The Ice House Comedy Club is a comedy club located at 24 Mentor Avenue in Pasadena, California .
31-447: The Ice House continues to thrive and during its many decades of operation has entertained over four million people. It was opened in 1960 by Willard Chilcott who, soon after, took on folk music icon Bob Stane as his partner. From 1960 to 1978, The Ice House, originally managed by Keith Pearce, aka, O'Brien, was a folk music club with acts coming from around the country to perform. During that same time, many comedians also appeared at
62-676: A contract at the Robert Stigwood organization, the same organization that serviced the recording contracts for Eric Clapton, the Bee Gees , as well as several other disco performers. It was at RSO Records that Stewart enjoyed his most commercially successful years as a solo artist. Teaming up with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (then in Fleetwood Mac ), Stewart recorded and released Bombs Away Dream Babies , which made it to #10 on Billboard' s album chart and included
93-458: A songwriter. Several of his songs were recorded by a number of popular acts, including Nanci Griffith ("Sweet Dreams Will Come"), Rosanne Cash ("Runaway Train", "Dance with the Tiger"), and Joan Baez ("Strange Rivers"). He also continued to record new material, producing CDs on his own "Neon Dreams" label in between commercial releases. They usually coincided with one of his tours. His last album
124-467: A sudden pop star at the age of 40. However, the follow-up album, Dream Babies Go Hollywood (1980), proved to be a commercial disappointment, hitting only #85 on the album chart. None of the singles from that LP (or any of his subsequent albums) made the Billboard Hot 100 , though Stewart continued to perform right up to the time of his death. Stewart's later and most significant success was as
155-671: A ukulele when I was in Pasadena. I would listen to Sons of the Pioneers records. Tex Ritter really turned me on to music. 'I Love My Rooster' was Top Ten as far as I was concerned." Stewart's first venture into popular music was with a high school garage band known as Johnny Stewart and the Furies. Influenced by the reigning icons of the day, Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly , the Furies toured southern California colleges and coffee houses, releasing one single in 1957, "Rockin' Anna," which
186-677: The World Folk Music Association . Stewart had a passion for painting, doing art shows and covers for his recordings and books. He continued to be a prolific songwriter and toured the United States and Europe regularly. He married Julie Koehler in 1960, having three children with her and resided in Marin County , California. He met his second wife, Buffy Ford Stewart , through music and married her in 1975. Stewart's brother Mike , who died in 2002, founded
217-515: The #5 hit, " Gold ," in 1979. (Perhaps fittingly, considering the song's cynical attitude, Stewart later stopped performing "Gold" in concert, calling it "vapid" and "empty". The artist further claimed the tune meant nothing to him, having done it for the money and to please his record company.) Two other tracks from Bombs Away , "Midnight Wind" and "Lost Her in the Sun", also hit the Top 40 , making Stewart
248-887: The Civil War , with the albums containing a compilation of songs from the Confederacy and the Union , respectively. In all, the Cumberland Three released three albums, after which Stewart left the group to join the Kingston Trio, replacing Trio founder Dave Guard in 1961. The Kingston Trio had emerged from the relatively crowded San Francisco folk music culture in 1957, using a mixture of calypso , pop, and folk styles, along with several forms of comedy, in their act. Relying on new pop-oriented arrangements of folk music classics as well as some original compositions,
279-654: The Ice House in December 1962. Stane opened the Coffee Gallery Backstage (CGB) in 1998. The venue featured top-level entertainment, ranging from folk to jazz, seven nights a week. CGB went out of business in 2022. How To Run a Coffeehouse was a book written by Bob Stane when he was owner of The Upper Cellar in San Diego to help other aspiring coffeehouse owners understand the business. The book
310-580: The Monkees ' No. 1 hit " Daydream Believer " and his own No. 5 hit " Gold " during a solo career spanning 40 years that included almost four dozen albums and more than 600 recorded songs. Born in San Diego, Stewart was the son of horse trainer John S. Stewart and spent his childhood and adolescence in Southern California , living mostly in the cities of Pasadena and Claremont . He graduated in 1957 from Pomona Catholic High School , which at
341-514: The Rain , and Wingless Angels . Though usually successful with critics and a core group of fans, Stewart's albums were not considered commercial successes; he left Capitol after only two solo releases and was signed by Warner Bros. Records , where he also recorded just two albums before moving on to RCA Records , with whom he released three LPs (including a live performance album, The Phoenix Concerts ). Stewart followed his release from RCA with
