This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the opening of a legendary night club in the little town of Willimantic in Northeastern Connecticut. The Shaboo Inn saw some of the biggest acts in the history of music perform on its stage. For major artists, it became the stop between New York and Boston, and for many acts, it drew the most enthusiastic crowds that many of them had ever seen. In big cities, there’s always a lot going on so you become a little jaded, but for the better part of 11 years, the club was the hottest spot in New England.
It was the post-Woodstock era, and the Vietnam war was in its second decade, nearing its end. The generation that bore the brunt of that war was weary but still young and experiencing an unprecedented musical and social revolution. The famous artists spawned by the social changes occurring during that time have remained timeless and cherished by those same kids who are now in or approaching their senior years. The Shaboo Inn was the stage for so many of these musical greats and that stage was only 1 foot high and 1 foot away from a packed house of 750 – 1,000 delighted fans; 3,000 nights of live music in a little over a decade.
The Shaboo Inn was an old textile mill built in 1847 that had been turned into a run down hotel until 5 kids in their twenties from two families bought it and turned it into the most outstanding musical venue the state of Connecticut has ever seen. Other bigger clubs opened around the state with advanced audio and lighting systems but that’s not what made the experience of seeing an artist perform at the Shaboo so great. It’s not easy putting your finger on it, but the audience was so close and so packed in, that the artist felt the love of the crowd like they had never felt it before. The Shaboo was not just a great place for the spectator, but artist after artist, came back again and again, to experience the adoration of the people of Connecticut and beyond.
Blues acts like Muddy Waters and James Cotton found the Shaboo to be their home away from home and pretty much let every act from the Missisippi Delta to the South Side of Chicago know that this was a special room for blues acts. They all came - Howlin Wolf, John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, BB King, Freddie King, Willie Dixon, Hound Dog Taylor, Big Momma Thorton and more all graced the small 15 foot by 30 foot stage.
But, the extraordinary thing about those 11 years that the club was open was that even though it was an established spot for superb blues artists, many other artists that weren’t doing arena tours, came through the doors. From rock, soul and rhythm & blues acts like Aerosmith, Journey, Hall & Oates, Joe Cocker, Lou Reed, Leonard Cohen, Dr John, Sam & Dave, Blood, Sweat & Tears with Al Kooper, David Crosby, Bobby Blue Bland, Buddy Miles, Tower of Power, Taj Mahal and Todd Rundgren, to jazz acts like Miles Davis, Weather Report, Les McCann, The Brubecks, Spyro Gyra, Gato Barbieri to breaking artists such as The Police, ACDC, Talking Heads, The Cars, Tom Waits, Robert Palmer, Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello,The Ramones, Dire Straits and many more.
What was possibly the most awesome memory was watching great artists come of age. I was 13 years old the first time I saw a 24-year-old Bonnie Raitt play to a packed house on a Tuesday night for a $ 2.00 admission. Years later, a little known band called Little Feat opened up for Bonnie Raitt, before they became one of the biggest acts in the country.
British legends performed like Jack Bruce of Cream fame, John Mayall, Manfred Mann, The Byrds with Roger Mcguinn and Steve Marriot with Humble Pie. Being in the post-Woodstock era it was acts that played the festival like Richie Havens, Arlo Guthrie, Leslie West, Canned Heat and Johnny Winter that made you feel like it was 1969 all over again.
Then there were nights when everyone’s parents took over the club as the big band sounds of Count Basie, Harry James, Woody Herman and Buddy Rich would bring their 17 and 24-piece orchestras in to bring back another great era of music.
You’ll never find a venue like this again, I don’t know if there will ever be another time in music like that again, but for tens of thousands of people who were lucky enough to be around New England forty years ago, it was a magical and sometimes mystical place in an amazing era in music.
This article will be the first in a series to celebrate the 40th birthday of this remarkable place.
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Wow Scott, what a beautiful tribute to The Shaboo Inn. I will always be in awe of the talent that graced that little stage. If we only knew then what we know now. We were so fortunate to have experienced it the way we did. Memory lane! Love you & your writing.
…oooohhh is that what I saw j/k…I couldn’t have said it better myself. I only saw the tail end, but good times and great memories.
