Talent_ KEY A 'GINGERLY' CLUB REOPENING L'HOMMEDIEU THE Punk Rock Due At L.A. Whisky Concert Market By NAT FREEDLAND theatre for musical revues, some of Booming In D.C. LOS ANGELES -Elmer Valen- a part owner. With a wide booking runs. tine, veteran nightclub operator policy and flexible playdate lengths, which had fairly successful Rs BORIS WEINTRAUB he is taking shot at the here. is edging gingerly towards re- the Roxy has become one of the Now another with famed nitery. WASHINGTON -Sam L'Hom- well, place the act into the (epltal opening his famed Whisky club as a most important nightclubs in the rock market the remembers when Washing- Centre when it is ready. full-time rock showroom. country. And he says the Whisky sound sys- medieu weak concert market. That "Sure, the club helps," L'Hom- Trumpeter Don Ellis' big jazz Meanwhile, Valentine began rent - tem has been dramatically up- ton was a was about five years ago, when he medicu says. "We've taken John band is now playing every Monday ing out the Whisky as a cabaret graded. Jack Boyle. who owned a little Denver from the Cellar Door to night at the 300- capacity club on the and called the Cellar Constitution Hall to the Capital Sunset Strip. And Valentine has D.C. nightclub concert Centre. Same for America. Same for not yet BIG BAND CONCERTS Door, first went into the booked two local bands George Carlin. We've taken Richard recording, Venus & The Razor promotion business. L'Hommedieu, "the Pryor from the club to Carter Har- Blades plus Quick, for four nights Now. says here has grown tre- ron to the Kennedy Center to the over the Thanksgiving holiday concert market Florida Firm OK than Capital Centre. weekend. mendously and is stronger ever." "The club helps develop a record "1 feel that punk rock. which is so market in the area, especially if the hot in New York now, may well be Since Boyle and L'Hommedieu With 10 Promotions first began promoting concerts in act gets good reviews in the press. due to hit Los Angeles," says Valen- SARA LANE was by The next time it comes back, we can tine. "I want to try booking this type By 1971 -the first one headlined the second by put it on a concert and there's some of act on weekends and different MIAMI -Andre Associates pre- Woody Herman, Jimmy Dorsey, Gordon Lightfoot, interest built up, especially if the act kinds of music on midweek nights.' sented a successful series of con- Stan Kenton, Maynard Ferguson Cat Stevens -Cellar Door Produc- has some record product out that's However, Valentine has no fur- certs at Dania's plush Jai Alai Palace and Buddy Rich are familiar names tions has grown at an amazing rate. being played on the radio." ther firm bookings and stresses that in the late summer and early fall to people in their 405. 50s and 60s. It has promoted, says L'Hom- Sti1L L'Hommedieu knows that he will take things one step at a time months. "Originally we had sched- "This South Florida area is filled medico. at least 200 concerts not every concert is going to do spec- in starting up the Whisky again. "I uled 12 concerts, but were only able with retirees and while many of in the Washington area so far in tacular business, and part of Cellar expect to try various different musi- to present IO since the last date we these people can afford to go down 1976. with many more to come. Door's skill lies in putting an act in cal directions in keeping the room could get at the Jai Alai Palace was to Miami Beach to see big names That number makes the firm far .dive this time," he says. Oct. 23," says David Derrick of the during the winter, there are others and away the dominant promoter in the proper venue. The Whisky was the most impor- firm. who can't -and there are those long, the Washington area, in Maryland "If we put it in Constitution Hall tant Sunset Strip showplace in the "When we first came up with the hot summer months when no enter- and in Virginia. Since Jack Boyle and draw 3,500, that's nearly a sell- early days of California rock. It spe- idea of doing a series of concerts. we tainment is available to this very moved to Florida a while back, the out and we should make money." he cialized in hard rock 'n' roll rather concentrated on the South Florida large group of people." firm also has become the leading says. "On the other hand, if we put it than the softer sounds of individual market to see where we could fill the The lavish jai alai facility was a promotor in that state, too. in the Capital Centre and draw writer /singers which later came to void," Derrick explains. "And we natural for concerts and they leased But Cellar Door's base of oper- 3,500. it's a financial disaster. We've dominate the marketplace. found it in the area's middle -aged to it while the fronton was normally ations remains in Washington. In never gone that low at the Capital Unable to maintain consistent senior citizens; people still active closed. Jai alai in Florida is seasonal fact, it remains in a few tiny offices Centre, but we've come close. You record company support for club who couldn't relate to today's music with Northern frontons closed in the over the Cellar Door, the nightclub win some and you lose some in this tours of hard -rock acts, Valentine