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#1732793997077372-525: The Trio earned their first gold record with " Tom Dooley " and thereby launched a major revival in folk music that led to and influenced the careers of Bob Dylan , Peter, Paul, & Mary , and John Denver , among others. The group had become one of the best-known and best-selling acts on the folk music scene and were enjoying a lucrative recording and touring contract with Capitol Records , having ten albums under their collective belts, when Dave Guard departed
403-571: The United States is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Bob Stane Bob Stane is an American businessman. He is the founder and current owner of the Coffee Gallery Backstage venue located at 2025 Lake Avenue in Altadena, California . Stane, along with Willard Chilcott, was a former owner of the legendary The Ice House folk music and comedy club located at 24 Mentor Avenue in Pasadena, California . Stane also founded and owned
434-744: The Upper Cellar coffee house in San Diego, California located at 6557 El Cajon Blvd. Stane has been instrumental in helping to launch and continually support artists and entertainers like Steve Martin , the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band , John McEuen , The Dillards , The Association , John Stewart , The New Christy Minstrels , Mason Williams , the Smothers Brothers , Jack Linkletter , and Womenfolk among others. After attending San Diego State College Stane entered
465-421: The Upper Cellar prepared him for his many years as owner of the Ice House in Pasadena. The Ice House opened in 1960. Performers from Stane's Upper Cellar also did shows at the Ice House. Stane personally took one of his performers to the Ice House to audition. Ice House owner Willard Chilcott was at the Ice House during that audition. After some discussion about the entertainment business Chilcott offered Stane
496-831: The West Ambassador Award, the organization's highest honor for non-musicians. In 2012, Stane was named the Music Legend Award winner by the Topanga Banjo•Fiddle Contest and Folk Festival. Stane was recognized for his 53 years of promoting and preserving folk , bluegrass and old-time music along with providing quality entertainment and cultivating, encouraging and supporting artists in an award-winning series of venues starting in San Diego in 1958 at The Upper Cellar. From 1961 to 1978, most folk music fans, as well as countless musicians and performers, knew Bob's club in Pasadena, The Ice House, as
527-650: The army. He was stationed near Monterey, California. Stane visited various coffeehouses including The Unicorn, L.A.'s first folk music coffee house, and developed an interest in getting involved in the coffee house entertainment business. In 1958, Stane was loaned $ 500 from a friend to open the Upper Cellar coffee house in San Diego located at 6557 El Cajon Blvd. Upper Cellar entertainers included Mason Williams , Edward Ruscha , Judy Henske , Scottsville Squirrel Barkers , Randy Sparks , and Cheech & Chong among others. The Upper Cellar allowed Stane to gain experience with promotion and publicity. His experience and success with
558-539: The city returned the fork sculpture on October 21, 2011. This time it was set back a bit more on the island in order to give room for people to get out and take pictures. A ceremony was held at the time the fork was re-installed. In 2009 the western regional arm (FAR West) of Folk Alliance International (formerly known as the North American Folk Music & Dance Alliance) awarded Stane the Best of
589-541: The closest Stewart came to writing a " standard ". He also wrote "Never Goin' Back" for the Lovin' Spoonful , which he recorded on his own 1969 album California Bloodlines . He later toured with Robert F. Kennedy 's ill-fated 1968 presidential campaign and met and married in 1975 fellow folk singer Buffy Ford (with whom he remained until his death). He recorded a string of albums, including his signature album, California Bloodlines , as well as Willard , Cannons in
620-500: The club. In 1978, the original owners were bought out by a trio of investors led by Bob Fisher who changed the format of the club to stand-up comedy. Johnny Buss bought The Ice House in 2019. A few months after his purchase, the club closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Buss took the opportunity to renovate the club, which re-opened in 2023 after a three-year hiatus and $ 4 million overhaul. Among performers who have recorded some of
651-505: The folk-rock group We Five in the mid-1960s. He was the uncle of Jamie Stewart of the band Xiu Xiu . In 2007, Stewart was diagnosed with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease , but resolved to continue performing for as long as he was able. On January 19, 2008, he died from a stroke at a San Diego hospital, ten days before a scheduled performance in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was 68 years old. In addition to his wife, Buffy, he
