Nosy Neighbor Update: Blues Bar

July 6, 2011 History

Well, I’ll be damned.

I was struggling with how to go about solving the question of whether Dan Aykroyd’s and John Belushi’s blues bar was at Hudson and Dominick (as many online reports suggested) or Greenwich and Warren, where Whole Foods is now (as longtime Tribecans insisted in the comments). And then my Hail Mary pass connected: Last week, I had emailed the question via the contact form at Crystal Head Vodka, a company co-founded by Aykroyd, figuring the odds of a reply were around 100 to 1. But the answer just came through….

“Hi, Eric. Found out that the first blues bar was at Hudson and Dominick. After landlord claimed back property to build restaurant, Dan and John purchased the corner of Greenwich and Warren the site of Mickey’s Bar. I hope this helps.”

A big thank you to the folks at Crystal Head Vodka! The vodka—that is indeed the bottle above—is only available in bars and restaurants at this time. evidently available at liquor stores (see Doug’s comment, below), despite what its website indicates.

 
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4 Comments

  1. Doug
    July 6, 2011 • 7:23 am

    Very cool info about the Blues Bar, and so great that you got a reply. FYI, Crystal Head vodka is available at stores. Astor Wines has it right now. I got a bottle signed by Dan at an Astor event a couple of years ago. I have no idea how the vodka tastes (I don’t really drink vodka), but I know that the bottle looks cool on my shelf.

  2. betty
    July 6, 2011 • 9:52 am

    Years ago, I was told to ignore all advertising and buy my vodka because I liked the name or bottle design or whatever because … vodka, by its nature, is tasteless. Cool bottle.

  3. Rohin
    July 7, 2011 • 2:16 pm

    Great work again…
    btw The crystal skull vodka is currently available at Astor wines!
    (Got free delivery w/ a 2 bottle purchase.. frame the bar as it were)

    Thanks again – Rohin

  4. Ron Gwynne
    November 4, 2011 • 2:46 pm

    Someone said: “Hi, Eric. Found out that the first blues bar was at Hudson and Dominick. After landlord claimed back property to build restaurant, Dan and John purchased the corner of Greenwich and Warren the site of Mickey’s Bar. I hope this helps”

    I can add to this:

    The original Holland Tunnel Blues bar was indeed at Hudson (282) and Dominick. It was halfway between our loft on Chambers and Johns place north of there, and It had been closed for some time. The place was owned by Jimmy Woods, a restaurateur who ran the New York Boat Yard at 81st and 2nd ave, We cleaned it up and used it to park our bike in it. (in fact the parking for the bike on Chambers was more that the cost of the bar rent). We used the pay phone (still there) outside as our office phone. Our opening party was when the Grateful Dead played on SNL. Tom Davis was a friend/fan of the Dead and he was able to entice them to play on SNL. Keith Richards and Margot Kidder were our bartenders. We had a motto of “Never open, always closed” We never charged anything for drinks. Heinekin on draft was available and guests donated libations many times. The jukebox was free.

    On many occasions we let people use it to rehearse or to entertain. Williams Burroughs, Alman Bros., Levon Helm and Keith Richards used it over time. When the landlord took it back John and Dan bought the other bar and used it for similar purposes although it was never the same as the original Holland Tunnel Blues Bar.

    We had many great times there and John once said that John Lennon knew of our club and had told him he liked the idea of a place for musicians to hang out without any pressures.

    I hope this helps with the history..