Comments on: The Raleigh Underground: A Lost Phenomenon

By: Trish Laird Dickerson

Trish Laird Dickerson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:32:16 +0000

sorry, meant “The Pier”

By: Trish Laird Dickerson

Trish Laird Dickerson — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 20:18:50 +0000

I so remember the ladies night on Thursday nights at the Skyline Disco! What fun we all had there! Wednesday nights were fun as well. I remember Pier I, Deja Vu, Elliott Nest, a whole bunch of places came and went but several stayed.

By: Hap Willard

Hap Willard — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:19:27 +0000

I was the Marketing Director for The Pier back in those days. I worked for Tonda and David Smith and was privileged to meet many of the musicians, as I took them to interviews at local radio stations like WQDR (AOR) and WRDU. Among those were, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, Martin Mull, John Cale, Sealevel, Steve Martin, Proctor & Bergman (Firesign Theater) and local favorites, The Hard Times Jazz Band. I still have some recordings of these shows from the sound board. Those were the days. Tonda we miss you!

By: Al Crawford

Al Crawford — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:53:47 +0000

I grew up (literally) as an infant and toddler in the underground listening to my father Chip Crawford play piano. I was very young but I remember it being a very special place. This has been such a treat to read about all the people and names I grew up hearing like Brother Yusef, Peter Ingram, Jim Crawford (my dentist as a child), Willy T, Greg Gelb and Rodney Marsh. If your interested, Chip is in New York playing better than ever. His band got a grammy nom last year and he’s about the coolest Dad you can imagine.

What a special place this underground coffin of dreams was. I think of it every time I pass Cameron Village.

By: Ted Barker

Ted Barker — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:59:56 +0000

Wally Hankin and Buddy Hacket: now you are on dangerous territory. My tongue is tied to prevent disclosure of “Too Much Fun” Wally and Buddy, I love you dudes!

By: Ted Barker

Ted Barker — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 19:56:12 +0000

missinraleigh: Bears Den, where is Brownie? How about his chili?

Ah, the times in the basement, no further comment.

Hey former denizens of the Underground. Wish I stil had my bootleg of Bette that Peter made!!

By: Clay

Clay — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:45:46 +0000

Its been amazing reading all the stories about everyones experience going to the Underground. I would love to see a layout of when it had the nightclubs right before it closed.
On another note I wonder if Smedes York would take a second look at renovating this wonderful place. I am certain with the urban renewal of old Raleigh ( Cameron Village ) that it would be a viable and profitable source of income if used right. Raleigh is screaming for something like this again and its sitting right there under his nose. If anyone would like to present a business plan for its revival I would love to see it. I would even go so far as to be a donor to get someone to promote it to Mr York who could possibly sell the idea to him!
Anyone else feel the way I do contact me at gkm@nc.rr.com and lets talk.

By: missinraleigh

missinraleigh — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 04:31:26 +0000

I loved the Bear’s Den and the Deja Vu and The Pier. Loved the underground at Cameron Village. Am glad that I lived in that era. I saw someone mentioned The Fabulous Knobs and Debra DeMilo. The greatest of many great bands in my opinion.

By: Dave Youngman

Dave Youngman — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:00:50 +0000

I was in Adele Foster’s trio back then (76 – 78) and we played at the Deja Vu and then the Pier. So many great memories. I met my ex wife Diane Upton at the Pier .. she was a waitress and then worked in the kitchen. We always had at least one sandwich a day to eat. I saw Adele in NYC singing at a club in the Village a few years later .. she sounded great. I have no idea what happened to her. One story .. we were living in South Carolina, and made trips up here to play the Deja Vu and the Cradle.. There was a radio station, WLLE owned by Wally Hankin, and Buddy Hackett was an old friend of his that used to come to Durham for the Duke Rice diet. The reason Adele moved to Raleigh was that Wally would manage her, and his buddy Buddy would get her on the Tonight Show .. so we moved here with her. Never happened.. but I’ve lived here happily ever since. The Subway was somethin else, baby.

By: svdm

svdm — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 03:35:46 +0000

Every show was memorable, and it was as much about the ambience and the people as it was about the music. The Subway was the place to go if you loved good tunes and good fun. The homegrown talent flourished underground…The Pier was a great place to enjoy the cream of the crop…Sam Milner (Lariat Sam), Mike Cross (best version of Tennessee Stud ever), Arrogance, and Adele Foster were my personal favorite locals… I was fortunate enough to waitress at the Pier for a entertainment and camaraderie filled college semester or two late 70’s(I honestly can’t seem to pinpoint the year…such a fun filled haze). It was, without question, the best job I could possibly have had at that age! My favorite out-of-town talent Pier shows included Warren Zevon (he tipped all the waitresses 20.00), Loudon Wainwright, Tom Waits (I appreciate him more now than I did then), Leon Redbone, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee (again, appreciated more now than then), Trucks (Butch Trucks from the Allman Bros) just to name a few. Indeed, those were the days.

My son is a musician, and I lament often that he doesn’t have a parallel to our Subway experiences…good times, good people, good music…great memories!

FYI…Woody Hayes, ’70s-’80s Pier security unsurpassed, is 70 plus years young and a Graphic Design instructor at Wake Tech…