Did The Daleks Kill Off The Us Chitlin Circuit ?

[Roburt]

Bet that topic heading caught your attention didn't it !!!

It has to count as just about the most unusual Soul Source thread heading, but there is a grain of truth in it.

The top venues on the 1960's Chitlin Circuit were 6 theatres in major American cities. These were ..........

The Royal Theatre in Baltimore

The Regal in Chicago

The Fox Theatre in Detroit

The Uptown Theatre in Philly

The Howard Theater in Washington DC ... & finally ...

The 'flagship' Apollo Theater in Harlem

All these theatres hosted 7 night long soul reviews throughout the 1960's (after having done the same with R&B, blues, doowop & jazz packages in the 1950's).

All were going strong (although all were also a bit 'long in the tooth' by the 1960's) and were hosting live shows on a regular basis into 1966.

When live shows weren't on offer, all these venues fell back into showing movies until the next package traveled through.

The first to suffer was Baltimore's Royal Theatre. The venue had seen better days but it was really the rise of alternate venues in the city (& surrounding area) that proved its biggest downfall.

The last 'review' to play the Royal pitched up in mid July 1966 (Wilson Pickett topped the bill with Dee Dee Warwick, the Vontastics & Cash McCall also featuring).

The next big package to hit Baltimore arrived a few weeks later (Sunday August 14th). This time, the review (Miracles, Tommy Hunt, Shorty Long, Kim Weston, Manhattans, Walter Jackson, the Intruders & Howard Tate) didn't play the Royal but were hosted at the Civic Centre. At Carrs Beach (just down the road) on that same Sunday, the James Brown ensemble (JB + Bobby Byrd, Vicki Anderson, James Crawford, etc) were playing.

The follwing Sundays at Carrs Beach the likes of the Impressions, Manhattans, Jamo Thomas, the Mad Lads, Eddie Day, Barbara Mason & Robert Parker were the live attractions.

Who was entertaining the folk back at the Royal Theatre; well Dr. Who & the Daleks were on for the week (in the UK made movie).

So, yes in a way it was Dr. Who & the Daleks that helped trigger the rot setting in for the top six chitlin circuit theatres.

The Royal was the first to go as a live music venue but the others soon followed (the Royal still showed movies for a few more years but finally closed & was pulled down in 1971).

The Regal in Chicago closed in 1970 & was pulled down in 1973.

The Fox Theatre in Detroit was only hosting the odd live show by 1970. It was only able to remain open in the 1970's by programming Blaxplotation, martial arts & horror films

The Uptown Theatre in Philly suffered in a similar way. Gang fights & drugs became common place in the area surrounding the theatre in the late 60's / early 70's. In 1972, Georgie Woods stopped promoting soul shows at the venue & that was the end of live soul reviews playing the place. It closed down in 1978 and was converted into a church in the 80's.

The Howard Theater in Washington never really recovered from the 1968 riots and closed down initially in 1970. It had a few false dawns in the mid to late 70's. However it closed again in 1980 & has just reopened after years of neglect.

The 'flagship' Apollo Theater in Harlem hung on into the early 70's but the shows were a shadow of those held there in the 50's / 60's. Even this place was converted into a movie theatre in 1975.

The last review to play the Royal ..........

Edited March 20, 2012 by Roburt

[Mike Lofthouse]

great read, thanks.

[Roburt]

The package on at the Civic Centre on August 14th ........

[Roburt]

And who was on at Carr's Beach that same day ..........

[Roburt]

While back at the Royal it was ...........

[Jumpinjoan]

Loving the "1 Wild Wild Week Only!" on the first advert

[Roburt]

The following Sundays at Carr's Beach .........

[Geeselad]

superb stuff.

[vince ayres]

Not so much killed off but "EXTERMINATED" well someone had to say it

[Harry Crosby]

Great read. Must say the Title did get my attention, thought someone had, had some Flyagarics for Tea

[Guest giant]

great stuff ' enjoyed reading it

[boba]

At least in Chicago, I think there was a parallel between the closing of many of the huge theaters and a movement to lots of local night clubs (most importantly the High Chaparral, but lots of other local clubs like the Guys and Gals, Green Bunny, etc.), and a movement to music being released more on small independent labels (or small sub-labels of majors). Music wasn't just more local but there also wasn't as much major label money to fund large package revue tours. In the 70s there were many small local revues, with a band, a few vocal groups, a comedian, a dancer, etc., many of these acts playing regularly at specific night clubs. Larger acts like the Chilites and Gene Chandler still toured, they just had to play the larger night clubs in each city instead of a huge theater, and they probably had shorter tour runs. Local revues sometimes did small tours, to the "college circuit" as well as smaller clubs in adjacent states.

There were local clubs (like the Club DeLisa) that artists played at even when the regal was open, but the closing of the large clubs cemented the role of local clubs as the main venues to see Black music acts (at least until the mid-to-late 70s).

[Soul Shrews]

Was lucky enough to see The Dells /Emotions /and Bloodstone @ The Paramount Theater in Oakland a few years ago...........absolutly beautiful art deco building.

Heard there was just as nice a theater in San Francisco but the powers that be pulled it down ?

Cheers Paul.

[Roburt]

Bob, Yes the scene changed a lot in the late 60's. The top acts were demanding bigger fees & better conditions ( improved travel, hotels, food, etc) and non-chitlin circuit venues were booking soul artists into 'new' (to soul acts) venues.

Groups such as Sly & F.St., Curtis Mayfield, Baby Huey & Babysitters, Temptations, Voices of East Harlem, Bill Withers, Chambers Bros, B B King & more were joining the college & rock venue circuits. The old chitlin venues just couldn't keep up.

In New York, the venues open to soul acts changed drastically ..........

