The Jabberwock (club) facts for kids

The Jabberwock was a famous American folk music club and coffeehouse in Berkeley, California. It became one of the most popular places for folk music, thanks to Bill "Jolly Blue" Ehlert. The club was located at the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Russell Street. Many well-known artists performed there. It was especially popular with groups that later became Country Joe and the Fish. The building was torn down in 1969, two years after the club closed in 1967.

From Jazz to Folk: The Beginning

Before it was the Jabberwock, the building was a jazz club called the Tsubo. A business person named Glenn Ross opened the Tsubo in September 1961. A jazz radio station, KJAZ-FM, was also in the same building.

The Tsubo is best known as the place where the famous guitarist Wes Montgomery recorded his live music album, Full House, on June 25, 1962. Even though many people in Berkeley liked the Tsubo, Glenn Ross found it hard to keep the club running. It closed on October 15, 1962. After that, the building's name was changed to the Jabberwock.

A New Chapter: Folk Music Arrives

In 1963, the Jabberwock became a place for folk music lovers. New owners, Belle Randell and her husband John Stauder, took over. John Stauder was a classically-trained guitarist.

The Jabberwock was very close to UC Berkeley. This made it a great spot for young students and graduates. The university was a center for the anti-war movement and the Free Speech Movement in 1964.

A Poster artist named Tom Waller described the club as a "beatnik sort of place." It had black walls, served espresso, and played cool jazz. Sometimes, classical music was also played. A group of musicians even played for free meals! Later, the club became a big part of the folk and "hippie" music scenes. The Jabberwock was open every day. During Randell and Stauder's time as owners, many artists performed there. These included Terry Garthwaites (who later joined Joy of Cooking), Bob Dylan, Jesse Fuller, Bukka White, Ian and Sylvia, and Perry Lederman.

Peak Popularity and New Management

On March 23, 1965, Belle Randell and John Stauder sold the Jabberwock to Bill "Jolly Blue" Ehlert. Around this time, future members of Country Joe and the Fish, like Country Joe McDonald and Barry "The Fish" Melton, often performed there. They played in a group called the Instant Jug Band.

Even after Country Joe and the Fish became famous with their album Electric Music for the Mind and Body, they still came back to the Jabberwock. They started to focus more on psychedelia, a type of music that creates a dream-like feeling. The Jabberwock was most popular in 1966. While many artists were moving towards psychedelic music, the club still welcomed folk musicians. In 1966, Ehlert hired Jesse Cahn, a drummer who had played with the Chambers Brothers. Jesse helped manage the Jabberwock while Ehlert also ran another club called the Matrix in San Francisco.

The Final Chapter

After a few different co-managers, Sally Henderson took charge for the club's last few months. In 1967, the Health and Building Departments said the building was unsafe because too many people were gathering there. The club needed a lot of expensive repairs, which the owners could not afford. This forced the Jabberwock to close on July 7, 1967.

Two years after it closed, the Jabberwock building was torn down. A garden was planted on the empty land where the club once stood.