Gabriel Rotello

Douglas Gabriel Rotello (born 9 February 1953) is an American musician, writer and filmmaker. He created New York’s Downtown Divas revues in the 80s, was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of OutWeek Magazine, became the first openly gay columnist at a major American newspaper, New York Newsday, and authored the book Sexual Ecology. He now makes documentaries for HBO, The History Channel and other networks.

Gabriel Rotello was born and raised in Danbury, CT and attended Knox College and Carlton College. In 1973 he was in the first group of American exchange students to live and study in Kathmandu, Nepal. After graduating Rotello became a New York City keyboard player, arranger and music director. In 1979 he co-founded the underground band Brenda and the Realtones, whose story was recounted in the Off Broadway show Endangered Species in 1997.

In the early 1980s, as music director of The Realtones he backed artists such as Ronnie Spector, Darlene Love, Solomon Burke, Rufus Thomas and many others. In the mid 1980s he produced a series of music revues at The Limelight, The Palladium and The Saint under the general name Downtown Dukes and Divas. Among his collaborators were The Uptown Horns, David Johansen, Cherry Vanilla, Johnny Thunders, The Lady Bunny, Holly Woodlawn, Joey Arias, David Peaston, Taylor Mead, Sylvain Sylvain, Jackie Curtis, Dean Johnson, Michael Musto, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato of the Fabulous Pop Tarts and many others. Rotello’s life and productions during this period were frequently filmed by videographer Nelson Sullivan, and are now part of Sullivan’s archive of downtown life in the '80s.

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