Detroit Blues Queen Alberta Adams at the Mic in a Paradise Valley club, c.1944
Tenor Saxophonist Joe Norris and bassist Al Martin focus on Oscar Pettiford during a DIA appearance by the Coleman Hawkins Quintet, 1945
Counts and Countess, probably Club Sudan, Detroit, c. 1943 Smith, vibes/piano Curtis Wilder, bass John Faire,
guitar Smith left Detroit with this group in 1943
The Blue Bird Inn was Detroit's home for modern jazz
Broad's Club Zombie was located on Oakland Avenue in Detroit's North End
Broad's featured elaborate floor shows. Cecil Lee's orchestra anchors this production
Club Harlem chorus line, c.1934. Club Harlem was but one of many East Side nightspots
Club Plantation was considered the finest nightery in Paradise Valley
A later Club Zombie band led by tenor sax man Harold Wallace
Jammin' at the Detroit Institute of Arts, c.1945. Eddie Safranski and Al Martin on basses
The Flame Show Bar was Detroit's primary outlet for national African American entertainment for nearly a decade (1950-60)
Tenor saxist Joe Norris led the band at Club frontenac, the first Detroit club to feature female impersonators (1935)
Ad for the Graystone Ballroom featuring former McKinney's Cotton Pickers music director Don Redman
Hastings Street Opera was recorded in 1948 for Joe Von Battle's record label
Lee's Sensation Lounge was a popular spot and home base for Todd Rhodes in 1947
Joe Henderson, Kirk Lightsey, Roy Brooks, Herman Wright, Blue Bird Inn 1958
The Bizerte Bar on Oakland Avenue featured a mix of jazz and R n' B groups. It was re-named Phelps Lounge and featured many Motown acts in the early 1960's
Chocolate Bar, 1936. Cecil Lee's band was featured
The Parrot on E. Canfield was adjacent to John R. and featured alto saxist Gene Nero
*Henry Biagini Orchestra, c.1928. This band morphed into the Casa Loma Orchestra
The Spirits Of Swing comprised Miller High School students and was led by trumpeter Mathew Rucker. Yusef Lateef performed with this band
Pianist Terry Pollard was a Detroit mainstay. She worked with Yusef Lateef and led a trio for many years
Todd Rhodes Orchestra, c.1948. Rhodes' band recorded for Sensation Records and had several hit records from 1947-54
Pianist Willie Anderson and friends at an unidentified location, probably in Detroit, c.late 1940's
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Motown: Motor City and Music City. Motown was the music of the 60’s, but there was music in Detroit before Motown. In fact, the city’s jazz, blues, and rhythm & blues traditions contributed to the Motown sound. This website will tell you about those traditions and the people who are doing research on them in Detroit today.