.jpg) Cafe Wha? in 2019 | |
 Interactive map of Cafe Wha? | |
| Location | 115MacDougal Street New York City, United States |
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| Coordinates | 40°43′48.2″N74°00′01.8″W / 40.730056°N 74.000500°W /40.730056; -74.000500 |
| Owner |
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| Type | Music venue |
| Events | Rock,Folk |
| Capacity | 325 |
| Opened | 1959 |
| Website | |
| https://cafewha.com/ | |
Cafe Wha? is a music club at the corner ofMacDougal Street andMinetta Lane in theGreenwich Village neighborhood ofManhattan, New York City. The club is important in the history ofrock andfolk music, having presented numerous musicians and comedians early on in their careers, including,Dave Van Ronk,Bob Dylan,Jimi Hendrix,Bruce Springsteen,the Velvet Underground,Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys,Kool & the Gang,Peter, Paul and Mary,Woody Allen,Lenny Bruce,Joan Rivers,Bill Cosby, andRichard Pryor.
The club's motto is "Greenwich Village's Swingingest Coffee House".
Cafe Wha? was opened in 1959 byManny Roth, an actor andWorld War II veteran, at 115 MacDougal Street inNew York City.[1] Entered down a steep staircase, the basement space was formerly a horse stable, and Roth laid themarble tile himself. He painted the walls black to make the space seem like a cave. The club was a coffeeshop selling food and drinks, and eventually charged acover for entry.
Musicians, comedians, and performers of all types played throughout the afternoon and evening, frequently being paid through baskets passed amongst the audience. The space had a capacity of 325 people.[2] Describing Cafe Wha? in his memoir,Chronicles: Volume One,Bob Dylan wrote that it was "a subterranean cavern, liquorless, ill lit, low ceiling, like a wide dining room with chairs and tables."[3]
In 1968, Roth stopped running Cafe Wha?, and it was taken over by Menachem "Manny" Dworman, who ran the Cafe Feenjon in the location until 1987. The Feenjon featuredIsraeli andMiddle Eastern music.[2]
The Cafe Wha? house band plays dynamic, high-energy versions of popular songs, and encourages an informal atmosphere between the stage and audience.[4]
In 1997, Cafe Wha? openedBrazil Night on Mondays, a show created and produced by Andre Alves. The show was performed for over five years.[5][6]
Bob Dylan first performed at Cafe Wha? during ahootenanny night on January 24, 1961, after hitchhiking across the country. He continued playing at the club as a backupharmonica player during the afternoon.[2]
Before she was part of the folk trioPeter, Paul and Mary,Mary Travers was a waitress at Cafe Wha?[7]
Based on the recommendation of folk singerRichie Havens, Roth hiredJimi Hendrix as a recurring performer in 1966.[3] Billed as "Jimmy James and the Blue Flames", he played five sets a night, six nights a week.Chas Chandler, the bassist forthe Animals, discovered Hendrix at Cafe Wha? and brought him to England to promote his career.[7][8]
In 1967,Bruce Springsteen's band,the Castiles, played afternoon sets for two months.[7]
Van Halen singerDavid Lee Roth is the nephew of Manny Roth, and he and Van Halen performed at Cafe Wha? in 2012.
Notable comedians who performed at the club early in their careers includeWoody Allen,Lenny Bruce,Joan Rivers,Bill Cosby, andRichard Pryor.[2]
Media related toCafe Wha? at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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