I’ve added a page dedicated to mapping where venues mentioned (or will be mentioned) in this blog. You can see the list on that page or you can just follow the link below.
Steel Strings
A Youngstown rock history retrospective
James Brown fuels the Flames at the Elms
When James Brown and his Famous Flames stopped by the Elms Ballroom for a February 4, 1961 show, “The Godfather of Soul” wasn’t exactly a cultural phenomenon throughout the United States quite yet. The hits attached to advertisement above were several years old at this point, but “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” wasn’t that far off from the mainstream recognition that would come in the middle of the decade.
I’m fairly certain this was not Brown’s first appearance in Youngstown. He was on the road since 1955, so it’s a high probability he played the Elms or other venues catering to blacks before the 1961 date. I do, however, know the last time he played here. That came on August 30, 2002 for a morning performance at Powers Auditorium as part of the Tom Joyner radio show.
Ray Charles at the Elms Ballroom
Black rock ‘n’ roll and R&B stars of the 1950s had quite a few gigs booked at the Elms Ballroom during that era. Ray Charles was among them as he did a five hour stint at the venue on November 3, 1956. This is the first show of his in the city I’ve come across, but I would venture to guess he played others before this since he was quite popular on the R&B circuit in the mid ’50s.
The Ramones-Runaways alliance
The Ramones and The Runaways were heading in opposite directions when the two bands arrived for a January 15, 1978 gig at the Tomorrow Club. The Ramones were surfing high on the crest of the punk rock wave as the band’s third album Rocket to Russia surged to No. 49 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Forever a band churning out what they thought were radio-friendly hit singles, the single “Rockaway Beach” peaked at No. 66 on the singles charts in 1978 earning what would be the band’s highest charting single. Little did the band know that the first mainstream punk rock push was about to come crashing down during the year. The Ramones were probably unaware that their English rivals – the Sex Pistols – had disintegrated a day earlier after a disastrous American tour which ended with a whimper in San Francisco.
It was during this time that Youngstown area sound technician John Markovich ended up working for the Ramones until the band ended in 1996.
The Runaways were road veterans at this point in their young career, but the grueling schedule and pressure of international stardom had seen lead singer and blonde bombshell Cherie Currie depart the band in the fall of 1977. Johnny Ramone said years later in a radio interview that he was disappointed when he found out Currie was not going to be on tour because he had a crush on her. Joan Jett took over the majority of vocal duties, but creative differences between her and Lita Ford would lead the band to break-up in April of 1979.
WHAT THE SHOW SOUNDED LIKE: The Ramones recorded – in my opinion – their best live album NYC 1978 on January 7, 1978 at the Palladium in New York City. That was part of the King Biscuit Flower Hour radio show archive. The Runaways were allegedly recorded by WMMS for their January 17, 1978 show at the Cleveland Agora. I have yet to come across that recording on the Internets, though.
Peter Wolf and Magic Dick on the prowl
Most casual rock ‘n’ roll fans got to know the J. Geils Band in the early ’80s through the hits such as “Centerfold”, “Love Stinks” and “Freeze Frame”. In the ’70s, though, the Boston group was more known as a blues rock powerhouse. On April 17, 1976, the band set up shop for a gig at the Beeghly Center. The show was five days before the release of the band’s second live album Blow Your Face Out on Atlantic Records. Opening the show were Dutch rockers Golden Earring of “Radar Love” fame and the Stampeders known for the hit “Sweet City Woman.”
Buddy Holly’s last stand in Youngstown
Buddy Holly and his Crickets were world-wide stars by the time late ’58 rolled around. It wasn’t by accident. Virtually all of the year of 1958 was spent on the road by the band. By the time October 12, 1958 rolled around for two shows at Stambaugh Auditorium, the band had already been to Australia and the United Kingdom as well as just about everywhere that would have them in the United States. It was Holly’s second trip to Youngstown that year. The first came on January 15, but the Everly Brothers were the headliners that time around.
Despite a grueling tour schedule in 1958, Holly needed money by the time 1959 rolled around and agreed to hit the road with the Winter Dance Party also featuring Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Holly played 11 dates on that tour before a plane carrying him, Valens and the Big Bopper went down near Clear Lake, Iowa killing all aboard on February 3, 1959.
Holly was set to play Youngstown for a third time in 13 months on February 13, 1959 as part of the third to last show of the Winter Dance Party. Even though he didn’t make it, the Dance Party did continue until the end of the contracted dates. Frankie Avalon, Jimmy Clanton and Fabian were substituted as the headliners. I tried to find an ad for that show in the Vindicator, but papers from that time frame were not available online. I did some research at the library recently and there was no mention of the Feb. 13 date in the Vindicator. I’m not sure it went off at all.
Thin Lizzy at the Agora
Throughout the ’70s, The Tomorrow Club/Agora venue was able to showcase many bands who were on their way to bigger things. By the time the ’80s hit, there were some bands being booked at the venue who were going on to lesser things. Such is the case of Thin Lizzy‘s visit to the Agora Theater on November 18, 1980.
In 1977, Thin Lizzy was a big enough name to be opening a show for Queen at the Richfield Coliseum. In fall of 1980, the band was supporting the Chinatown album which failed to crack the Billboard Top 100. Band leader Phil Lynott was busy swapping new members in and out at that point in the final stage of the band’s career. This would be the last U.S. tour for the original Thin Lizzy. Drugs would claim the life of Lynott in 1986.
WHAT THE SHOW LOOKED LIKE: Here is a few snaps of the show someone kindly uploaded to Facebook.
Idora Park on flames … with rock ‘n’ roll
Some choice early ’70s rockers showed up for a gig on August 4, 1972 at Idora Park’s ball park. Judging through the prism of today, Blue Oyster Cult is the one band here who was setting off on the start of a journey of immense popularity. At this point in their career, BOC was just beginning to get into the biker sci-fi schtick that would garner them fans the world over. The Idora show was some eight months after the release of the self-titled first album. It was likely the second show in Youngstown (and Ohio) the band did. Drummer Albert Bouchard has mentioned another gig in Youngstown in October of 1971 in interviews, but I have not been able to find a newspaper ad for that one.
Quicksilver Messenger Service, a psychedelic group from San Francisco, were pulling away from their late ’60s peak. Lots of lineup changes were working their way through the band at this point.
Wishbone Ash, rockers from the UK, were a few months removed from the release of their third – and most popular – album Argus. That album was voted as Sounds magazine’s album of the year for 1972 and was very popular in the UK.
Ted Nugent…putting up his Dukes one last time
Right before his wildman persona fully emerged in the mid-70s, Ted Nugent was in the last stages of fronting the psychedelic rockers the Amboy Dukes when he arrived for a show on November 3, 1974 at the Tomorrow Club . By this time, he was just months away from dropping the Amboy Dukes name and heading out into the wild to produce such hits as “Cat Scratch Fever” and “Stranglehold”.
The Amboy Dukes did release an album in July of 1974 which contained the signature Nuge song “Great White Buffalo”. It was worlds away from the ’60s garage classic “Journey to the Center of the Mind,” though.
Ironically, he shared an ad with the Duke Ellington orchestra here. Dukes were big in ’74, I guess.
Steel Strings 
