The Troubadour is a nightclub, restaurant and

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

located at 265

Old Brompton Road Old Brompton Road is a major street in the South Kensington district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. It starts from South Kensington Underground station and runs south-west, through a mainly residential area, until i ...

Earls Court Earl's Court is a district of Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in West London, bordering the rail tracks of the West London line and District line that separate it from the ancient borough of Fulham to the west, the ...

, London. Established in 1954, it is one of the oldest and last remaining nightclubs and coffee houses of its era in London. It still offers live music seven days a week.

Financial troubles

The Troubadour was in danger of closure due to financial difficulties after being served with a

noise abatement Noise control or noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce noise pollution or to reduce the impact of that noise, whether outdoors or indoors. Overview The main areas of noise mitigation or abatement are: transportation noise control, ...

notice in 2012, related to use of the garden. In 2015, ownership was taken over by shareholder Giles McNamee, who has indicated there will be future investments to keep the club open.

Ownership

The Troubadour has had four proprietors since its opening: *1954–72, Michael Van Bloemen and Sheila Van Bloemen, founders of the venue *1972–98, Bruce Rogerson *1998–2015, Simon Thornhill and Susie Thornhill. *2015–present, Giles McNamee

Artists

The club has played host to a number of major artists in various stages of their careers. Among these have been: *

Richard Harris Richard St John Francis Harris (1 October 1930 – 25 October 2002) was an Irish actor and singer. He appeared on stage and in many films, notably as Corrado Zeller in Michelangelo Antonioni's '' Red Desert'', Frank Machin in '' This Sporting ...

– in early 1956 where he auditioned and rehearsed his own production of the

Clifford Odets Clifford Odets (July 18, 1906 – August 14, 1963) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and actor. In the mid-1930s, he was widely seen as the potential successor to Nobel Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill, as O'Neill began to withdra ...

play '' Winter Journey (The Country Girl)'' while studying at the then nearby London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). Richard Harris fell in love with his wife Elizabeth here as well. A newspaper review of the time * Charlie Watts – in summer 1961, *

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

– Christmas 1962, performing under the name Blind Boy Grunt. * Paul Simon - Played June 9th 1964 in London, at Troubadour * Joni Mitchell – played in 1970 * Robert Plant – likewise,

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

had no official dates at the Troubadour *

Lionel Grigson Lionel Grigson (12 February 1942 – 14 June 1994) was an English jazz pianist, cornettist, trumpeter, composer, writer and teacher, who in the 1980s started the jazz course at the Guildhall School of Music. As Simon Purcell wrote in ''The Ind ...

, along with other jazz musicians – including Spike Wells, Mick Pyne, Dave Gelly,

Daryl Runswick Daryl Runswick (born 12 October 1946) is a classically trained English composer, arranger, jazz musician, producer and educationalist. Career Runswick was born in Leicester, and educated at Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys and Corpus Christi Co ...

, and Happy Williams – played regular Sunday afternoon gigs in the 1960s. * Sandy Denny – who was the subject of a 2008 tribute show held at the venue. * Martin Carthy – an influential figure in British traditional music * Davey Graham – an influential figures in the 1960s folk music revolution in England

References

External links

* – official site
Classic Cafés
site {{DEFAULTSORT:Troubadour Clubs and societies in London Music venues in London 1954 establishments in England Folk music venues Coffeehouses and cafés in London Earls Court Nightclubs in London Concert halls in London Jazz clubs in London Pubs in London Historic Rock and Roll Landmarks