Lost Music Venues of Cumberland Avenue and the Strip

In An Elegy to the Strip: Is West Cumberland Avenue the Cultural Icon of our Youth? Jack Neely writes: “the western blocks of Cumberland Avenue have become the subject of much mourning, and it’s not hard to understand why. What was once a lively and unpredictable corridor of distinctive cafes and delis and offbeat shops and live-music clubs, most of them in historic-looking brick buildings, is becoming a clean canyon of glass and steel.”

Given the recent drastic changes in the landscape along the Strip, the Knoxville Music Archive is focused on documenting former music venues, clubs, and bars along this famous stretch of Cumberland Avenue. If you have stories, flyers or photographs you would like to share to enhance the archive, please contract 865-337-7723 or email paul@knoxhistoryproject.org

“In one night, you had the choice of Hobo’s, Bundulee’s, and The Place (later Vic and Bill’s) within a 2–3-minute walk. It was great while it lasted…sort of like the tiniest sliver of some NYC-like scene that you read about in the Village Voice.” Paul Parris.

Cumberland Ave. Revisited: An Anthology, edited by Jack Rentfro (Cardinal Publishing, 2003), is a fascinating collection of “original memoirs, essays, anecdotes and good-natured mythologizing about music around the University of Tennessee,” encompassing the Strip, Fort Sanders, and other downtown music venues, and local bands since the 1960s.

Now long out-of-print, look out for a copy on eBay or check out a copy from the Knox County Public Library.

Special thanks to editor Jack Rentfro for sharing images with KHP from the book, as well as some unpublished photos and flyers, that will enhance this archive.

Bundulees (aka Bundulees Lounge, later Gabby’s), 1820 Cumberland Avenue

This small club, in a second-floor attic, above the Pickle U Pub, was located near 18^th and 19^th streets. Relatively short-lived, but fondly remembered, the venue was, as WUOT jazz show host Paul Parris recalls, “a small and scuzzy place with a capacity about 150.

At one time, Discount Records operated underneath Bundulees. “A great place to find punk records, and The Pretenders.”—Todd Steed.

“This is where it all started in the early ‘80s. If this was the CBGB’s of Knoxville, then Balboa and The 5 Twins were the Television and Ramones of Cumberland Avenue. Lots of locals got the idea to start bands by seeing these acts here. Quite a dive that catered to bikers, rednecks, and high school kids from Doyle and Bearden. Real nasty carpet, which I think made a nice warm sound. Anybody that knows anything about CBGB’s knows that it is famous for its horrible bathrooms. Bundulees could’ve gone toe-to-toe against them in that area.” Camp Childers in Cumberland Ave. Revisited (Cardinal Publishing, 2003.)

By 1983 Bundulees became Gabby’s Bar & Grill for a time. In July 1985, the owners booked a wrestling bear, with any punter willing to pay $10 and able to pin down the 725-pound, 7-foot bear, “Ginger,” would win $100. The Knoxville Animal Control Board heard about it and shut the event down. Later that year, an up-and-coming Red Hot Chili Peppers played here in the wake of the release of their latest album, Freaky Styley. For the encore they were all naked except for socks on their privates as later immortalized on their 1988 Abbey Road EP.

“The thing I liked best about Bundulees was that you had to walk through a biker bar just to get to the narrow stairway that led up there. I remember mainly loud local bands up there, like the 5 Twins. It was such a complex place, with a record store on one side, too, it was hard to believe it was the same shell when it was later simplified, up and down, as one big room.” Jack Neely

“Bundulees was above the Pickle-U-Pub. I saw numerous Athens bands in there as I recall, with one standout in particular being Pylon, which was just crazy intense pulsating music. The ceiling in that place was about 7 feet high, and it was a fairly nasty attic with a crummy carpet on the floor and no windows. Not a pleasant sight with the lights on, but at that age, we didn’t care and it helped rev everyone up.” Paul Parris

Hobo’s, 1835 Cumberland Avenue

Another short-lived but popular venue on the Strip run by Jeff Huggins, Hobo’s had a capacity of about 400. In the late 1970s, and early ‘80s, the place was called Yosamite Sam’s. Paul Parris frequented the place and collected numerous gig flyers from 1982, including various local bands and several national-known acts, including an early show by R.E.M. (supported by Todd Steed’s Smokin’ Dave & the Premo Dopes, their first show), and the Stray Cats.

Hobo’s flyer, 1982. Paul Parris Collection/KHP.

The Stray Cats (who up to this point had gained greater popularity in the UK and in the summer of ’82 were playing the likes of Roseland Ballroom in NYC and the Hollywood Palladium in LA) arrived in Knoxville and were somewhat indignant at having to play the tiny venue. Apparently, they refused to perform an encore, until some coaxing got them back on stage. Since he didn’t have a ticket, Jack Neely recalls watching the band for a few minutes from the sidewalk through an open door. Only five months later, the Stray Cats returned to Knoxville to play at UT Alumni Gym in Feb. 1983.

The last gig at Hobos was particularly notable. Iggy Pop was here on his Zombie Birdhouse tour, his latest LP release. A few days after playing here Iggy was at the Ritz in NYC and then went on a short tour of the UK. Here, though, Hobos was packed to the rafters and Iggy climbed out into the crowd and reached up and began to pull bits of the ceiling down. It was a fitting end to the club’s tenure. Jeff Huggins joined the army after closing the club down.

The Place, 1915 Cumberland Avenue

“The two big claims to fame [for The Place] were that R.E.M. played here to 13 people…and on opening day of the World’s Fair, some drunk started firing his gun, and a bullet ricocheted and hit the drummer of Snakefinger.” Camp Childers. Cumberland Ave. Revisited.

“This was the big one down the street where the bands that did well at Bundulee’s went when they got a real following.” Todd Steed. Cumberland Ave. Revisited.

Note: If you’re a R.E.M. superfan, you may wish to check out this R.E.M. fan website as they have several early Knoxville shows listed, including The Place on Feb. 20, 1982 supported by a band names Secret Service. Please get in touch if you have memories or flyers from this show or others?

Vic ‘n’ Bills, 1913 Cumberland Avenue

Vic & Bills ad, circa 1980s, from The Daily Beacon. (Jack Rentfro Digital Collection/KHP.)

This is probably the place that everybody from the Big ‘80s remembers. The same building as The Place. The original rock ‘n’ roll deli. Victor and Bill Captain used to work at Sam and Andy’s, and had a falling out, so they started their own deli. The front room was the deli and the back was a bar with an area for bands to play. The summer of ’84 was when it really started happening here.” Camp Childers, Cumberland Ave. Revisited.

Footage from one legendary show is available to watch on YouTube: Black Flag in 1985 featuring a short interview with Henry Rollins.

Gordon’s Town House, 1702 Cumberland Avenue at 17th Street

Gordon’s Town House opened sometime in the 1950s with a big dining room and a dance floor to accommodate full swing orchestras. The club also had a smaller, more intimate room called the Blue Note. Over the years, stories of shows by legendary performers who played here include the likes of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Woody Herman. However, almost everyone who witnessed those shows has now passed away.

Read Jack Neely’s story, “The Jazz Legend of Gordon’s Town House.”