MAY 7, 2009 ISSUE
“Remember That Time When…”
P.B. Scott’s 4th Annual Reunion Party at Canyons May 16
It is truly amazing. Ask former P.B. Scott’s Music Hall owner/manager Randy Kelly about virtually any band that played at his former place of business and he can rattle off a story as if the famed music venue was open last week.
Rockers NRBQ were in town the night that John Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment building in New York City. Citing Lennon and The Beatles as a major influence, the band felt as though they couldn’t go on. Fortunately for concertgoers, Kelly gave them a “Gipper speech” and convinced the band that the show must go on.
A few years later, an unknown band from Athens, Ga. played their first-ever show at P.B. Scott’s on their way to international superstardom. However, Kelly was supremely irked when R.E.M.’s set ended after less than an hour of music.
According to Kelly, famed comedian and actor Bill Murray would occasionally come to Blowing Rock to visit his friend, artist Bill Dunlap. The pair would often wind up at P.B. Scott’s, where Murray was recruited to take the stage and introduce bands.
Sharing memories is what the annual P.B. Scott’s Reunion Party is all about. That, and dancing. Lots of dancing. On Saturday, May 16, Raleigh-based party band Rewind will conjure the spirits of Blowing Rock’s partying past as Kelly, High Country Press Publisher Ken Ketchie and former P.B. Scott’s silent partner and Canyons owner Bart Conway host the 4th annual reunion bash.
“It’s become quite a night where people stay up later than they should,” said High Country Press publisher Ken Ketchie, the event’s co-organizer. “It’s the best $5 you can spend to hang out with your friends and dance.”
In the 26 years since the Blowing Rock nightspot closed its doors for the final time, Kelly and the thousands of patrons that packed into the legendary wooden dome to hear live music continue to share the experiences that were part of their days at ASU. Now, thanks to a new Facebook page, the many concertgoers have a place to congregate online and trade stories and pictures from that era.
The page, entitled Remembering P.B. Scott’s Music Hall in Blowing Rock, is also helping generate a big buzz about this year’s reunion party far beyond the High Country. Posts are coming in from all over North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Hawaii, Missouri and Texas.
As always, Kelly will have P.B. Scott’s T-shirts for sale. And while organizers don’t want to spoil the surprise, concertgoers will have a chance to compete for cash prizes during a Name That Tune-style competition.
The 4th annual P.B. Scott’s Reunion Party will start at 10:00 p.m. For more information, call Canyons at 828-295-7661 or click to www.canyonsbr.com. To hear music by Rewind, click to www.rewindwebsite.com.
Want To Go?
Date: Saturday, May 16
Time: 10:00 p.m.
Location: Canyons
Cost: $5
Bands Who Played P.B. Scott’s in Blowing Rock
For years, long-sleeve T-shirts from the long defunct P.B. Scott’s Music Hall in Blowing Rock have been coveted items in part because many of the performers who graced its stage are listed on one of the sleeves. Here’s a list of dozens of the acts that made P.B. Scott’s one of the most famous music venues ever in North Carolina:
Arlo Guthrie
Arhoolie
Arrogance
Atlanta Rhythm Section
B.B. King
The Back Doors
Bonnie Raitt
Brice Street
Catfish Hodge
The Carter Brothers
Choice
CirKus
Cruis-O-Matic
Delbert McClinton
The Dixie Dregs
Doc Holiday
Doc Watson
Doug Clark and the Hot Nuts
The Fabulous Knobs
The Fabulous Thunderbirds
George Thorogood
The Greg Allman Band
Grinderswitch
Guy Clark
Hank Williams Jr.
Harry Chapin
Jerry Jeff Walker
John Prine
Juice Newton
Leon Redbone
Leon Russell
Mike Cross
Molly Hatchet
NRBQ
Nantucket
New Riders of the Purple Sage
Nicollete Larson
The Nighthawks
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Papa John Creach
Pure Prairie League
Ramsey Lewis
R.E.M.
Root Boy Slim & The Sexchange Band
The Rossington-Collins Band
Sea Level
Sidewinder
Snuff
The Spongetones
Subway
Sugar Creek
Super Grit Cowboy Band
The Tams
The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
The Whites with Ricky Skaggs
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