About the Artist

From 1965 to 1970, Arlington Heights teen club The Cellar nurtured the biggest bands in Chicago, and hosted some of the most popular bands in the world.  The Who, Cream (featuring Eric Clapton), the Byrds (with Roger McGuinn and David Crosby), Buffalo Springfield, the Yardbirds, the MC5, Steppenwolf, the Spencer Davis Group and Three Dog Night all appeared there.  Owner Paul Sampson also nurtured the careers of dozens of local groups, including house band the Shadows of Knight, whose version of Gloria was recorded when they were still Prospect High School students and is listed as one of the 500 songs that made rock ‘n’ roll by the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.  Other local groups that had brushes with national fame were Hinsdale’s the Cryan’ Shames, the Ides of March (Berwyn), Ted Nugent (St. Viator) and the Amboy Dukes, the Buckinghams, The Flock, the Mauds, New Colony Six, H.P. Lovecraft, and many more. They all played The Cellar.  Chicago blues stars Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf too made their way to Arlington Heights for shows.  Local teens looked at the Cellar as the mecca of music and culture.  Local officials looked at it as a den of drugs, sex and crime.  By 1970, the burdens were too much, and Sampson closed the Cellar.   This show will tell the story of the rise and fall of the Cellar, with pictures, witnesses, recordings made live at the Cellar, and a group of great young musicians playing live many of the songs that rocked the Cellar in its heyday.  This will be a rocking, immersive experience that will showcase the cultural highpoint in Arlington Heights history.