“Fortunately, an extremely sexy, pixie-voiced blond named Ronnie Harran, who booked the Whisky, saw us…She had an ear for talent…the Whisky was finally a gig we could be proud of…”

~ John Densmore, The Doors’ drummer

(“Riders On The Storm”)

“Chris Hillman (of the Byrds) recounts…’What happened to the Buffulo Springfield at the Whisky was similar to what happened to us at Ciro’s…everybody wanted to be there. It became the place to be…a great gig.'”

~ Johnny Rogan

(“Neil Young: The Definitive Story of His Musical Career”)

“During the stay in L.A., the Stooges played a five-night stand…at the Whisky in Hollywood…a Back Door Man article said “The Stooges Whisky performances were the best live rock ‘n’ roll I have ever witnessed…”

~ Per Nilsen with Dorothy Sherman

(“The Wild One – The True Story of Iggy Pop”)

“Johnny Rivers…returned to L.A. to accept a lucrative offer from Elmer Valentine to open at his lavish new nightclub based upon the popular European discotheque concept. Johnny Rivers at the Whisky A Go-Go turned Hollywood upside down. His first Imperial album, “Johnny Rivers At The Whisky A Go-Go,” (produced by Lou Adler) was high in the charts for 45 weeks in 1964.”

~ Glenn A. Baker

(“Johnny Rivers – The Singer, Not the Song” – Goldmine Magazine)

“I was glad to see other blues guitarists like Albert King have crossover successes like me. We played in the same places like the Whisky and the Filmore. When Albert made his guitar cry, he could cut you so deep!”

~ B.B. King as told to Dennis Loren

(B.B. King – “From Kilmichael To Memphis” – Record Profile Magazine)

“Eric Burdon…from the Animals, right? I saved his life one time. There was this guy on the third floor. I forgot his name, but I know his face. I went upstairs and I see this guy go to stab Eric, so I grabbed him and threw him down the stairs and out into the back lot. The next day Eric brought me a box of cigars…’Thanks for saving my life, Mon’…you know how he talks.”

~ Mario Maglieri as told to Susan Schneider & Anne Moore

(Masters of Rock Magazine)

“When LOVE played the still hipper Whisky A Go-Go, further west along Sunset, Arthur Lee claims they ‘started the whole hippy thing’ in tandem with an in-crowd of freaks led by aging beatnik sculptor Vito Paulekas. It was Vito, Carl Franzoni, Sue, Beatle Bob, Bryan Maclean and me…people would come to Ben Frank’s to hang out with us after we played shows.”

~ Barney Hoskins

(from “LOVE – Through the Keyhole” – MOJO Magazine)

“The Whisky was on the forefront of every musical trend including Motown, Rock ‘N’ Roll, Heavy Metal, Punk and New Wave,” says Mikeal Maglieri, son of Mario.

“That hasn’t changed,” says Scott Lenz, a contributing music editor for Buzz Magazine…”Because the Whisky…has held true to its original focus of nurturing emerging talent.”

~ The Los Angeles Independent

“I first saw Greg & Duanne Allman in a band called the Hour Glass opening for the Buffalo Springfield at the Fillmore. They had been playing in L.A. at the Hullabaloo and the Whisky while they were recording for Liberty.”

~ Dennis Loren

(“Way Out West – In the Sixties” – Record Profile Magazine)

“After the week at the Fillmore we flew down to L.A. to hang out and pick up whatever gigs we could. We did a gig in Santa Barbara on July 1st and then the next night we opened for Sam & Dave at the Whisky…”

~ Mitch Mitchell as told to John Platt

(“The Hendrix Experience”)

“The first time I was in the Whisky, I was hanging out right here; it was raining. It was either Moby Grape or Janis Joplin…playing inside…I was huddled here listening. Mario was over there and he yelled at me, ‘What’s the matter, you don’t have any money?’ I go ‘no’. He goes ‘Get inside!” That’s Mario for ya…he watched us all grow up here…he’s the best!”

~ Len Fagan as told to S.L. Duff

(“Club Data: Sunset Strip As Memory Lane” – Music Connection)

“In 1967 Sweetwater started the first of several full week stints at the Whisky A Go-Go, headlining over Steppenwolf for 4 weekdays and opening for Big Brother and the Holding Company on the weekend. Within an amazingly short time they were signed to Reprise; evidently every record company executive in town had been at the Whisky gig to see Janis Joplin & Big Brother.”

~ Mary Katherine Aldin

(“The Bittersweet Tale of Sweetwater” – Goldmine Magazine)

“The Mothers had no contract until a night late in November (1965) when they were playing the Whisky for the umpteenth time. Tom Wilson (MGM producer) and Herb Cohen (artist manager) were in the audience.”

~ David Walley

(“No Commercial Potential – The Saga of Frank Zappa”)