Studio Whisky on the Sunset Strip - January 11, 2007

 

Sunset Boulevard runs 22 miles from the heart of Hollywood to the Pacific Ocean. But there's one mile-and-a-half stretch of this thoroughfare that draws tourists from around the world, and few of them are searching for a sublime sunset. 

Most people hit the Sunset Strip in hopes of catching some showbiz glamour. Even though the Strip has been populated at one time or another by such landmarks as Schwab's Drugstore, the Garden of Allah, Tower Records, Dudley Do-Right's Emporium, the Comedy Store, the Chateau Marmont, and a forest of billboards, the heart of the Boulevard may be the Whisky a Go-Go, which opened on January 11, 1964. 

The Whisky was the first American incarnation of the French revolution called the discotheque and featured young hipsters, go-go girls, and a house band known as The Doors. Rival clubs like
the Roxy and the Rainbow soon sprang up, weathering such musical revolutions as the British Invasion, punk, and metal. Genres come and go, but the sun has not yet set on the Whisky.

Suggested Sites...

Whisky a Go-Go - official site for the legendary club on the Sunset Strip, with history, photos, and a list of upcoming events. Sunset Strip 1960s - take a drive down the Strip in the Swingin' '60s. Wikipedia: Sunset Strip - history of the most famous 10 blocks in Southern California. Sunset Strip at Night - a slightly different drive down the Strip, some 40 years later. Whisky A Go-Go Show List 1966-69 - guide to who played the Whisky in the '60s for those who don't remember -- including the musicians.