The Club Imperial was a nightclub at 6306-28 West Florissant Ave in St. Louis, Missouri. During the club's heyday in the 1950s through the 1960s, acts such as Ike & Tina Turner, Chuck Berry, and Bob Kuban and the In-Men performed at the Club Imperial.[1][2]

The Club Imperial was owned by George Edick who turned the nightclub into a private hall in the 1970s.[3] In the last few decades, the building went through different ownership and was almost demolished in 2018, but preservationists fought to save the site of the historic music venue.[2]

History

The building which is the site of the Club Imperial at 6306-28 West Florissant Ave was built in 1928. It was a dance hall, bowling alley, and restaurant complex in an all-white neighborhood.[4]

Chicago-born George S. Edick moved to St. Louis, Missouri in 1928.[5] Edick purchased the venue and opened the Club Imperial with the music of Al Tucker & his Orchestra on March 22, 1952.[6] Edick booked swing bands such as Stan Kenton's orchestra and Louis Prima for entertainment at the ballroom.[4] Jazz musician Jimmy Forrest, known for his 1952 hit "Night Train," played piano at the club for years.[4] By the mid-1950s, Rhythm & Blues was taking over the city as the word got across the river of the exciting bands in East St. Louis, Illinois.[7]

In 1954, bandleader Ike Turner relocated his Kings of Rhythm from Clarksdale to East St. Louis where he built the Club Manhattan nightclub.[7] Edick got word of the buzz about Turner and booked his band to revitalize the Club Imperial.[4] Turner's King's of Rhythm became the hottest attraction in the St. Louis music scene, attracting black and white audiences. DJ Gabriel (Mitchell Hearns) remembered: "Ike Turner just took over this area. He created a ripple effect with his energy and ambition, he sent word back to Mississippi and was followed here by Albert King and Little Milton, he was a premier blues pianist who later became a great guitarist."[4][8]

After Ike & Tina Turner attained success with their single "A Fool In Love" and moved to California, they continued to occasionally perform at the Club Imperial.[9][10] They recorded their first live album, Ike & Tina Turner Revue Live, at the club in 1964.[11] Greg Edick, son of the owner George S. Edick, grew up in the club and later took over ownership.[12] He recalled that Jimi Hendrix was a guitarist in the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, but he was fired for his long solo that "brought the dancers to a halt."[4] Hendrix met Jazz musician Miles Davis at the club, and Davis remarked that Hendrix's guitar sounded like a "machine gun."[4] The Turners were performing at the club in 1966 when the Rolling Stones paid a visit and invited them to be the opening act on their 1966 British tour.[4]

In the 1950's, a type of swing dance known as the "Imperial Style" originated at the Club Imperial.[3][13] Tommy Clements's dance studio, The Tommy Clements School of Dance, was located at the Club Imperial.[14]

In 1959, Edick hosted a television show at the Club Imperial, TV Party, which was broadcast on KTVI-2.[15][5]

In the early 1970s, Edick closed the nightclub and ran the Club Imperial as a banquet and reception hall.[11][16] After the nightclub closed, dancers formed the non-profit St. Louis Imperial Dance Club.[3][17]

Edick died at the age of 86 from congestive heart failure on June 11, 2002.[5]

In August 2017, Robert Vroman bought the building in an auction with the intention of finding a buyer to renovate it.[18][19] By 2018, no one had offered to buy the building for renovation and Vroman concluded that it was too dilapidated to save. A beauty products company wanted to buy the building and demolish it to build a new structure. In January 2018, The St. Louis Preservation Board unanimously denied a demolition permit for the former Club Imperial.[2][18]

References

  1. ^ Johnson, Greg (January 13, 2018). "Groundbreaking Club Imperial Threatened". NextSTL.
  2. ^ a b c Fowler, Nancy (January 23, 2018). "North St. Louis building where Ike and Tina Turner performed won't be demolished, for now". St. Louis Public Radio. NPR.
  3. ^ a b c Rice, Patricia Rice (March 12, 1989). "Swing Town". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 8C.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Olson, Bruce R. (2016). That St. Louis Thing, Vol. 2: An American Story of Roots, Rhythm and Race. Lulu Press. pp. 102–114. ISBN 9781483457994.
  5. ^ a b c Venhaus, Lynn (June 13, 2002). "George S. Edlick obituary". St. Louis Post-Dispatch – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Here's the Date to Remember - March 22 - Grand Opening of St. Louis's Newest and Most Beautiful Ballroom, Club imperial (Advertisement)". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 16, 1952. pp. 13G.
  7. ^ a b Turner, Ike (1999). Takin' Back My Name: The Confessions of Ike Turner. Cawthorne, Nigel. London: Virgin. ISBN 1-85227-850-1. OCLC 43321298.
  8. ^ Kasten, Roy (October 22, 2018). "The Man, KDHX DJ Gabriel, Has Died. RIP to a Radio Legend". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2023-09-26.
  9. ^ Kuban, Bob (May 10, 1968). "5th Dimension: Bright Package of Music". St. Louis Post-Dispatch - Everyday Magazine. pp. 2-D.
  10. ^ Begley, Mary (June 2, 1969). "Homebody Turned On By a Spotlight". St. Louis Post-Dispatch Everyday Magazine. pp. 1, 4D.
  11. ^ a b Barns, Harper (October 2, 1985). "Club Owner Enjoys Comforts of Home". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 3.
  12. ^ Fowler, Nancy (February 8, 2018). "Cut & Paste: What was it like growing up with Ike and Tina Turner at St. Louis' Club Imperial?". St. Louis Public Radio. NPR.
  13. ^ Volland, Victor (February 10, 2000). "After all these years, swing dancers are still keeping the Imperial alive". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. N1.
  14. ^ Goddard, Bob (May 13, 1958). "In Our Town". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 8.
  15. ^ "TV Programs". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 21, 1959. pp. 2B.
  16. ^ Barnes, Harper (October 20, 1985). "Tina Returns". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. pp. 12F.
  17. ^ Club, St Louis Imperial Swing Dance. "St. Louis Imperial Swing Dance Club". St. Louis Imperial Swing Dance Club. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  18. ^ a b Holliday, Art (January 23, 2018). "Demolition denied: Future of Club Imperial remains in limbo". KSDK.
  19. ^ Lees, Jaime. "Club Imperial, Legendary St. Louis Nightclub, Is for Sale Tomorrow (Again)". Riverfront Times.

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