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Larry Blake's
Larry Blake's on Telegraph was more than a restaurant, bar and nightclub - it was an East Bay entertainment mecca. The club was initially called Larry Blake's and was founded in 1940 by Larry Blake who ran it for almost 20 years.
The restaurant's initial selling point was that it was the first
establishment within a mile of campus to gain an alcohol license. Before
this breakthrough, thirsty Cal students had to travel to Oakland,
Albany or San Pablo Avenue to imbibe.
Larry Blake's second claim to fame was the salad dressing, a closely
guarded recipe Blake reportedly devised while working as a cook in the
military during World War II.
But mostly, Larry Blake's was prized as a
comfortable place to share a beer with friends, listen to music and
enjoy a Blake's Burger.
Larry Blake's
Having earned a reputation for providing good food in a comfortable,
friendly atmosphere, Larry sold the business to a group of employees who
envisioned expanding the occasional music venue into a full-fledged
nightclub.
Blakes initially booked talented local jazz acts such as
Ed Kelly,
Pete and Sheila Escovedo and
Kitty Margolis alongside national acts like the great
Cal Tjader,
Mose Allison, and
Joaquin Lievano. Eventually blues was incorporated into the mix, and within a short period of time, Blakes became the premiere blues club in the entire Bay Area.
The list of blues luminaries who enjoyed a run at Blakes includes some of the most talented artists in blues history:
John Lee Hooker,
Etta James,
Lowell Fulson,
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown,
Otis Rush,
Johnny Heartsman,
Brownie McGee,
Irma Thomas, and
Johnny Adams.
World-famous blues guitarist
Robert Cray, was recognized by booking agent, Tim Kaihatsu, as a tremendous talent, and was fostered throughout the years by Blakes. When the great
Charles Brown decided to step back into the music world, his first comeback performance was at Blakes.
Charlie Musselwhite,
Lady Bianca,
Tracy Nelson,
Joe Louis Walker,
Roy Rogers,
Buckwheat Zydeco,
Little Charlie and the Nightcats,
Norton Buffalo,
Rory Block,
John Hammond,
Boz Skaggs,
Alvin Youngblood Hart,
Amos Garrett,
Maria Muldaur,
Roomful of Blues,
Elvin Bishop, and
Greg Allman all graced the Blake's stage and entertained its customers. For nearly four decades, Blake's was THE blues hotspot in the East Bay.
In 1993, Blake's recognized the need to become more contemporary and gave the club a facelift, officially changed the name to "Blakes on Telegraph," and started booking modern
rock,
punk,
ska,
jazz,
funk and
hip-hop. Since that time, Blakes has had the good fortune to discover
Cake,
Third Eye Blind,
Box Set,
Train and
Stroke 9 before much of the rest of the world.
After 71 years, Larry Blake's, the funky Telegraph Avenue watering hole closed on Friday, February 4, 2011.
Larry Blake's
Gregg Allman
earRotator
Cal Tjader
Net links:
The Mercury News ~ Larry Blake’s restaurant a Berkeley tradition
~ An era ends as Blake’s closes
Berkeley Daily Planet ~ Larry Blake's on Telegraph in Berkeley Closes
Berkeleyside ~ Blakes on Telegraph closes after 71 years
SF Business Times ~ Berkeley institution Larry Blake’s shuts down
SF Gate ~ Larry Blake's closes
allmenus ~ Blake’s menu
sfbayshop ~ Blake's
