The Birchmere is a

concert hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention centres that may ...

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

, that features rock, blues, bluegrass,

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, ethnic, and comedic performers. Its main room seats 500 and provides dinner service, making for an intimate space, with tables only a few feet away from the stage. The location also features a bandstand with a bar and a dance floor. Owner and manager Gary Oelze opened The Birchmere in 1966 as a restaurant.

History

The Birchmere opened its doors on April 4, 1966, as a restaurant. Music was added in 1975 with a concert space that held up to 200 people. Its original location was 2723 S. Wakefield St. in the

Shirlington Shirlington is an unincorporated urban area, officially called an "urban village", in the southern part of Arlington County, Virginia, United States, adjacent to the Fairlington area. The word "Shirlington" is a combination of "Shirley" (from the ...

area of

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

, in a strip mall that was later razed. On May 14, 1981, the Birchmere reopened at its second location at 3901 Mt. Vernon Avenue in Alexandria, Virginia in a space that held at least 300 persons. In 1997, the club moved two blocks away to its current location at 3701 Mt. Vernon Avenue with seating for 500 customers. An estimated 13,000 discrete performances have occurred at the music hall. Over the years, Birchmere has attracted notable customers to include members of the media, Supreme Court justices and Presidents.

“Bill Clinton came here twice,” Oelze said. “Al Gore used to live up the street and was here all the time. One night he was leaving the White House. Clinton said, ‘Where you going?’ He said, ‘I’m going to The Birchmere to hear Jerry Jeff Walker.’ He said, ‘Hillary and I will go with you.’ The four of them showed up, then they came back to see Kim Richey.”

On November 10, 2021, the illustrated history of the Birchmere was published: ''All Roads Lead to the Birchmere: America's Legendary Music Hall'' by Founder/operator Gary Oelze and music writer, Stephen Moore. On January 23, 2023, Birchmere owner Gary Oelze passed away from natural causes at 80.

Plan for expansion

During the redevelopment of downtown

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...

, a plan was developed to build a second Birchmere site, slated to be an $8 million, 800-seat venue. After years of negotiations, the deal was rejected on July 25, 2007. At the time, Birchmere management claimed that Montgomery County officials breached a contractual agreement with the music venue, but these claims were disputed by the developers and government officials who denied any contractual obligation for development.

Notable concerts and recordings

Concerts

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

performed his last concert at the Birchmere on July 20, 2003. Other important artists who have played the hall include: *

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* Eddie From Ohio *

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Herb Alpert Herb Alpert (born March 31, 1935) is an American trumpeter who led the band Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass in the 1960s. During the same decade, he co-founded A&M Records with Jerry Moss. Alpert has recorded 28 albums that have landed on the ...

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Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

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* Marcy Marxer *

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* Michael Franks *

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* Pete and Maura Kennedy *

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* Richard Thompson *

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* Toto *

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Recordings

The Johnson Mountain Boys The Johnson Mountain Boys were a popular bluegrass band throughout the 1980s from the Washington, D.C. area. Their style favored a more traditional approach to bluegrass than some of their contemporaries. They released two 45 RPM single record ...

recorded their ''Live at the Birchmere'' album on April 5, 1983. * The

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recorded two of their live albums, ''Buy Me, Bring Me, Take Me, Don't Mess My Hair'' in 1990 and ''Gabby Road'' in 1997, at the Birchmere. * Riders in the Sky also recorded their live album there.

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known by the initials DMB) is an American rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1991. The band's founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer and bac ...

recorded songs from their album ''

Recently ''Recently'' may refer to: * ''Recently'' (album), by Joan Baez * ''Recently'' (EP), by Dave Matthews Band {{Disambig ...

'' at the Birchmere on February 21, 1994.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Birchmere, The Music venues in Virginia Buildings and structures in Alexandria, Virginia 1966 establishments in Virginia Event venues established in 1966