Blakes
on Telegraph is more than a restaurant, bar and nightclub - it is
an East Bay entertainment mecca. The club was initially called Larry
Blake's and was founded in 1940 by Larry Blake himself, who manned
the helm for the better part of three decades. 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 have 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. We've seen some impressive shoes walk through
these doors.
World-famous blues guitarist Robert Cray,
immediately recognized by then booking agent Tim Kaihatsu as a tremendous
talent, 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 have all graced
our stage and entertained our customers. For nearly four decades,
Blakes was THE blues hotspot in the East Bay.
In 1993, Blakes recognized the need to become more contemporary.
They 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.
" whos who mentiones "
String Cheese Incident, Hot Buttered Rum, Railroad Earth & Sound Tribe Sector 9 members on July 21 & 22 2007, John Lee Hooker, Etta James, Gregg Allman, Mick Fleetwood, Bonnie Hayes, Kevin Hayes, Train, Shelia E., Pete Escavedo, The Counting Crowes, Set Your Goals, RX Bandits, Alexis On Fire, Moneen, Cancer Bats, Elvin Bishop, Brad Gillis, Fishbone, Robert Cray, Cake, Akil from Jurassic 5, Picasso from The Living Legends, Kev Choice from Lauren Hills Band, KRS-One, Third Eye Blind, John Hammond, Boz Scaggs, Maria Muldaur, Prince ( sat in with a blues artist ), members of Stone Temple Pilots, Tsunami Bomb, Death Angel, Zombie, No Doubt, Fishbone, Alice In Chains, Danzig, Tesla, Mirv, Primus, H20, Keith Richards Expensive Winos, Bright Eyes, Testament, Exodus, Forbidden, Tsunami Bomb, Snot, Soulfly, Skinlab, Re:igniton & The Black Crowes. Frequented by members of Green Day, Machine Head, Tesla, The Mercy Clinic, Rancid, Metallica, Hoobastank, Testament, Exodus, Faith No More, Hit The Lights, and many many more.
