The Troubadour, London
The Troubadour
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| Location |
Old Brompton Road London, SW5 United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Public transit |
 Earl's Court
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| Owner | Giles McNamee |
| Type | Coffee house and music venue |
| Genre(s) | Folk |
| Opened | 1954 |
| Website | |
| http://www.troubadour.co.uk/ | |
The Troubadour at 263–267 Old Brompton Road in Earls Court, established in 1954, is one of the last remaining coffee houses of its era in London, with a club room in the cellar famous as one of the primary venues of the British folk revival in the late 1950s and 1960s. The club was one of several London coffee house venues at which notable musicians played; other such venues included Les Cousins and Bunjies.
The club has played host to a number of major artists in various stages of their careers. Notable among these have been:
The club is, however, chiefly associated with folk music. Notable artists appearing under this banner have been:
Many of these acts are captured performing at the venue in the photographs of Alison Chapman McLean.
A key name in the history of the Troubadour is that of Anthea Joseph (1940–1997), who organised many of the folk events at the club and was often credited as "the Manager" of the venue. It is widely reported that when Bob Dylan arrived in London for the first time he was given no instruction other than that of his mentor Pete Seeger to seek out "Anthea at the Troubadour". In 1968 she joined Witchseason Productions as Joe Boyd's assistant.
During Bruce Rogerson's ownership of the Troubadour it had not been used as a music venue for some years, so he asked The Flynn Brothers to manage some music evenings in the downstairs cellar, thereby making it a music club again. The Flynn Brothers revived the folk music scene there by bringing back notable artists such as Martin Carthy, John Renbourn, Davey Graham and Bert Jansch.
A selection of coffee pots in the front window
A selection of ephemera inside
The Troubadour's influence was felt around the UK. The Bristol Troubadour Club fulfilled a similar role in the west of England, but with a more bluesy feel.
The Troubadour in Los Angeles was a copy of the London club (it even copied the sign above the door) that opened in 1957 and runs still today. From the beginning it was a much larger venue but with a similar ethos.
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Wikipedia