Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

Gay History: Chicago Whispers
by Sukie de la Croix
2003-05-14

This article shared 8369 times since Wed May 14, 2003
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email


The following e-mail was sent in by 'a reader.'

'One of the bars you mentioned in your April 30 column was The Matchmaker at 740 W. Madison, which opened in 1976. It only lasted about a year, I think, but some friends and I went to it a couple of times and liked it. It was in an odd location, but there was something about the bar that I liked. It had the feel for me of being different, 'down home,' and a place where you might be able to meet someone. It was a long and somewhat narrow bar as I recall. I don't recall seeing any 'all-male burlesque' or disco as you mentioned in the column, but I remember that a group of us decided to go there New Year's Eve, when they had the popular entertainer Pudgy doing a show. She put on a good show, and there were some other groups and individuals there besides our group, and we stayed several hours and had a good time. I can recall being disappointed when I heard that the bar was closing.'

Whatever happened to …

Over the years hundreds of people have appeared onstage, or have been celebrities, in Chicago's gay bars, but what happened to them all? Here's just a handful to jog your memories. If you know what happened to these people, or you ARE one of these people e-mail sukiedelacroix@ozhasspoken.com and tell me the story.

Dago Rose: She owned a bar at 905 W. Belmont, which was either called the 901 or Dago Rose's Hideaway. Dago Rose was once a bartender at the Frog Pond. In May 1986 she worked at Big Red's bar and was one of three guest bartenders on the opening night of another bar called Boobs Draw Too at 5834 W. Grand.

Skip Arnold: On Dec. 4, 1973, he celebrated his 51st birthday at the Alameda Club at 5210 N. Sheridan Road. In February 1971, Paul Carol and Skip Arnold organized a drag show to raise money to help pay the medical expenses of bone cancer victim Mary Sue Dujka. Arnold performed in drag in several bars throughout the 1960s.

Big Ed: He was described as 'A mixture of Don Rickles & Liberace, combining Boogie Woogie piano with put down humor.' He performed at the Vortex Jan. 25, 1991, and was the guest MC for the Mr. Mid-America Leather Contest at Carol's Speakeasy April 14, 1990. Is this the same Big Ed that was a regular performer at His 'n' Hers back in 1980? You tell me.

Charlene Unger: A regular character at many bars back in the 1990s. On March 7, 1991, she performed at Cairo with Lovin' Al Louis for a HRFC benefit. I heard a rumor she moved to L.A.

Hedda Lettuce: At the 4th anniversary of Alfie's in July 1980, Hedda Lettuce gave the champagne toast, but she was a regular at Carol's Speakeasy. In late-February she performed there at Chicago Molly's Rock n Roll Party AIDS benefit, and Oct. 22, 1980, at a benefit for the Mother Carol Memorial Fund.

Roski Fernandez: Born in the Philippines, Fernandez was 1st runner up in the Miss Gay America 1974 contest. In January 1979, she performed at the Show of Shows at the Bistro, and earlier had been a regular onstage at the Baton. In March 1983, she appeared at Broadway Ltd. for their Spring Fair, which also starred Lenore Allen, Amanda Lustrelle, Tina Rae, Tanya Richards, Monica Monet and 'Emperor I' Steve Allman. In 1988, she was at the 6th anniversary of the Normandy at 3400 N Clark St.

Cesar Vera: Also from the Philippines, Vera was a performer/chef at Carol's Speakeasy in 1979. On Sept. 28, 1980, he cooked up a roast pig buffet at Coconuts for a show featuring Molly's Follies, presenting Chicago Molly, Feathers and Sophie. He was also a bartender at Cheeks.

Gayle Channing: The Lite Factory at 2500 N. Southport Ave. was her home bar. The owner of the bar was Gail Coutre. Was this the same person? Channing was the MC and a performer at this drag bar from 1979 until 1984.

Euneda Hose: She was one half of the Linoleum Sisters and performed at the Missing Link Pub at 3011 N. Mannheim Rd. in June 1975. On Sept. 4, 1975, at a benefit for Gay Horizons, Hose did her farewell performance at the Den One club.