trends." winter months and Southern facil- the firm still owns. (Continued on page 34) shuttered the Whisky as a perma- Derrick and his partners at Andre ities closed during the summer's off- Cellar Door Productions has ex- nent nightclub in the spring of 1975. Associates, Ron Dade and Larry season. clusivepromotion rights to the Capi- He concentrated on booking the Andre, hit upon the idea of bringing Despite a slow start, business tal Centre in Largo. Md., just outside Unsurpassed in Quality nearby 500 -seat Rosy. of which he is back the sounds attic big band era. (Continued on page 34) Washington, which seats almost 19,000 and has become one of the major rock venues in the nation. It 14¢ also has a partnership with Bill GLOSSY Paragon Preps For a New Trend EACH IN Washington of Dimensions Unlim- ited to promote concerts at the out- 1000 LOTS Predicts Veer To Abstract Music Coming In 5 Years door Carter Barton Amphitheatre. PHOTOS By SALLY HINKLE which is owned by the National Park 1000 POSTCARDS '65. Service. NASHVILLE -With the opening Alex Hodges, Paragon Agency iell Band, Wet Willie and the Out- 100 8x10 $17.95 ' of Paragon West in Los Angeles and president, foresees the music trend laws. In addition, Cellar Door promotes CUSTOM in Center, '89 the signing of such artists as Sea leaning toward more progressive, "Much of Paragon's success is at- Kennedy Constitution COLOR PRINTS pe1 100 abstract music within the next five tributed to faith in 'unknown' art- Hall, Lisner Auditorium, Gaston Level. Mike Greene. Mac Gayden COLOR LITHO years. Hodges saw the trend in what ists," Hall and McDonough Gym at '195 and Skyhoat, Randall Bramblett states Hodges. is now considered Southern rock, The agency expansion Georgetown Univ. and Dixie Dreggs, the Paragon to L.A. will and aided in the development of bring more in -depth company serv- "This area has grown faster than COLOR $180 Agency in Macon. Ga.. is preparing such groups Brothers as the Allman ice to current clients. "A new level of the rest of the nation as a music mar- POSTCARDS pe, 7000 for what it believes will be a new Band. the Band, Marshall Tucker growth may be attained by being ket," says L'Hommedieu, "There is a MOUNTED 20130' 30140 trend in music. Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Charlie Dan- closer to musicians, managers and lot of radio competition, so they are ENLARGEMENTS 114.00 820.08 recording company personnel, as interviewing artists all the time. I well as producers who live in an- had Frank Zappa in here the other other section of the country," says night, and he was interviewed on Hodges. three stations. There are a lot of oto9raPherr47 Terry Rhodes, agency vice presi- people in the right age group, college A Omit. DO JANES dent, and Damire Maness, Rhodes' and high school, and they have the J KRIEGSNANN 165 W. administrative assistant, are heading money to spend on tickets. And 46th St. N.Y. 10036 (212) It 7-0233 the operations of Paragon West, there is good converage in the press 9255 Sunset Blvd., which is now in here, in the Star and the Post, of our full operation. concerts. All this adds up to growth." Paragon has assembled a roster of Since the Capital Centre opened some 40 artists in its short history in December 1973. the Cellar Door and Hodges estimates the 14 -mem- firm has promoted in the arena and ber staff will produce some S8 mil- done remarkably well. Just about lion in volume for its artists in 1976. every major rock act has played BILL'S MUSICAL This represents another successive there, and crowds have been sizable increase over the past year and ce- INSTRUMENT ¿41(11 b as L'Hommedieu counts some 25 ments Paragon's reputation as one sellouts this year. of the leading booking agencies in RENTALS, Inc. 9,tTt0C{ L'Hommedieu says that Wash- pEopL cn L.A. 11i` h the nation. Call (2121 245 -1970 ington's sizable black population RENTALS has made it possible for him and Bill for ot.l k' ( l5 ) Bee Gees Donate Recordings fh i'drbad Nov,r Washington to schedule many major l/ Garden $ To Kids black acts in the Capital Centre and Concerts /mProv elsewhere and consistently do well. Theater (/Iorr ¢l NEW YORK l he her Gees, Television h touring the U.S. "We have a lot of confidence in for the first time in Bill," he says. "and not just on black cu Vhe Sctr? some 21/2 years, will donate the entire drums electric acts. He does a lot of white shows 8 keyboard net profits from its sellout Dec. 2 guitars B-3 Organ Madison Square with as too. If he says we should do a c r>7 i Garden concert to amplifiers all mallet Instruments C0N7e -hi t. Mc) show, we do it." the Police Athletic League here, planos harpsichords which works with children. One of Cellar Door's strong points The Bee Gees, whose latest LP is that it can start to develop an act shipped gold and whose previous al- locally by booking it into the night- bum went platinum, were honored club. Then it can bring the act along 333 for the donation at a Nov. 10 Gracie by promoting the act in medium - West 52nd St. CATCH ONE NYC IUOJ6 Mansion luncheon with Mayor Abe sized houses like Constitution'Hall. Beame. which seats 3,700, and if things

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