When CBGB closed its doors for good on Oct. 15, 2006, it brought the story of one of rock’s most hallowed venues to an end.
The small club, opened by Hilly Kristal in the East Village in Manhattan in 1973, was far from glamorous. Its bathroom was notoriously gross and covered with graffiti. Dogs who guarded CBGB at night were known to urinate inside. The venue had all the prestige of a dive bar – mainly because that’s exactly what it was.
“It was pretty much a dump,” rock photographer and former CBGB employee Roberta Bayley, admitted to the New York Post in 2023. “It was just a drinking bar — you know, for professional drinkers that just drink. It wasn’t a happening club.”
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Still, for fledgling bands looking for anywhere to perform, CBGB offered opportunity. Originally conceptualized as a country and bluegrass club – the full name, CBGB & OMFUG stands for “Country, Bluegrass, Blues, and Other Music For Uplifting Gourmandizers” – Kristal soon recognized that most of New York’s other clubs wanted cover bands or acts with record deals. At the suggestion of local promoters, he made CBGB accessible to new artists, so long as they followed two rules: 1) They must move their own equipment. 2) They must play mostly original tunes.
CBGB became the mecca America’s punk and new wave movements, ranking among the most legendary venues in the U.S.A. The Ramones, Talking Heads and Blondie were just some of the many famous bands to get their start on its stage. Sadly, financial disputes eventually forced the venue to close, and since 2006 the once hallowed rock ground has been used as retail space.
Still, CBGB will always hold and important place in rock history as the creative breeding ground for a long list of acts. Here are our picks for the Top 10 CBGB Bands.