----------------------------------------

----------------------------------------


This article shared 8369 times since Wed May 14, 2003
facebook twitter google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Chicago History Museum announces "Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s - 70s exhibition 2024-03-14
--From a press release - CHICAGO (March 14, 2024) — The Chicago History Museum is thrilled to announce its upcoming exhibition, "Designing for Change: Chicago Protest Art of the 1960s—70s." Set to open on Saturday, May 18, 2024, this exhibition is ...


Gay News

Women's History Month doesn't do enough to lift up Black lesbians 2024-03-12
- Fifty years ago, in 1974, the Combahee River Collective (CRC) was founded in Boston by several lesbian and feminist women of African descent. As a sisterhood, they understood that their acts of protest were shouldered by ...


Gay News

SAVOR Eldridge Williams talks new concepts, Beyonce, making history 2024-03-08
- One restaurant would be enough for most people to handle. However, this year Eldridge Williams is opening two new concepts—including one that will be the first Black-owned country-and-western bar in the Midwest. Williams, an ally of ...


Gay News

SAVOR Let's Talk Womxn's 'More Than March'; Adobo Grill's tequila dinner 2024-03-06
- I was fortunate enough to be invited to a culinary event that celebrates the achievement of women—and, fittingly, it happened during Women's History Month. On March 1, Let's Talk Womxn Chicago held its annual "More Than ...


Gay News

Without compromise: Holly Baggett explores lives of iconoclasts Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap 2024-03-04
- Jane Heap (1883-1964) and Margaret Anderson (1886-1973), each of them a native Midwesterner, woman of letters and iconoclast, had a profound influence on literary culture in both America and Europe in the early 20th Century. Heap ...


Gay News

Anti-LGBTQ+ Republican McConnell to step down from leading U.S. Senate 2024-02-29
- U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) will step down from Senate leadership in November, having served in that capacity longer than any senator in history, The Advocate noted. McConnell has been a senator since 1985 and has ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Raymond Lopez talks congressional run, Chuy Garcia, migrant crisis 2024-02-26
- Chicago Ald. Raymond Lopez has been a member of City Council since 2015, representing the 15th Ward and making history as one of the city's first LGBTQ+ Latine alderman. Now, he is setting his sights on ...


Gay News

Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month 2024-02-23
- As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Raven-Symone, women's sports, Wayne Brady, Jinkx Monsoon, British Vogue 2024-02-09
- In celebration of Black History Month, the LA LGBT Center announced that lesbian entertainer Raven-Symone will be presented with the Center's Bayard Rustin Award at its new event, Highly Favored, per a press release. She joins ...


Gay News

On 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Mayor Brandon Johnson reaffirms commitment to reproductive rights 2024-01-22
--From a press release - CHICAGO — Today marks the 51st anniversary of the landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade, which preserved the constitutional right to choose. Chicago has a long history of advocating for women's rights and is considered ...


Gay News

Chicago Red Stars sign Mallory Swanson to historic contract 2024-01-16
- CHICAGO (January 16, 2024) — The Chicago Red Stars have signed Mallory Swanson to a historic long-term contract, making it the most lucrative agreement in the history of the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) and seeing ...


Gay News

Gay political trailblazer Ken Sherrill passes away at age 81 2023-12-30
- Kenneth Sherrill—a pioneering political scientist who was also the first out gay elected official in New York history—died in early December at age 81 from surgical complications, Gay City News reported. He is survived by his ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Alex Newell, Joe Locke, 'Bad Together,' Raven-Symone, Limelight club 2023-12-14
- Alex Newell—who made history as one of the first two out nonbinary Tony Award winners—was named Time's Breakthrough of the Year for 2023, The Advocate reported. Newell won the Tony this year as Best Featured Actor ...


Gay News

Bradley Cooper conducts a symphony of queer history in Maestro 2023-12-13
- Composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein was one of the most important musicians of his time, receiving many accolades—the Kennedy Center Honor among them, in 1981—before passing away in 1990. Behind the scenes ...


Gay News

Santos voted out of Congress 2023-12-01
- Now-former U.S. Rep. George Santos (R-New York) was voted out of Congress on Dec. 1. Santos is the sixth House member in U.S. history to be booted from Congress, and the third since the Civil War, ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.