Cotton Club (Portland, Oregon)

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Cotton Club
Cotton Club (Portland, Oregon)
Address Portland, Oregon
United States
Coordinates 45°32′19″N122°40′05″W / 45.538621°N 122.668024°W / 45.538621; -122.668024

The Cotton Club was a nightclub located in North Portland, Oregon, United States. Located at 2125 N. Vancouver Avenue (and N. Tillamook Street), the club gained attention during the 1960s as the "only nightclub on the West Coast with wall-to-wall soul." [1] Celebrities such as Cab Calloway, Sammy Davis Jr., Cass Elliot, The Kingston Trio, Joe Louis, and Archie Moore would visit the nightclub when they were in town. [2]

Contents

Background

The Cotton Club, located within the Albina area of North Portland, was a jazz nightclub that rose to fame in the 1960s. [3] Paul Knauls moved to Portland, Oregon in 1963 in order to purchase the club. [4]

The jazz club was one of many black owned businesses that occupied the area at the time. It was located in a neighborhood where African-Americans settled after Vanport was destroyed by flooding in 1948 and Interstate 5 and the Memorial Coliseum uprooted a number of black-owned business. By the 1960s, it was part of a thriving area that included the Blue Ribbon Barbecue, Lew's Men's Shop, and the House of Fortune Cafe. [3]

Paul Knauls

Paul Knauls was born in Huntington, Arkansas in 1931. He joined the Air Force in 1949 just 17 days after graduating from high school. Knauls worked up to three jobs at a time in order to save up enough money to fulfill his goal of owning a business. In addition to working as a typewriter repairman, he also worked as a dishwasher in a hotel and ski instructor on weekends. [5] Knauls decided to pursue his dream of owning a nightclub in the Portland area due to the city's proximity to the skiing areas at Mt. Hood. [6] [4] A photo mosaic [7] of Paul Knauls was created for his 90th birthday honoring his life by community people who love, admire and appreciate him [8]

History

The Cotton Club was named after a famous nightclub located in Harlem, New York. The Cotton Club was initially a supper club converted from an auto garage by Ralph Flowers and operated by Lee Thompson. After Flowers' death in 1961, the club and itself and the property it sat on were left to his family, close friends, and an auto mechanic who owned an adjacent property. Those individuals included Lenora Gaskin, Evelyn Purdue, Eddie Smith, Roy Vassar Miller, Harry Hardy, and Peterson Cooper [9] . After taking over active management of the Cotton Club, Roy Vassar Miller found that the club's de facto manager, Knauls, was violating his terms of employment by diverting resources to his other business. Miller offered Knauls an ultimatum, which ultimately led to the closure of the club in 1970.

The Cotton Club was part of the Chitlin' Circuit, which was a network of venues on the West Coast that were safe for African American performers to play their music. [10] Many of the celebrities that came to the Portland area to perform would finish their evening at the Cotton Club. [4] In addition to being a popular spot for celebrities on the Chitlin's Circuit, the club gained traction among white community after being featured in the column “Baker’s Dozen” written by Doug Baker of the Oregon Journal [4] . The club was successful for about seven years until its doors closed in 1970. [4] Notable performers included:

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Boise Voices". boisevoices.com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Angler Draws Strength from the Willamette River". April 4, 2005. Archived from the original on April 4, 2005. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  3. 1 2 "PortlandTribune.com". May 23, 2005. Archived from the original on May 23, 2005. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gies, Martha. "Paul and Geneva Knauls". Archived from the original on August 21, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Paul Knauls". January 19, 2001. Archived from the original on January 19, 2001. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  6. ↑ Eggers, Kerry (July 6, 2017). "IN CITY OF CHANGE, KNAULS REMAINS CONSTANT". Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  7. ↑ "PAUL KNAULS". mosaically.com. January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  8. ↑ "NE Portland Mayor Paul Knauls". www.youtube.com. January 24, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  9. ↑ Cooper vs. Geary et al, Multnomah County Circuit Court
  10. ↑ "Night School #200: Paul Knauls, Sr". July 20, 2018. Archived from the original on March 2, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Paul Knauls". opb. August 24, 2016. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017.
  12. ↑ Singer, Matthew (June 2, 2018). "WATCH: A Short Documentary On North Portland's Lost Jazz Scene". Willamette Week. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  13. ↑ Silvis, Helen (February 23, 2012). "From the Archives: NE Portland's 'Mayor' Ran Hot Night Spot". The Skanner. Archived from the original on September 6, 2015.
  14. ↑ Singer, Matthew (June 2, 2015). "WATCH: A Short Documentary On North Portland's Lost Jazz Scene". Willamette Weekly. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Night School #200: Paul Knauls, Sr. - Night School /// XRAY.fm". xray.fm. Archived from the original on March 1, 2020. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
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