Old School Bohemians

HILLY KRISTAL

NAME: Hilly Kristal

OCCUPATION: Owner of CBGB’s and co-founder of Central Park Music Festival.

HOMETOWN: New York City

YEARS IN NEW YORK: 75 years, born and bred in NYC, Kristal died in 2007 at the age of 75.

KNOWN IN NEW YORK BECAUSE…: He was the owner of CBGB’s, and also a musician.

THE SCENE: CBGB opened in 1973 with the intent to play Country, Bluegrass, Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers. Instead it was a portal for the burgeoning careers of punk rockers like the Ramones, Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Television, and Blondie.

WHY WE LOVE HIM: For being the force behind a club that revolutionized the downtown scene and supported a raucous scene of artists that might otherwise not have a club to piss in.

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