tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post111833069491010588..comments2024-03-13T02:28:32.764-05:00Comments on IT'S ALL THE STREETS YOU CROSSED NOT SO LONG AGO: I can always spot a CheetahSigned D.C.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11154056194616535241noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-43776479546710040062021-06-29T07:47:00.663-05:002021-06-29T07:47:00.663-05:00The sister club The Cheetah Venice Beach, CA hoste...The sister club The Cheetah Venice Beach, CA hosted The Doors, Steppenwolf, Pink Floyd's USA debut, Janis Joplin with Big Brother, Alice Cooper, The Seeds...etc.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04589249461485002161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-82393594592946984022019-08-18T22:47:02.777-05:002019-08-18T22:47:02.777-05:00The Arcadia Ballroom closed in 1959. Its final leg...The Arcadia Ballroom closed in 1959. Its final legacy was as a Boxing tournament arena ptior to shuttering. It was reported that it would re-open as the RIVIERA TERRACE some time in November. Bandleader Sammy Kaye was one of the investors and WAS to be leading the entertainment. But the grand opening took place a year later on Friday September 16, 1960. Sammy Kaye did not take part in the grand opening. The entertainment was provided by the Tommy Ortel orchestra and the Chiquita Latin Band (WHO?!?).<br /><br />The Riviera Terrace was where NEA Jazz master Eddie Palmieri debuted on Broadway as a band leader, before joining the rotation of band regulars at the Palladium ballroom next door.<br /><br />When the Cheetah opens in April of '66, the opening night orchestra is Machito and the Afro Cubans. The Palladium Ballroom was in the midst of closing for good that year as its lease would end on June 15, 1966. On May 1st, the Latin dances that had taken place at the Palladium for 20 years ended. There were still Mambo, Cha Cha Cha, and Merengue bands playing at the Palladium when the Cheetah opened. It seems like the Cheetah owners wanted to capitalize on the soon to be defunct Palladium Ballroom about to stop programming its weekly dances, and signal to the Palladium clientele that the "Latin" party would, or could, continue at the Cheetah. Only a half block away. The attempt to become a new "Latin" Palace on Broadway seemed to not have generated much clientele as the Cheetah began to program rock bands shortly thereafter its grand opening.<br /><br />This Cheetah at 1688 Broadway, the Southeast corner of 53rd Street, closed and reopened in 1968 on the site of the old Palm Gardens ballroom, located at W. 52nd St. off 8th Avenue. In late 1970, the owners sold the business to a group that was headed by a local dance promoter and booking agent of Dominican heritage named Ralph Mercado Sr. As an event producer revolved around R&B acts (Mercado managed James Brown at one point and Brown performed several times at this Cheetah location on 52nd Street) and Latin Music dance orchestras. On August 26, 1971, a concert took place at this "New" Cheetah, produced by the Fania Records company. The concert was documented and was the basis of the Leon Gast film "Our Latin Thing." Shortly thereafter, the new ownership under Mercado converted the live music to an All-Afro Cuban dance format and renamed the club in Spanglish to EL CHEETAH. Catering to the New York born Latino youth of the era, who began identifying Afro Cuban dance music as "Salsa."<br /><br />The trailer for the film OUR LATIN THING captures both the interior and exterior of the Cheetah on W. 52nd Street. At the 1:20 mark, pianist and orchestra leader Larry Harlow (left) can be seen horsing around with fabled Jazz promoter and Disc Jockey, Symphony Sid Torin (right): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XWpl0seZf3w. <br /><br />The exterior of the discoteque literally had a leopard print design. Behind the stage was a giant peace symbol outlined in flickering lights, turning off and on. You can partially make out some of it at the 2:33 mark.<br /><br />By 1974, El Cheetah was no more. Years later it became a music instrument rental company and rehearsal space known as S.I.R. Studios. Sadly, the space was torn down to make way for a godforsaken luxury hotel that the working class can never afford tp spend a night in: https://nypost.com/2004/06/21/w-52nd-site-sold-for-9m/Richie Blondetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-46410576188488665312015-09-29T15:13:53.595-05:002015-09-29T15:13:53.595-05:00Cual es la diferencia entre el Guepardo y el Cheet...Cual es la diferencia entre el Guepardo y el Cheetah?<br />Tengo entendido que antiguamente estuvo ubicado el Arcadia salon y luego le cambiaron el nombre y le pusieron por nombre Cheetah y fue aqui donde la fania all stars se presentaron.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-89178261265847915372015-05-19T16:50:11.143-05:002015-05-19T16:50:11.143-05:00april 67 - the coronation of prince robert de roha...april 67 - the coronation of prince robert de rohan courtenay, as emperor etc. think i still have the flyer- my friend and i were the ones blowing bubbles<br />at his majesty's feet. fell in love with my husband that night (no not the prince).mrs. hornfacenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-67400081239403436222015-03-04T09:33:43.337-05:002015-03-04T09:33:43.337-05:00According to photos of the Cheetah's advertisi...According to photos of the Cheetah's advertising posters included in chapter "The Cheetah: A Pictorial Essay" of the late Vernon W. Boggs' book, "Salsiology" published in 1992 (ISBN 0-935016-63-5), the club's address is shown as 310 West 52nd Street, between 8th and 9th Avenue.