JGMS March 22, 1974 – Chateau Liberté

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4 responses to “JGMS March 22, 1974 – Chateau Liberté”

1. 

   Corry342

   August 15, 2014

   The gig listing came from Dennis McNally, as I recall. The Chateau was pretty casual, and the Sundazed listings were probably based on a monthly calendar or something. Garcia/Saunders could have subbed without them being informed.

   Here's a thought, though–at the time, The Tubes were an all but totally unknown band from San Francisco. Garcia could have been added to the Chateau bill at the last minute. The Chateau would have probably just kept The Tubes booking. That would mean that Vince Welnick opened for Jerry in 1974. Just a thought.

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2. 

   Jerry’s Brokendown Palaces

   August 15, 2014

   Need a magnifying glass for that.

   Chateau Liberte
   22700 Old Santa Cruz Highway
   Los Gatos, California

   Capacity
   An old Wells Fargo stagecoach stop in the mid-19th century, the all-wood building on stilts was originally built in 1865 and was a notorious speakeasy, Chateau Boussy, owned by Ferdinand Boussy, from 1920 to 1945.(1)
   From about 1947 to the mid 1960's it was a family run restaurant.
   It went through at least two owners in the 1960's.
   While Janis Joplin never entertained there, she visited the Chateau with an entourage thinking to purchase the property. The old Dr. La RueMoore out of San Francisco, who owned the place at the time wouldn't hear of it….he didn't like her.
   The following piece of history is added by Pearl Regis, Owner/Operator of the lease at the Chateau along with her family.
   Prior to that name (Chateau Liberte) , it was called the Redwood Chateau 1965 – 1967 and then Chateau Regis (1967 – 1971) This is the period the Doobie Brothers and other legendary rock groups got their start or played there. It was not a "biker" bar until Jim Richardson bought the lease in 1971 and called it Chateau Liberte (which means "House of Freedom"). The bar was a magical, rockin'-sockin' fun place to go and was patronized by the local mountain folk, cowboys and equestrians, Professional people such as airline pilots, doctors, lawyers, heavy construction equipment operators, artists, scientists, musicians, poets, families, "hippies" and other eclectic groups. It has since been demolished and rebuilt on the site of the old redwood building. The swimming pool was left in place, and could have been viewed as folks sat at the log-hewn bar.
   "My best friend, Trudi vonAhnen and I both worked as the main bartenders at the Chateau from 1970 till the very sad closing day. I lived in the cabin at the bottom facing the back side of the Chateau. My horse lived in the corral next to the cabin and my horse and I rode through out all 17 acres in the beautiful redwood trees. Minnesota Fats was his name. Trudi painted the Zig Zag Man in the bottom of the pool around 1972!"(4)
   A figure in the Chateau Liberte scene, Billy Dean Andrus, has been virtually
   forgotten by rock history.  He was a lead guitarist who came out from Mississippi and hung out with the Doobies and Skip Spence.  He performed in a black leather band with Skip Spence and other local South Bay musicians in 1970 called Pachuco. He died of a drug overdose on Thanksgiving Day 1970, and is buried in the Soquel graveyard, near Santa Cruz.  Andrus is the inspiration for the Doobies Brothers' number one hit "Black Water," and the song "Chicago" is also dedicated to him on the first Doobies album. Skip Spence called him the"best guitarist in the world." They attracted a particularly strong following among local chapters of the Hells Angels and got a recurring gig at one of the bikers' favorite venues, the Chateau Liberte' in the Santa Cruz Mountains.(3)
   The cover of the first Doobie Brothers album was photographed in the bar and the Doobie's were regulars here before they hit it big with Manager Bruce Cohn at the helm.

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3. 

   Jerry’s Brokendown Palaces

   August 15, 2014

   "I was born in October of 1955. According to my family, the Chateau was one of the first stops before I arrived home a few days after my birth. Bonnie and Floyd, husband and wife, were the caretaker and the employees of the Chateau. Bonnie cooked and catered the many parties and Floyd was the bartender and maintenance man. I learned to walk the floors of the Chateau, learned to swim in it's pool and learned to sing and dance in the grove. My uncle used to keep his horse in the corral behind the Chateau. His name was George and Bonnie would make stew for him and always carrots and sugar cubes for that horse. My mother went into labor with my younger sister while at a Christmas Party for the Women's Club at the Chateau. Next to Holy City, the Chateau was a safe place. When we were growing up; it used to be the "wrong side of the tracks". To all that enjoy it or have enjoyed it–welcome to the poor side of town."(5)
   In 2010, George Rabe currently owns and resides on 72 acres off the Old Santa Cruz Highway in the completely restored, and most recently famous nightclub,The Chateau Liberte (1965-1975).(2)

   Jerry performed here on
   3/22/74 Merl Saunders
   The Tubes, with Vince Welnick, may have opened.

   10/11/74 Merl Saunders
   11/30/74 Merl Saunders

   Chateau Liberte, Los Gatos, CA
   1.)^Selvin, Joel, San Francisco, the Musical History Tourm pg.171, http://books.google.com/books?id=hxCLmGXGuHIC&pg=PA122&lpg=PA122&dq=mandrake%27s+berkeley&source=web&ots=NZ6q3FFDUv&sig=6FCJXA_jzBE1M10hHIdWYQ6zgr8&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result#v=onepage&q=mandrake%27s%20berkeley&f=false
   2.)^Singh, Gary, Chateau Liberte, 2010-07-28, http://www.metroactive.com/features/columns/silicon-alleys_20100728.html
   3.)^http://www.answers.com/topic/the-doobie-brothers#ixzz1H5NSHONC
   4.)^Decker, Candyjo Jorgensen, comments, 2013-08-15, http://lghsclassof73.marcozecchin.com/2013/reunion/chateau-liberte-history/#comment-2390
   5.)^Capaci (Mann), Lisa, comments, 2013-09-07, http://lghsclassof73.marcozecchin.com/2013/reunion/chateau-liberte-history/#comment-2735

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4. 

   Fate Music

   August 16, 2014

   "Need a magnifying glass for that."

   I don't know about a Mac, but on a PC I can right click, choose view image, and zoom in.

   Reply