Club Zanzibar was a dance club that opened in 1979 at 430 Broad Street in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

. Its presence in

Downtown Newark Downtown Newark is the central business district of Newark, New Jersey, Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Downtown is the site of the original Puritan settlement of Newark located at a bend in th ...

was noted for its influence on

house music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

and garage house genres and scene. Club Zanzibar, along with other gay and straight clubs in the era, was both a straight and LGBTQ black and Latino nightlife destination.

The Jersey Sound

DJ Tony Humphries began his residency at the club in 1982 and, along with others, helped "spawn the sometimes raw but always soulful, gospel-infused subgenre" of

known as the Jersey sound. The club scene also gave rise to the ball culture scene in Newark hotels and nightclubs. New Jersey artists like Jomanda found success on the house music scene. Abigail Adams's house-music record label and store, Movin’ Records in adjacent

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a City (New Jersey), city in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 69,612, an increase of 5,342 (+8.3%) from the 2010 United States ...

was another contributor to the sound. Well-known

deep house Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ...

DJ Kerri Chandler was also a resident DJ at the club. His girlfriend was brutally attacked and killed by another man outside the club in a horrific attack in the 1980s. Some have said that "when New York went to rap uring this period Jersey stayed with club. Because of Zanzibar." The sound was exported to London during the era and eagerly devoured by house music enthusiasts across the pond. The music video for K-YZE's "Stomp (Move Jump Jack Your Body)" was filmed at the Zanzibar in 1989.

History

The club opened in 1979. The

sound system Sound system may refer to: Technology media * Sound reinforcement system, a system for amplifying audio for an audience * High fidelity, a sound system intended for accurate reproduction of music in the home * Public address system, an institution ...

was developed, designed, and installed by Richard Long of Richard Long & Associates (RLA). The club transitioned to hip-hop in the 1990s, rebranding as Brick City, and eventually closed. Newark-Area-Map

In 1988, Paris Dupree held her famous Paris Is Burning ball at the club, namesake to the famous film. Newark-area annual summer events like the Roselle House Music Festival in Warinanco Park, the Weequahic Park House Music Festival, and the Lincoln Park Music Festival serve as unofficial "Zans" reunions.

Performers

Notable performers who have played "the Zanzibar" include: * Michelle Ayers * Larry Levan * Jomanda * Tony Humphries * François Kevorkian * Tee Scott * David Morales *

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

* Kool & the Gang *

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

* Fonda Rae *

Gloria Gaynor Gloria Fowles (born September 7, 1943), known professionally as Gloria Gaynor, is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits "I Will Survive" (1978), "I Have a Right, Let Me Know (I Have a Right)" (1979), "I Am What I Am (Broadway mus ...

* Vicki Sue Robinson *

Linda Clifford Linda Clifford (born June 14, 1948) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B, disco and house music singer who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "Bridge over Troubled Water (song), Bridge over ...

Crystal Waters Crystal Waters (born November 19, 1961) is an American house music, house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits "Gypsy Woman (Crystal Waters song), Gypsy Woman", "100% Pure Love", and 2007's "Destination Cal ...

* Jocelyn Brown * CeCe Rogers * Millie Jackson * Sharon Redd * Kerri Chandler *

Loleatta Holloway Loleatta Holloway (, ; November 5, 1946 – March 21, 2011) was an American singer known for disco songs such as "Hit and Run" and " Love Sensation". In December 2016, ''Billboard'' named her the 95th-most successful dance artist of all time. Acc ...

* Thelma Houston * Nona Hendryx * Sugarhill Gang * Indeep * Gwen Guthrie *

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...

Sylvester Sylvester or Silvester is a name derived from the Latin adjective ''silvestris'' meaning "wooded" or "wild", which derives from the noun ''silva'' meaning "woodland". Classical Latin spells this with ''i''. In Classical Latin, ''y'' represented a ...

* Paris Dupree * The Weather Girls * CeCe Peniston * Shannon *

Black Box In science, computing, and engineering, a black box is a system which can be viewed in terms of its inputs and outputs (or transfer characteristics), without any knowledge of its internal workings. Its implementation is "opaque" (black). The te ...

* Queen Latifah * Central Line * Debbie Jacobs * Ceybil Jefferies * Blaze * Ullanda McCullough *

Five Star Five Star (also styled as 5 Star) were a British Pop music, pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman Pearson, Stedman, Lorraine, Denise Pearson, Denise, Doris, and Delroy Pearson. From 1985 to 1988, Five Star had four top-20 a ...

* Modern Romance * Aly-Us * Rockers Revenge

Building

The Lincoln Motel, which housed Club Zanzibar, was torn down in 2007 as one contemporary developer called it a “ blemished, rat-infested drug-haven eyesore."Newark Loses Unwanted Landmark as Lincoln Motel Goes https://nyti.ms/2FynAwu It had degenerated into a notorious hotspot for crime, drug abuse, prostitution, murder and violence. Its owner, Miles Berger of the Berger Organization, was also the owner of a number of welfare hotels at the time throughout the city. "For a time, arrests were so common that a motel floor plan graced the wall of the public defender’s office to assist lawyers juggling cases. Then-Mayor

Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from New Jersey, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democ ...

manned the bulldozer that began the building's demolition in 2007." In the 1980s, Mr. Berger had turned its 200 rooms into a haven for welfare recipients, earning about $1,000 a month per person." Berger's Berger Organization has expressed interest in building a casino on the site.

References

{{LGBTQ culture in New Jersey 1979 establishments in New Jersey 1979 in LGBTQ history Ball culture Buildings and structures demolished in 2007 Companies established in 1979 Culture of Newark, New Jersey Defunct LGBTQ nightclubs in the United States LGBTQ history in New Jersey LGBTQ nightclubs in New Jersey Demolished buildings and structures in New Jersey Electronic dance music venues LGBTQ African-American culture Music venues in New Jersey

The Jersey Sound

History

Performers

Building

See also

References