<br /><br />This was the location from 1966 to 1972.UrbanLegendhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14279147395429134282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-44699144713324829362012-12-04T18:07:00.349-05:002012-12-04T18:07:00.349-05:00Your sources are wrong. The Pink Floyd did play th...Your sources are wrong. The Pink Floyd did play there and their set was reviewed in Vanity Magazine:<br />http://www.sydbarrettpinkfloyd.com/2012/12/PinkFloydUSATour1967.htmlRokysyd11https://www.blogger.com/profile/06080310329361607071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-65957743687206742442012-09-02T23:17:23.758-05:002012-09-02T23:17:23.758-05:00Im one of the original cheetah dancer, I have a lo...Im one of the original cheetah dancer, I have a lot say about the shuffle, just wanted to see if sight was still up and running, I may remember valerie, if she was a friend DannyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-79785215552856372032011-11-03T21:36:32.253-05:002011-11-03T21:36:32.253-05:00The "salsa" Cheetah was the same club, d...The "salsa" Cheetah was the same club, different building. The Cheetah moved from 53rd and Bdwy to 310 W. 59th in late Feb, early March 1968. It remained there until at least 1971 where it was a popular salsa club.IMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00770956092269600588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-80604693709273387172010-06-17T10:03:11.276-05:002010-06-17T10:03:11.276-05:00Wow, great to see you posting so regularly again! ...Wow, great to see you posting so regularly again! I've been digging up some info on the NYC Cheetah (some of my stuff complements Corry's Lostlivedead blog) and I'm thinking the Cheetah was on the southeast corner of Broadway & 53rd. As you noted, the Cheetah had been home to the Arcadia Ballroom for many years. The Henry Miller blog at http://cosmotc.blogspot.com/2007/03/arcadia-ballroom-theory.html discusses the Arcadia (with some historic photos). It includes a newspaper clipping that describes the building as occupying the block from 52nd - 53rd and from Broadway to 7th.<br /><br />The Cheetah appears to have closed sometime in 1969 or possibly late 1968. The building currently on the SE corner, the 40+ story Bank of America building, was built in 1969.<br /><br />Final note - there's a scan of a beautiful screenprinted poster for the Grateful Dead's appearance at the Cheetah in June 1967 at http://vintageconcertposters.com/_main/Index.cfm?page=api/gallery/photo.cfm&id=365&gid=10IMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00770956092269600588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-52799332309818536102010-06-04T13:06:59.016-05:002010-06-04T13:06:59.016-05:00The School of Visual Arts here in NYC had it's...The School of Visual Arts here in NYC had it's annual Christmas Party at Cheetah in 1972. <br /><br />The band was Eric Emerson and the Magic Tramps.Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02121677765340808430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-1508605472628541102010-01-31T13:52:31.370-05:002010-01-31T13:52:31.370-05:00The New York Pink Floyd shows never happened accor...The New York Pink Floyd shows never happened according to my sources, Syd was sick and hadda return to the UKCrane-Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01381926325358440559noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-7328834917660129642010-01-17T14:43:19.832-05:002010-01-17T14:43:19.832-05:00YES! Thank you for this very impressive rundown o...YES! Thank you for this very impressive rundown of The Cheetah, it's really hard to find info like this on clubs so I appreciate your research! Paul is not only correct on the Syd Barret version of The Pink Floyd playing the New York Cheetah, but dig this, they played the L.A. Cheetah in November of 1967 as well. According to a couple of eye-witnesses the show was great, unlike the debacle when they played San Francisco earlier that week. The L.A. and New York Cheetah were definitely related as the Cheetah Boutique... a girlfriend of mine found a Cheetah brand raincoat also with that logo. Thanks for the mention of my book and the radio show on WFMU with Gaylord Fields, available on the WFMU archive. I go to NYC every year and Gaylord and I both have a blast on the air, check the back archives! - Domenic Priore, author of "Riot on Sunset Strip: Rock 'n' Roll's Last Stand in Hollywood"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-19925308535714040542009-09-01T19:03:04.823-05:002009-09-01T19:03:04.823-05:00Pink Floyd played there in late '67, in their ...Pink Floyd played there in late '67, in their first New York appearance. Tickets from the show are for sale at Web site that has Bill Graham's collection of memorabilia.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-10947479114873131652009-05-19T05:51:00.000-05:002009-05-19T05:51:00.000-05:00anyone have posters from the Imperial Happening?? ...anyone have posters from the Imperial Happening?? redloungerecords@gmx.de<br />Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-33257718265084460062008-01-11T11:33:00.000-05:002008-01-11T11:33:00.000-05:00"...wandering eyes _will_ be penalized...""...wandering eyes _will_ be penalized..."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12527609.post-24198277298544823772007-12-28T13:24:00.000-05:002007-12-28T13:24:00.000-05:00i was at the cheetah nightclub new years eve 1967 ...i was at the cheetah nightclub new years eve 1967 to see hair.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com