[Roburt]

The same sort of thing was also happening in Baltimore (& just about every other big city across the US). In Baltimore, DC & the like, new 'municipal' arenas were opening up for soul acts.

Some clubs saw what was coming & tried to go upmarket. Places such as the Club Venus (purpose built in a new shopping centre development) competed with the bigger venues for a few years but were eventually priced out of business ......

[Alison H]

Very interesting read. Thanks

Out of curiosity, how many does the Apollo hold? I've been past the Fox Theatre and it's a very impressive building, but was underwhelmed when I saw the Apollo (sorry) I'm not taking anything away from the great acts that have appeared there, I was just expecting something a bit bigger, I could see that it did stretch back some way, so maybe my passing view of it did not reveal the beauty within

Edit: How many did it hold in it's hey day

Edited March 20, 2012 by Alison H

[Roburt]

The Apollo seats / seated 1500 folks.

[Roburt]

The Wilson Pickett Show drew to its conclusion at the Royal Theatre on 21st July, 1966.

Only 4 weeks earlier, they had set up for a big soul show across town at the Civic Centre.

The Civic Centre seated a lot bigger audience, so could afford to pay the acts higher fees.

ONLY TROUBLE WAS, at municipal venues like the Civic, they only got to play for one night.

The days of playing 7 night stints at the big city Chitlin Circuit Theatres was brought to a close

............. and as a consequence, the number of gigs the acts secured started to drop.

Edited April 1, 2012 by Roburt

[Mr Soul]

MAN, I WOULD HAVE LOVED GOING TO SOME OF THESE GIGS,MUST HAVE BEEN FANTASTIC.

[Roburt]

Apart from the odd touring soul revue back in the 60's (Motown, Stax, etc), the nearest we have ever got to this in the UK were the Prestatyn NS Weekender bills (+ a few Southport Weekender bills back in the 80's)

[Roburt]

The (Harlem) Apollo back in the day ....

complete with act on stage (looks like amateur night to me)

PLUS the audience all in their places ...

[Roburt]

The acts were 'trapped' in the Apollo between shows

as each full bill had to play more than one show per day at the theatre.

......... WHAT TO DO in all the downtime ???

Well in 1964, the Four Tops would go down into the theatre's basement

.... AND ... practice the stage moves for their newest release.

They were proper professionals them there Tops.

[Roburt]

Just thought I'd mention that the acts on at the theatres such as the Apollo did a number of shows each day.

For instance at the Apollo, shows commenced at 1pm, 4pm, 7pm & 10 pm every day...........

with an additional Midnight show on Saturdays (making 5 shows in all every Saturday).

Bet the acts were kn*ckered after those..

[Roburt]

A typical show at the Apollo back in 1963 ........

can't seem to attach the file at present, so will try again later.

Edited March 28, 2012 by Roburt

[Roburt]

It seems to have worked this time .......

[JOE TORQUAY]

I'M SURE I READ SOMEWHERE THE Chitlin Circuit WAS PICKING UP AGAIN AS OLDER PEOPLE ARE JUST SICK OF ALL THE (C ) RAP MUSIC, AS A LOT OF SINGERS HAVE PASSED ON ) I THINK THAT TWO OR THREE OF THE OLD GROUPS ARE GETTING TOGETHER AND SINGING ALL THERE OLD HITS,

[Roburt]

I don't think that we will ever get 'packages' like this touring again ...........

.......... the Howard Theatre in DC .............

[JOE TORQUAY]

i'm afraid things will never go back to what they were,

if prestatyn started again i don't suppose it would be quite the same,

nothing ever is,

joe.

[Roburt]

Typical shows held at Baltimore's Royal Theatre back in the day .............

[Roburt]

In the summer (when the cities were hot & steamy), folks would

escape to the coast to enjoy a more temperate climate.

It wasn't just Carrs Beach (& Sparrows Beach) that people from

Baltimore, DC, Philly & New York would head for ..........

Atlantic City was also a very popular destination back in the 60's

[Roburt]

A few more artists who had to be up for four shows a day

............ five on Saturdays !!!!!!!!

[Roburt]

A review of a show at the Apollo in 65 ..........

[Roburt]

Back to the Howard Theater in DC ......... it has been refurbished & reopened ..........

READ a Washington Post article about it here (click on 'musicians recall past times at theater' section)

......https://www.washingto...5VxS_story.html

Amongst the people remembering the old days at the Howard, is a member of the Fawns .....

Ayana "Ann" Harrell, 61, and her sisters Mia and Avis were singers in theFawns. They performed at the Howard Theatre in 1970.

........ The Marvelettes had the best stage show. They had more dance music, like "Please, Mr. Postman" and "Don't Mess With Bill." They had the best choreography. They were sassy " sassy in their movement and sassy in their delivery. [For] "Don't Mess With Bill," [it was] hands on your hip, shaking your finger at the female audience that might think about messing with their boyfriend.

We were typical teenagers, you know, screaming and going crazy. We'd be singing along and dancing and clapping and just totally excited, because you probably had worn the grooves off of that 45 and played it so many times. It was just like having that record come alive. It became real to you, and it was magical. You hung on to that memory when you went home and put that 45 on again.

We only performed there once. We had a local hit called "Bless You" at that time. We had these black pantsuits that had fringe on the arm. Joe Simon was the headliner. It was amazing. We felt like we were living our dream. We just got very lucky. The Howard was going downhill. There weren't many acts coming through there like it had been. We were just very grateful that we could say we got the opportunity to perform at the Howard, because it's an iconic place. That was an indelible moment for us.

We had no idea that that would be the last show there. I don't think anybody really knew. Our name and that particular show stayed on the marquee for years, I understand. It was closed down and boarded up, but they just hadn't taken the marquee down.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Roburt

[Roburt]

The bar in the refurbed theatre ............