Rockefeller's is a live music venue located in

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

History

In 1979, Sanford and Susan Criner opened Rockefeller's to serve as a performance space for Houston's music scene. The Criners wanted to create a place where both local talent and already-established acts could play to Houston crowds. They already owned a former bank building, designed by Joseph Finger in 1925; they turned it into a club and used proceeds to renovate the space. The building's architecture lent itself to a unique performance space. The old bank vault became an artists’ dressing room, while the large lobby created a distinct acoustic atmosphere. Seating was two-tiered, with some of the audience on the ground level and some in balconies that nearly extended over the stage. The venue could seat about 325 guests. Rockefeller's closed as a public venue in 1997. The owners of Star Pizza purchased the building and it was a private event and wedding space from 1999 to 2014. In 2016, concerts returned to Rockefeller's for the first time in nearly 20 years.

Noted performers

List of noted performers during the 80s and 90s: * Angela Bofill *

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* Jesse Colin Young *

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* Merle Haggard *

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External links

Houston Folk Music Archive
(Woodson Research Center, Rice University)
Houston Folk Music Archive Guide
(Woodson Research Center, Rice University)

References

Music venues in Houston 1979 establishments in Texas {{music-venue-stub