Hey Scott…your tribute to the Shaboo life we experienced as a family of friends was so well put. Music is a healer and a lot of us received so much from the artists who graced the stage those 40 years ago. Special thanks to Lefty, Mark, Scott, Kerry and Gary for putting so much endless energy into making Shaboo memories that will continue to live in our minds and hearts fovever, one day at a time.
There are only few great places left where major acts got their start. Should be proud. HAPPY BIRTHDAY !
SHABOO WAS THE BEST OF THE BEST, EVERYTHING WAS AWSOME THAT HAPPENED THERE FRIENDSHISPS WERE MADE BANDS WERE MADE LIVE’S WERE TRANSFORMED. Thank so much for reminding us of how lucky we were to have had the pleasure of the experience.
I want to thank you for all of your great comments. I want to also thank Kerry, Mark, Bruce, David and Gary for taking a big chance back in 1971 and bringing some amazing music history to Eastern Connecticut. This would have never happened if it weren’t for the dreams and ambition of 5 kids in their twenties who believed that this could happen and would change the landscape of live music in the Northeast.
Thanks Scott, I ran into Lefty and Scrappin Jack, for the first time in years, a few months ago and your superb article brought all the memories back again… I was lucky enough to work as a door man behind the sound booth and I still remember how the whole club literally moved with the music. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Scott,
Thanks for writing this article. Those were some amazing times back at the “Boo”. It was a great place for Blues 101 as well as other genres of music. Also, local musicians would sometimes open up for a major act and on occasion sit in with a band. We were lucky to get in on some of that action. I was lucky to cut my teeth there. Are you playing any horn these days?
I am looking for more pics from inside Shaboo. Posted Muddy and Charles on the FaceBook page so far. Do you have any pics from back then? I saw Jackie this year and talked on the phone with her and Sal while they were at the 40th reunion.
I look forward to your future articles.
All the best, Jeff
Hey Guys., I’m doing some research on old past gigs from the 70′s from the Shaboo.
I’ve got a handful of live tapes that i need help on. the tape in question is of B.B. King. the date on my tape says Oct 4th 1975. but i know that might be wrong, becasue the stage announcer talks about up coming shows.
Coming this fri & Sat is Roger McQuinn “just off the Bob Dlyan tour” (tour ended 5/25/76)
Also mentioned “Then the following weekend on the 20th and 21st is Muddy Waters. “Just celebrated his 63rd Birthday” (Muddy Born April 4th 1913) (makes this after 4/4/76)
All this info means that my tape of BB King dated 10/4/75 has to be after May 25th 1976
Does anyone have info that can help me deterime what the correct date for my BB tape is??
Reach me personal: bbking_archivist@sbcglobal.net
Thanks George
George, I think it was 76, but Roger McQuinn and Muddy did play the club in 75 as well. And the announcer has to be Lefty, he was the only one that would announce the upcoming acts
Hey Scotty…
Thanks for the great post. I also want to thank your brothers and sister and my brothers for doing what everyone said could never be done…and enriching the lives of thousands of people because they took that risk…in the process. I remember you, too…you were just a kid when I was playing there…and you’ve ended up in the forefront of the entertainment business. The Shaboo not only put Willimantic, Ct on the map….but it turned the Willimantic area into a thriving musical melting pot and artist community…kind of like the Woodstock festival did for that area of N.Y. state. There’s a lot to appreciate about that place…and the years it brought the best music in the world to a small town in Conn. But the Shaboo Family of friends and artists figures very highly on that list. The bond was so powerful…that it still remains to this day.
Hugs…Mike Foster
Scott,
That is a wonderful piece. We are so fortunate to have had the Shaboo experience, and I feel so spoiled having been exposed to that much talent. It will remain one of the best time periods in my life. I too, have fond memories of you and everyone in the Shaboo family.
Cudos and thank you,
Patti
Scott,
Many thank for such a wonderful article. The music that came through Shaboo shaped my music taste and I am a faithful Blues girl.
I remain grateful for what you guys did at this location. In my travels I have not found anything again quite like it.
Paula
hey scott its Ben a long time. great to here your doing so well . great article man wow the memory’s are the greatest times in my life . working there when i was 13 stocking coolers to playing there with acdc and pat travers and jamming with the chambers brothers was the best times thanks to you and every buddy who worked there !!!! barry