 Interactive map of The Bayou | |
| Address | 3135K Street,Georgetown,Washington, D.C., U.S. |
|---|---|
| Location | Georgetown, Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Capacity | 900 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | September 1953 |
| Closed | 1999 |
The Bayou was amusic venue andnightclub located in theGeorgetown neighborhood ofWashington, D.C.[1][2] The club occupied an old building at 3135K Street, NW, in Georgetown, under theWhitehurst Freeway for forty-six years. The club opened in September 1953 on the site of a formerDixieland nightclub called The Pirates Den which featured Dixieland jazz until the early 1960s when the format changed to rock and roll. Performers includedCount Basie andWoody Herman.[3]
The club included a balcony level, with tables and chairs, and two standing room only bars.[4] The main floor bars were fed bottled liquor from a tap room that was situated above the entrance. Bottles placed upside down into funnels feeding long tubing led to the downstairs bars. The Bayou backed up toBlues Alley, another Washington, D.C.-based music institution, located down the alley behind the Bayou.[5]
The club was owned from 1953 to 1980 by the Tramonte family who designed it to have an intimate atmosphere like a family.[6] The club had a lower level area with a large raised stage and a wrap around upper balcony that overlooked the dance floor and stage below.[4] The sound system mixing console was located on the second floor balcony, overlooking the stage. During the Tramonte's ownership of the club,Paul Wolff was thefront of house engineer.[7]
The Bayou was known for hosting benefits, including one for Toni Wilson, a singer who would frequent the club with her family.[8]
In the late 1990s, The Bayou was owned by Dave Williams (Cellar Door Productions), who was also responsible for putting on the concerts atDAR Constitution Hall and theCapital Centre. Williams also was the GM at theNissan Pavilion (now Jiffy Lube Live) in Gainesville, VA.[9]
Though The Bayou generally attracted an older crowd, the club also featured a diverse following including college students fromGeorgetown University, men and women from the manymilitary installations in the DC area andThe Pentagon.[citation needed]
The Bayou was a stop on the nationaltours of musical groups and solo artists. The club, which was a regular stop on East Coast tours by UK bands from the late 1970s on, featured artists includingU2 (their second show in the United States),Kiss,Guns N' Roses,Red Hot Chili Peppers (performing twice in 1988 which would be their final DC shows with founding membersHillel Slovak andJack Irons),The Only Ones,Squeeze,Peter Tosh,Basia (1988, her first show in the United States),The Police,Duran Duran,Phish,Leftover Salmon,Dave Matthews Band,Blue Öyster Cult,Lindsey Buckingham,The New Orleans Radiators,Hootie & the Blowfish,dada,Billy Joel,Bon Jovi,Dire Straits, theTom-Tom Club,Acoustic Junction,Steeleye Span,From Good Homes,Foreigner,The Kinks,Todd Rundgren (backed byUtopia on this stop of his 1978Back to the Bars tour),Yellow Magic Orchestra,The Cure on their first US tour and other artists that influenced the evolution of rock as well asrhythm and blues from the 1960s through the 1990s.[10]
The Bayou was the subject of a documentary,The Bayou: DC's Killer Joint, produced by Metro Teleproductions, Inc.[14]Maryland Public Television aired the program on February 25, 2013.[15]
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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38°54′09″N77°03′43″W / 38.9024°N 77.0619°W /38.9024; -77.0619