The hall was established in 1907 during the period of rebuilding that followed the
1906 earthquake. Its interior was designed by a French architect. It was originally called Blanco's, after a notorious
Barbary Coast house of
prostitution.[2]
In 1936,
Sally Rand, known for her
fan dance and
bubble dance acts, acquired the property and branded it the Music Box. It closed with the end of
World War II, reopened in 1948 as a jazz club that reused the name Blanco's, and in the 1950s the building was used by members of the
Loyal Order of the Moose.[3] The venue went into a long decline that nearly resulted in the demolition of the building.[4]
Great American Music Hall
In 1972 the venue was purchased by Tom Bradshaw. Newly refurbished and painted, the building was renamed the Great American Music Hall. In 1973-1974 the Stuart Little Band became the GAMH house band and performed as opening act for many GAMH headliners:
Cal Tjader,
Sarah Vaughan,
Carmen McRae,
Marcel Marceau,
Stan Getz,
Mongo Santamaria,
Dizzy Gillespie, pianist
Bill Evans, Jerry Garcia &
Merl Saunders,
Joe Pass,
Cleo Laine,
Herbie Mann,
Buddy Rich,
the Tubes, etc. In 1974, the new line-up of
Journey debuted there, also
Jerry Garcia of the
Grateful Dead debuted and recorded a live album with
Legion of Mary, his jazz influenced rock band in 1974, and again later with the
Jerry Garcia Band as well as the
Grateful Dead's album One from the Vault. In 1982,
Robin Williams filmed his HBO special, "An Evening with Robin Williams". In the early '90s, radio station
KKSF103.7FM hosted several large "Music Without Borders Listener Appreciation Concerts", with performances by
Opafire as well as other Contemporary Jazz groups. In May 2000, during the dot-com boom, the venue was acquired for a reportedly seven-figure sum by music website
Riffage.com, and went to Diablo Management Group when Riffage.com ceased operations in December 2000.[5] In 2013, the Great American Music Hall was named the sixth-best rock club in America in a Rolling Stone poll of artists and managers.[1]
Live Performances at the Great American Hall
Great American Canyon Band opened for Tennis at the Great American Music Hall on February 25, 2017[6]
Recordings
Billy Joel recorded a set on June 8, 1975. He recorded “New York State of Mind” there that year which was released on Spotify, et al, on November 4, 2021. The album "Live from the Great American Music Hall" was released in April 2023.
The
Grateful Dead's album One from the Vault, the first of its "From the Vault" series, was recorded at the Great American Music Hall in August 1975.
Carmen McRae recorded "At The Great American Music Hall" in 1976.
Doc and
Merle Watson recorded "
Live and Pickin' " on October 11–13, 1978. At the Grammy Awards of 1980 "Big Sandy/Leather Britches" won the Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance.