Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques

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Club Bluenote

Photos and transcription by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted January 2019

This 2016 Heritage Toronto plaque can be found at 372 Yonge Street just south of Gerrard Street. Here's what it says:

Coordinates: 43.658759 -79.382034

Click here for a larger map

The Club Bluenote was a small after-hours rhythm and blues dance hall that played a vital role in the Yonge Street music scene.

Owned by Al Steiner, the club was located near here at 372 Yonge Street for about 10 years until it closed in 1969. The club was later revived twice in Yorkville by Bill Balkou, Lou Balkou, Syd Markowitz, Jack Valianes, and George Olliver.

The original Club Bluenote launched the careers of Toronto artists such as Jay Jackson, Shawne Jackson, and Shirley Matthews. It supported regulars like Bobby Dean and the Gems, the Statlers, the Peepers, the Silhouettes (with Doug Riley and Steve Kennedy,) and the Five Rogues, featuring Joey Chirowski, Don Elliot, Penti "Whitey" Glan, George Olliver, and Domenic Troiano.

The club was popular with well-known international artists such as Stevie Wonder, the Righteous Brothers, and the Supremes, who performed impromptu late-night sets at the club after giving concerts at major venues elsewhere in the city.

The musical style that emerged at the Club Bluenote and at other Yonge Street clubs was a unique blend of rock with rhythm and blues that became characteristic of the "Toronto Sound."

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