The Cellar Door

The Cellar Door was a 163-seat music club located at 34th & M Street NW in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. from 1963 through January 7, 1982. It occupied the location of a former music club called The Shadows. The Shadows, first opened in January 1962 as a Basin Street East like cabaret and beer hang-out for the young jacket and tie professional and sweater set, and the young adult crowd drawn from among the nine colleges and universities in the District. The venue became so popular by December it outgrew the location and moved to 31st and M Streets, NW. In its place, Tom Lyons, a 23-year-old entrepreneur opened what he described as Washington's version of "the hungry i," a reference to San Francisco's famous North Beach nightclub. In its beginning the Cellar Door sponsored hootena-nies for amateur talent.

One of the premier music spots in Washington, D.C., the small club served as the genesis for entertainers and as a tryout venue for larger markets. Many artists cut their professional teeth performing at The Cellar Door, while audiences delighted in being within a few feet of the stage at the tiny venue. Many music and comedy notables in 1960s and 1970s performed there.