From the 1930s to the 1970s, a section of the Route 1 corridor from Mount Rainier to Brentwood was a live country music and rock ‘n’ roll hotspot for the D.C. area.
With the end of Prohibition in 1933, bars and nightclubs began opening up along the Route 1 corridor, often offering live music.
Among the performers who passed through were Patsy Cline, Jimmy Dean and the Texas Wildcats and Roy Clark. As rock ‘n’ roll became popular in the 1950s, the clubs began booking musicians like Link Wray and Roy Buchanan (who allegedly turned down an offer to join the Rolling Stones) as well, leading to what local rock historian Mark Opsasnick describes as an unusual mix of clientele for the era.
“Where else but in Prince George’s County, Maryland, at this point in time could assorted bearers of cowboy hats, biker colors, pony tails and tie-dyed peace signs coexist in queasy harmony?” he wrote.
In “Washington Confidential,” a bestselling look at the city’s underbelly published in 1951, author Jack Lait speculated that the nightclubs became a hotspot because D.C. residents wanted to go somewhere else to cut loose.
“Most Washingtonians know Prince Georges County as a place to go have fun,” he wrote. “This is not because Maryland’s laws, or even their enforcement, are more liberal than the District’s. With few exceptions, they are not.”
The current Faith Outreach Center in Brentwood at 4318 Rhode Island Ave., was formerly home to Jimmy Comber’s Supper Club.
Just over the border in Maryland was Bass’ Bar and Restaurant at 3208 Rhode Island Ave. in Mount Rainier. Farther north in Brentwood was Waldrop’s, at 4318 Rhode Island Ave., which later reopened as Jimmy Comber’s Supper Club and is now home to the Faith Outreach Center. Further down the street was the 4400 Club at 4400 Rhode Island Ave., now the location of Pollo Sabroso.
By the late 1970s, many of the bars and clubs along that part of the Route 1 corridor had closed or stopped featuring live music, and the era was over.
It wasn’t the only time that Route 1 was a music hotspot, either. North Brentwood was once home to Sis’ Tavern, where the likes of Duke Ellington and Pearl Bailey would drop by to perform after their shows in D.C.
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Great article, and it wasn’t just Route 1 either. Bladensburg Road was lined with nightclubs like the Basin Street Lounge, Chick Hall’s Surf Club (before it moved to Edmonston), and many others. Getting back to Route 1, there was also the White Horse Inn, located at 38th Ave & Rhode Island Ave. next to the building that was later a Safeway. The White Horse Inn was torn down it the 70’s, and the Safeway became Apex Plumbing (later Northwest Plumbing Supply), and that is now gone too. In the location of both the Safeway and the White Horse Inn stands the new “Studio at 3807” condos.
Jimmy Combers Supper Club also moved from Rhode Island Ave to Langley Park in the 70’s(?), and became a notorious nightclub. It’s gone now too.
Thank you Alison. Folks, check out my latest book Rock the Potomac. It covers the entire local music scene’s history, including local night club strips such as Rhode Island Avenue and Bladensburg Road. If you have questions email me at mark.opsasnick@gmail.com. Thanks, MO