY'S ( N.Y.C.)

VELET CUP ( Flushing)

O.K. CORRAL (Flushing)

CATUS FLOWER (Bronx)

Can anyone identify other Long Island C&W night spots featuring live music back in the 70s's & 80's'

(By the way Brooklyn & Queens are both on Long Island)

KEN

[Frank Freniere]

Lots of fun at O'Lunney's. Was Lone Star open then? Or the Rodeo Bar in Yorkville? Buddy Miller was the house band for a while at Rodeo (Larry Campbell on steel) but this was probably around 1980.

[Jack Stanton]

Matty T's

[Clyde Mattocks]

City Limits.

[Kenneth Kotsay]

I forgot about Matty T's way out on Long Island.

In the 70's I don't remember the Rode Bar was alive yet, or the current local bars that are now located in Brooklyn, "Hanks Bar."

Where was City Limits located, this club sounds familiar.

Also, "Nashville Sound" was lcoated in Jackson Heights, about 3 blocks north of the #7 train station, Roosevelt & 74 Street. This club only lasted about 8 months, late 1978-79.

New Jersey had the famous Blue Ribbon Inn with Freedy the German Cowboy (with accent).

Great times back then, live country music around N.Y.C. & L.I.

What's alive down in the Ft Lauderdale area regarding country music, just close your eyes, what do you see................nothing, country music departed this area over the past few years. There's a few country rock & southern rock bands (minus pedal steel) but no hardcore ass kicking country western bands or venues to hear live country. The ROUNDUP in Davie has no bands at all they play only DJ Country Rock for the young kids on Saturday night. Lots of biker clubs, southern rock & blues bands.

West Palm Beach has a few country music clubs, and a few C&W bands.

So there you have it, guess I should pack up & move back to Queens, and travel to Brooklyn to hear live country music. The land of no snow, lots of bugs and coconut palm trees just don't have room for country music.

KEN

[Clyde Mattocks]

City Limits was downtown somewhere, not far from the Lone Star. We (Super Grit Cowboy Band) played it a couple of times and the Lone Star a couple of times. It didn't last long. Has anyone ever heard of Leon Eddy's night club in New York. A friend of mine, the late Art Bowen, used to tell of playing a week there, ending on Sunday night, then driving all night to get home and work on the farm in North Carolina. He'd say "On Broadway on Sunday and plantin' corn on Monday".

[Richard Brandt]

When i lived on long Island i played in Biondios in Sayville,The Little club in Brentwood,Schulte's in Mastic beach.Tinys in West Hampton.The Club Clair in Lake Ronkonoma.Club Clair in Oakdale,The Dog House in Islip,The Ranch inn. The year was from 1955 to 1965 Then i took a vacation from steel guitar for
about ten years. Non pedal Jerry Byrd Sho Bud

[John Swain]

I played with Gabe Johnson at Sundance on the Sunrise hwy,Long Island..Very large club..1982, I think!!

[Richard Brandt]

Here's 3 more i forgot about (Short Memory) The Hideout on Hillside ave. The Bowl A Way in Moriches and the Wagon Wheel in Huntington.

[Frank Freniere]

You got me thinking again, Kennth and Richard, about NYC...

We billed ourselves "The Eddie Watkins Band," purveyors of "Country Wave" music 1979-1982 around Manhattan street fairs and a couple of bars on the Upper West Side. In fact we were the house band for about a year of Saturday nights at Milano's at 72nd and Amsterdam, right around the corner (almost) from the Dakota.

We covered Blondie, Waylon, the Ventures, Marvin Gaye, all usually in one set. Could never do that now...