Tony Bennett’s Greenwich Village Start
Tony Bennett (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023) was one of the most beloved jazz musicians of all time. Armed with a set of golden pipes and an even … Continued
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Tag: music
Village Awards: Your Nominations Help Celebrate Our Neighborhoods
As we approach the deadline for the 2023 Village Awards, we want to share some past awardees to inspire your nominations for this year! We will celebrate the award winners at our 33rd Annual Village Awards & 43rd Annual Members Meeting 2023 on Tuesday, June 13th at The Cooper Union’s Great Hall!
Why would you want to take the time to nominate your favorite for a Village Award? Here are some great reasons!
How Greenwich Village Helped Save Harry Belafonte
In 1951, Harry Belafonte decided he was finished with singing. For the past few years, he had been taking acting classes at the Dramatic Workshop of The New School with … Continued
Making Beautiful Music Together: The Grammy-Winning Artists #SouthOfUnionSquare
Known for its eclectic ambiance and creative energy, the area South of Union Square has historically acted as a magnet for hundreds of musicians, painters, photographers, and the like. As … Continued
Charles Mingus: A Life of Jazz and Social Justice in Our Midst
Charles Mingus (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) has earned a well-deserved fame and notoriety over a lifetime of performance, composition, and controversy. The ‘bad boy’ of jazz was known … Continued
Fulfillingness’ First Finale: A Stevie Wonder Classic Born of Pain, Recovery, and Greenwich Village
On July 22, 1974, Stevie Wonder’s seventh studio album, Fulfillingness’ First Finale, was released by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. The classic album, considered the fourth of five from … Continued
2022 Village Awardee: Zinc Bar, 82 West 3rd Street
Village Preservation is very proud to honor Zinc Bar as a Village Awardee in 2022. Join us in recognizing Zinc Bar and these other worthy awardees at Village Preservation’s Annual Meeting and Village Awards on Tuesday, June 14th. Registration is free and open to all!
Vasant Rai: Guru of Raga-Rock
Our neighborhoods have long been meccas for immigrant cultures from near and far, facilitating a multicultural mix that have made them among the most unique communities in America. In that … Continued
A Village Song: “Bazooka Joe Don’t Live There Anymore”
The singer-songwriter Gone Marshall recently celebrated a bit of vintage Greenwich Village which might be familiar to you, over on the corner of MacDougal and Houston Street. If you’re thinking fondly … Continued
“The Bells” – Poe’s Poetry and Ochs’ Folk Music in the Village
Where do folk music and gothic poetry come together? In Greenwich Village, of course! Two beloved but very different figures in the Village’s history are united in a surprising twist … Continued
Billie Holiday: Jazz Legend & Greenwich Village Icon
Billie Holiday is considered one of the preeminent jazz vocalists of all time. She sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall, starred in hit movies, and gave voice to the African … Continued
Psycho Killer! Qu’est-ce Que C’est? The Talking Heads at CBGB
Talking Heads frontman David Byrne was 23 years old when he and his band took the stage for the first time at the legendary CBGB. It was June 20, 1975, … Continued
Oral History: Maria Kenny of Kenny’s Castaway
In 1977, Pat Kenny opened Kenny’s Castaways at 157 Bleecker Street, a “dusty and dim New York music club” which for 36 years welcomed some of the most iconic performers … Continued
GVHD50 Tour: Homes of Music Greats
This is one in a series of posts marking the 50th anniversary of the designation of the Greenwich Village Historic District. Click here to check out our year-long activities and … Continued
The Bitter End, 2019 Village Awardee
People commonly note that Bleecker Street is a far cry from what it was half a century ago, with high-end retail chains replacing its bohemian past. But, thankfully, a few … Continued
“London Calling:” The Clash and the Village
If you were to ask me to name a truly perfect album, it would take a very quick punk-rock-beat to say “London Calling!” Released on December 14, 1979, this iconic … Continued
Lee Morgan, East Village Jazz Trumpet Prodigy
Lee Morgan, prodigy jazz trumpeter, born on July 10, 1938, in Philadelphia. One of his sisters bought him his first trumpet, and by the time he was a teenager he … Continued
Rock On, Fillmore East!
Today, 105 Second Avenue is a bank. The city moves on and overtakes what used to be at a given spot pretty quickly, but maybe you know that 105 Second … Continued
A Walk Around the East Village ca. 1980 with Carole Teller
One of the facts of life that has always bummed me out is that I can’t visit history, to experience the past first-hand. Thankfully, though, GVSHP has just released Part … Continued
Electric Lady Studios: Jimi Hendrix, And So Much More
Jimi Hendrix would have turned 75 this week. In his brief 27 years and even briefer musical career, Hendrix left an indelible mark upon guitar playing and rock music, permanently transforming … Continued
Remembering Jimi Hendrix
Who doesn’t know the opening notes? Who can’t recognize the wild, seething energy behind them? Who hasn’t seen his face, wavering with smoke and mystery? We heard him at concerts … Continued
Farewell to Matt Umanov Guitars
Last week Matt Umanov Guitars released the following bittersweet statement: “After fifty-three years of having been in the business of helping so many guitar (and all the other fretted instruments) players … Continued
Iconic album covers of Greenwich Village and the East Village: Then and now
There’s no shortage of sites in the Village and East Village where great makers of popular music lived or performed. Less well known, however, are the multitude of sites that … Continued
A 15-year-old Greenwich Village student inspired the hit song ‘Summer in the City’
Everyone knows the folk-rock classic “Summer in the City” by the Lovin’ Spoonful, which topped the charts 51 years ago this August in 1966. But fewer know the song’s roots … Continued
GVSHP Oral History: David Amram
GVSHP is excited to share our oral history collection with the public, and hope they will shed more light on what makes Greenwich Village and the East Village such unique and … Continued
Remembering East Village resident and musician Lead Belly
As regular readers of “Off the Grid” will know, one of many ways Village Preservation has worked to preserve the neighborhood heritage of Greenwich Village has been to install a … Continued
Happy Birthday, Rite of Spring
On May 29th, 1913, the revolutionary musical and dance composition “The Rite of Spring,” by Igor Stravinsky, was first publicly performed at Paris’ Theatre des Champs Elysees. To say the … Continued
Village People: Buddy Holly
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Buddy Holly … Continued
Village People: Dave Van Ronk
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Dave Van … Continued
Folk Music In Greenwich Village: 1940s-1953
There are some that mark the beginning Greenwich Village’s involvement with the revival of American Folk music as 9 April 1961, with the ‘Beatnik Riot’ in Washington Square Park. But … Continued
Village People: Pete Seeger
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Pete Seeger … Continued
Village People: Paul Clayton
(This post is part of a series called Village People: A Who’s Who of Greenwich Village, which will explore some of this intern’s favorite Village people and stories.) Paul Clayton … Continued
Building Detective: Where in the East Village Was Bernard Herrmann?
Citizen Kane Psycho North by Northwest Taxi Driver Recognize these movies? Can you guess what they all have in common? As the title of this post suggests, they are all … Continued
Tower of Music
The Carl Fischer Music building dominated the skyline of Astor Place and Cooper Square for many decades. This 12-story building with its iconic sign along the north face is located … Continued
Bleecker Bob’s
On Monday, September 16th, GVSHP and our co-sponsor The New School for Public Engagement will present a screening of the documentary film, “For the Records” by Emily Judem and Hazel … Continued
Another Summer in the City
On Monday, July 29th, GVSHP, along with our friends at Two Boots, unveils our latest historic plaque, this one commemorating the San Remo Café, which was a favorite Village hangout … Continued