Sweetwater Saloon
Encyclopedia
Located in Mill Valley, California
, Sweetwater was a bar/tavern with a 30 year history of live musical performances by the likes of Bonnie Raitt
, Elvis Costello
, Jerry Garcia
, The String Cheese Incident, John Lee Hooker
, Carlos Santana
, plus many othershttp://www.sweetwatersaloon.com/history.ihtml. There were typically at least 4 to 5 musical acts booked per week making it a popular local hangout.http://www.pacificsun.com/best_of/best06.html The Sweetwater also featured an open mike night on Mondays that had occasionally featured surprise performances by well-known artists such as Gregg Allman
, Train
and others.
The band Hot Tuna
recorded two live albums at Sweetwater in the early 1990s[][] featuring guest performances by local figures such as Bob Weir
and Wavy Gravy
.
BBC
Television shot a documentary at the club featuring John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Riatt and Ry Cooder
.
In 2004, the establishment faced eviction by landlords who needed to raise the rent to more than what the owners claimed they could pay. Through donations the bar was saved and its lease was renewed when the owners of the building generously offered new terms. It was not however disputed that the new rent was fair and the owners of the Sweetwater entered into a month to month lease.
In September 2007 Sweetwater closed because the landlord of the building found it necessary to renovate the somewhat run-down property and declined to offer the club terms for a new lease after the renovation's anticipated completion. The owners of the building were also the long time owners of a very popular Italian restaurant next door that had been established in the 1960's. A spokesman for the family that owned the building and restaurant said at the time that the building would undergo long-overdue repairs and maintenance and that the new Sweetwater owners knew about renovation plans since their lease had expired two years previously. "We've been in this community for 45 years," he said. "If we wanted to throw the Sweetwater out, we would have done it a long time ago.".
There are plans to reopen the club at a new location someday.
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...
, Sweetwater was a bar/tavern with a 30 year history of live musical performances by the likes of Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Jerry Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Jerome John "Jerry" Garcia was an American musician best known for his lead guitar work, singing and songwriting with the band the Grateful Dead...
, The String Cheese Incident, John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker
John Lee Hooker was an American blues singer-songwriter and guitarist.Hooker began his life as the son of a sharecropper, William Hooker, and rose to prominence performing his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues. He developed a 'talking blues' style that was his trademark...
, Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
, plus many othershttp://www.sweetwatersaloon.com/history.ihtml. There were typically at least 4 to 5 musical acts booked per week making it a popular local hangout.http://www.pacificsun.com/best_of/best06.html The Sweetwater also featured an open mike night on Mondays that had occasionally featured surprise performances by well-known artists such as Gregg Allman
Gregg Allman
Gregory Lenoir Allman , known as Gregg Allman, is a rock and blues singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter, and a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band. He was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia...
, Train
Train (band)
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1994. The band currently comprises a core trio of Patrick Monahan , Jimmy Stafford and Scott Underwood ....
and others.
The band Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna
Hot Tuna is an American blues-rock band formed by bassist Jack Casady and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen as a spin-off of Jefferson Airplane. It plays acoustic and electric versions of original and traditional blues songs.- Jefferson Airplane side project :...
recorded two live albums at Sweetwater in the early 1990s[][] featuring guest performances by local figures such as Bob Weir
Bob Weir
Bob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
and Wavy Gravy
Wavy Gravy
Wavy Gravy is an American entertainer and activist for peace, best known for his hippie appearance, personality and beliefs. His moniker...
.
BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Television shot a documentary at the club featuring John Lee Hooker, Bonnie Riatt and Ry Cooder
Ry Cooder
Ryland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
.
In 2004, the establishment faced eviction by landlords who needed to raise the rent to more than what the owners claimed they could pay. Through donations the bar was saved and its lease was renewed when the owners of the building generously offered new terms. It was not however disputed that the new rent was fair and the owners of the Sweetwater entered into a month to month lease.
In September 2007 Sweetwater closed because the landlord of the building found it necessary to renovate the somewhat run-down property and declined to offer the club terms for a new lease after the renovation's anticipated completion. The owners of the building were also the long time owners of a very popular Italian restaurant next door that had been established in the 1960's. A spokesman for the family that owned the building and restaurant said at the time that the building would undergo long-overdue repairs and maintenance and that the new Sweetwater owners knew about renovation plans since their lease had expired two years previously. "We've been in this community for 45 years," he said. "If we wanted to throw the Sweetwater out, we would have done it a long time ago.".
There are plans to reopen the club at a new location someday.