The Riverboat Coffee House was a Canadian

coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

located at 134 Yorkville Avenue in the Yorkville neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was a key venue for folk rock music and singer songwriter music made famous for featuring high-profile acts, and is considered to be "the best-known coffee house in Canada." It opened in October 1964 and closed on June 25, 1978.

History

The Riverboat was owned by Bernie & Patricia (a.k.a. Sola, a well-known artist) Fiedler. Located in a basement, its decor was modelled after the interior of a boat, featuring port hole windows and intimate booths. Legend has it that American protest singer

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter and protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer). Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, political activism, often alliterative lyrics, and ...

wrote one of his best-known songs, "Changes", on the back porch.

Notable performers

Numerous Canadian artists, including Lenny Breau,

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

, Neil Young, Ian & Sylvia, Gordon Lightfoot, Bruce Cockburn and Murray McLauchlan, played the Riverboat. A frequent stop on the touring circuit, many American artists, such as

John Lee Hooker John Lee Hooker (August 22, 1912 or 1917 – June 21, 2001) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. The son of a sharecropper, he rose to prominence performing an electric guitar-style adaptation of Delta blues. Hooker often ...

, James Taylor, Tim Hardin, Simon and Garfunkel, and

, also appeared there.

Live albums recorded

'' Live at the Riverboat 1969'' by Neil Young

Songs written at or about the Riverboat

* Gordon Lightfoot. "Steel Rail Blues" ''

Lightfoot! ''Lightfoot!'' is the debut album by Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot. Although it was recorded in December 1964, the album was not released until January 1966 on the United Artists label. At the 2017 Polaris Music Prize, the album ...

'' * Joni Mitchell. "Night in the City" '' Song to a Seagull'' * Neil Young. "Ambulance Blues" '' On the Beach'' * Phil Ochs. "Changes" '' Phil Ochs in Concert''

References

{{Reflist

External links

Riverboat coffee house archival photographs
from the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections, York University Buildings and structures in Toronto Demolished buildings and structures in Toronto Folk music venues Music venues in Toronto Coffeehouses and cafés in Canada 1964 establishments in Ontario 1978 disestablishments in Ontario