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#1732793997077682-516: The group in 1961 to explore other musical directions. Stewart was selected by the remaining members Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane as Guard's successor, bringing with him his respected skills as a musician, composer, and performer. Reynolds, Shane, and Stewart recorded a dozen albums together, taking the music of the Trio into new directions, including more original material, and performing songs by relative newcomers Tom Paxton , Mason Williams and Gordon Lightfoot . The pop-folk era began to wane as
713-1096: The more than 75 live albums at the club are the Smothers Brothers , Gallagher , Lily Tomlin , Pat Paulsen , Richard Jeni and George Lopez . Other comedians who have performed at the Ice House include: Bob Newhart , George Carlin , Robin Williams , David Letterman , Jim Carrey , Jay Leno , Dennis Miller , Howie Mandel , Jerry Seinfeld , Billy Crystal , Steve Martin , Ellen DeGeneres , Roseanne Barr , Garry Shandling , Sinbad , Bill Hicks , Bill Maher , Gabe Kaplan , Paula Poundstone , Rosie O'Donnell , Cheech & Chong , Tim Allen , Paul Rodriguez , Kathy Griffin , Dana Carvey , Joey Diaz , Bill Burr , Arsenio Hall , Joe Rogan , Chris D’Elia , Bert Kreischer , Theo Von , Ken Jeong , Helen Hong , D. L. Hughley , Jimmy O. Yang and Cat Ce . 34°08′48″N 118°07′50″W / 34.146591°N 118.130637°W / 34.146591; -118.130637 This article about an entertainment company in
744-610: The music of groups such as the Beatles , the Rolling Stones , and fellow Californians the Beach Boys increasingly dominated the charts, and in 1967 the members of the Kingston Trio decided to disband. Stewart continued to write songs and record for Capitol, while touring as a solo act. It was during this time that he composed the hit " Daydream Believer " for the Monkees , which was a hit for Anne Murray as well, and
775-534: The opportunity to run the Ice House. Stane responded that he would run the Ice House as a partner. Chilccott agreed and Stane became co-owner of the Ice House in 1961. Stane and Chilcott sold the Ice House in 1978. In June 1962 Stane took a temporary leave of absence from running the Ice House to handle promotion and publicity work for the Playboy Enterprises in Chicago, Illinois . Stane returned to
806-537: The place where "everyone started." That tradition continues today at The Coffee Gallery Backstage in Altadena, California. John Stewart (musician) John Coburn Stewart (September 5, 1939 – January 19, 2008) was an American songwriter and singer. He is known for his contributions to the American folk music movement of the 1960s while with the Kingston Trio (1961–1967) and as a popular music songwriter of
837-632: The time was a coeducational school. Following graduation from high school, John went on to attend Mt. San Antonio Junior College in Walnut, California , during 1957–1958, when he was active in its music and theater programs. He demonstrated an early talent for music, learning the guitar and banjo . He composed his first song, "Shrunken Head Boogie," when he was ten years old. In an interview in Michael Oberman's 'Music Makers' column ( The Washington Star ) on 30 October 1971, Stewart said, "I bought
868-582: Was The Day the River Sang in 2006. In his later years, Stewart teamed up with former Kingston Trio member Nick Reynolds to offer fans the ultimate Trio Fantasy: performing for and with Stewart and Reynolds. In 2005 and 2006 Bob Shane attended and performed a few songs with Stewart and Reynolds at the Trio Fantasy Camp , which is held annually in Scottsdale, Arizona. A tape of Stewart's 1969 song "Mother Country" from California Bloodlines
899-459: Was a minor, regional hit. Following the breakup of the Furies and a short time as a member of the Woodsmen, Stewart teamed up with Gil Robbins (father of actor Tim Robbins ) and John Montgomery to form the Cumberland Three, a group patterned after, and heavily influenced by, the increasingly popular Kingston Trio. The major accomplishment of the Cumberland Three was a two-LP set of Songs from
930-464: Was a spirited, yet shrewd series of observations on building a successful business from the ground up. In late October 2009 artist Ken Marshall created an 18 foot tall wooden fork sculpture, painted to look like metal, and installed it in Pasadena, California where Pasadena Avenue and St. Johns Avenue fork in honor of Bob Stane's 75th birthday. Because the fork was installed illegally it was taken down on June 10, 2010. After proper permits were obtained,
961-595: Was played on the Apollo 11 spacecraft during its return to Earth. The production team of CNN's 2019 film Apollo 11 heard the song while listening to archival footage of the flight and included a blend of the astronaut's tape with the original studio recording of the tune in the soundtrack as the craft approached the Earth's atmosphere. In 2001, Stewart was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by