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

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Downtown Newark Downtown Newark is the Central Business District of Newark in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Downtown is the site of the original Puritan settlement of Newark located at a bend in the Passaic River. The first settlers, led by Robert ...

was noted for its influence on house music and garage house genres and scene. Club Zanzibar, along with other gay and straight clubs in the era, was both a straight and LGBT 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 house music known as the Jersey sound. The club scene also gave rise to the

ball culture The Ballroom Scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture that originated in New York City. Beginning in the late 20th century, Black and Latin ...

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 was another contributor to the sound. Well-known deep house DJ

Kerri Chandler Kerri Camar Chandler (born 28 September 1969) is an American house DJ and record producer. Biography Chandler's influences go back to New Jersey, growing up in a family of jazz musicians. His father, Joseph Chandler, was a DJ and provided him wi ...

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 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 Paris Dupree (also stylized as Paris Duprée or Paris DuPree; 1950 – August 2011) was an American drag performer and documentary participant featured in Jennie Livingston's 1990 documentary, ''Paris is Burning'', which was named after 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 Weequahic Park ( (pronounced , or WEEK-wake "when spoken rapidly") is a park located in the South Ward of Newark, New Jersey, USA, designed by the Olmsted Brothers firm, (who also designed Branch Brook Park in Newark). The park is 311.33 acres inc ...

House Music Festival, and the Lincoln Park Music Festival serve as unofficial "Zans" reunions.

Performers

Notable performers who have played "the Zanzibar" include: *

Larry Levan Larry Levan (; born Lawrence Philpot, July 20, 1954 – November 8, 1992) was an American DJ best known for his decade-long residency at the New York City night club Paradise Garage, which has been described as the prototype of the modern da ...

* Jomanda * Tony Humphries * François Kevorkian *

Tee Scott Marc Allen Scott (September 17, 1948 – December 12, 1995), also known as Toraino Scott or Tee Scott, was an American DJ and remixer in the disco era working in New York city. He was born in the Bronx. Biography Tee's remixes includes First Choi ...

* David Morales * Grace Jones *

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. ...

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* Patti LaBelle *

Fonda Rae Fonda Rae Wood (performing as simply Fonda Rae) is an American R&B singer best known for her club hits like "Over Like a Fat Rat" and " Touch Me" (the latter which was later covered by Cathy Dennis). She has also worked with artists such as Don ...

* Gloria Gaynor *

Vicki Sue Robinson Vicki Sue Robinson (May 31, 1954 – April 27, 2000) was an American theatre and film actress, and singer, closely associated with the disco era of late 1970s pop music; she is most famous for her 1976 hit, " Turn the Beat Around". Early life Bo ...

* Linda Clifford * Crystal Waters * Jocelyn Brown * CeCe Rogers *

Millie Jackson Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American R&B and soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs o ...

* Sharon Redd *

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. Acco ...

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* Nona Hendryx *

Sugarhill Gang Sugar Hill may refer to: Places In the United States: * Sugar Hill, Georgia, a city * Sugar Hill, New Hampshire, a town * Sugar Hill, Manhattan, New York, a section of Harlem * Sugar Hill (New York), a mountain in Schuyler County * Sugar Hi ...

Indeep Indeep was a 1980s New York-based group that was best known for its song " Last Night a D.J. Saved My Life". Career The group was led by its songwriter-musician Michael Cleveland, and it was known for employing a strong disco-esque bass line a ...

* Gwen Guthrie * Chaka Khan * Sylvester *

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CeCe Peniston Cecilia Veronica "CeCe" Peniston (; born September 6, 1969) is an American singer and former beauty queen. In the early 1990s, she scored five number one hits on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play. Her signature song " Finally" re ...

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

* Central Line * Debbie Jacobs * Blaze *

Five Star Five Star (also styled as 5 Star) are a British pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson. Between 1985 and 1988, Five Star had four top 20 albums and 15 top 40 singles in the UK, ...

* Modern Romance *

Aly-Us Aly-Us is a house music group from New Jersey that was active mostly in the early 1990s. Their most famous record was “Follow Me” from 1992. Members and history Aly-Us originally started as trio composed of vocalist “Supa” aka Eddie L. Lew ...

Rockers Revenge Rockers Revenge was a studio musical project, assembled by producer Arthur Baker in 1982. The group is most remembered by their 1982 post-disco hit " Walking on Sunshine", which peaked at number 1 on the US Dance Chart and number 4 in the UK. ...

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 and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. se ...

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

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

The Jersey Sound

History

Performers

Building

See also

References