24 May 23rd-May 29th, 2024 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | FRI 5/24 THURS 5/23 SAT 5/25 SUN 5/26 WED 5/29 THANK YOU MAXO TRASH SOUND CONGLOMERATE, WALKING PAIGE SHOWTIME @ 7PM SUGARAY RAYFORD SHOWTIME @ 8PM ESCAPE THE HIVE INSOMNIACS, NO WAY BACK, DO NOT RESUSCITATE SHOWTIME @ 6PM KELLI BAKER KYLE ROWLAND SHOWTIME @ 8PM CHICO CHISM’S ANNUAL BIRTHDAY BASH HANS OLSON, ROCKET 88’S, DAY OF HEAT WITH RON COOK, BOB CORRITORE & FRIENDS SHOWTIME @ 7:30PM Final Note Remembering Char’s Has the Blues, Phoenix’s legendary R&B joint. BY BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN N ewly opened Melrose District hangout Smith’s on 7th is a hip drinkery and looks every bit the part. The interior of the urbane bar and lounge along Seventh Avenue just south of Camelback Road is adorned with clever posters, strategically placed succu- lents, tufted leather furniture and an Insta- worthy mural. There’s also a vintage touch-tone payphone by the restrooms. It’s a decrepit telephonic contraption covered in scratches and stains. It’s also one of the few remnants of the bar’s previous identity as Char’s Has the Blues. The legendary bar and juke joint, which debuted in 1985, was a live music hotspot that featured blues at first before expanding into R&B, funk and soul. Some of the Valley’s biggest names from each genre — ranging from legendary bluesmen Big Pete Pearson and the late Chico Chism to singers like Laydee Jai and Larry Bailey — lit up the darkened interior of the 2,245-square-foot establishment for more than 35 years. Guitarist Kenny Brown, who performed at Char’s Has the Blues from the mid-’90s onward, says there was no place like it. “That place had soul,” he says. “It was always like a family gathering at Char’s.” After closing in 2020 due to the pandemic, the place was extensively remodeled and reborn as Chars Live two years later. It embraced the legacy of Char’s Has the Blues and showcased many of the same performers, but failed to capture the same fervor. Earlier this year, it was sold to new owners, local bartender Brandon Smith and Flagstaff restaurateur Tommy Glynn, who ditched the property’s live music legacy and transformed it into Smith’s on 7th. Char’s has a history The property, built in 1944 as a residence, hosted performances long before it became a blues and R&B joint. In the 1960s, it was home to the Ruth Sussman School of Ballet. By the late ’70s, it became Bombero, a restaurant and bar with live rock ’n’ roll on weekends. Local bluesman Hans Olson remembers seeing legendary local pop-rock band Those Fabulous Lum Brothers play “one of the best Beatles tribute shows ever” at Bombero in the early ’80s. He’d return as a performer years later after the property was acquired by Charlene Rymond and her husband, Jim, in 1985. Olson says he was among the first blues artists to be booked at the bar and his sets had a lasting affect on the bar’s future. “Char was a cool old lady,” Olson says. “She was putting all kinds of music in and after I started playing there, she said, ‘I want more of that. Are there other people who play your kind of music?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, there’s lots of ’em.” Rymond began booking blues regularly and changed the bar’s name to Char’s Has the Blues. The genre exploded in the late ’80s in Phoenix and elsewhere. Local musician Bill Tarsha says Char’s was one of the hot spots his band The Rocket 88’s would frequent. “When we weren’t touring, we’d play Char’s on a regular basis along with Warsaw Wally’s and Tony’s New Yorker in Tempe,” he says. “Char’s was really small but really cool. There was a great blues community they got tied into. Everybody played there: George Bowman, Small Paul Hamilton and Big Pete Pearson, all the great singers.” Local guitarist Chuck Hall says Char’s had a different vibe from other Phoenix blues venues. “It was unlike other rooms in the Valley,” he says. “You’re in a funky old house that was so crowded and smoky you couldn’t see.” Char’s success also inspired others. In 1991, local bar owner Lenny Frankel opened The Rhythm Room with bluesman Bob Corritore after seeing lines “around the block” at Char’s. Corritore cites his experiences at Char’s as a major influence. “I played there a bunch and I hung around with Jim,” Corritore says. “He loved giving me business lessons about running a club and explained all his theo- ries and strategies. I took it to heart.” Beyond the blues Char’s Has the Blues kept its name after being sold twice in the ’90s — first to Ab Lattouf and later to Phoenix and New Jersey businessman Peter Chedid and his family — but evolved into more of a funk, soul and R&B establishment. Local singer Laydee Jai, who began performing at Char’s with her mother, the late Maxine Johnson, in the band Blues Ratio, was a part of this transition. “Before we went up there as Blues Ratio, it was mainly blues,” Laydee Jai says. “And then we brought more R&B and soul in and it ended up being a different kind of club.” Even with the changes, the crowds kept coming to Char’s. Guitarist Kenny Brown says performing in the small nook-like stage area in front of the bar’s small (and typically packed) parquet dance floor. “It was like basically playing in a closet. There was no real stage and you were almost face-to-face with people on the dance floor.” Laydee Jai says the crowds sometimes got too close for comfort. “I had to put my mic stand and chair in front of me, because that’s all that sepa- rated me from the dance floor,” she says. “I’d get popped in the mouth or sometimes bumped off my stool if I sat down.” Every night was busy at Char’s, even the weekly jam sessions. Local R&B/soul singer Roscoe Taylor says it was the place to be for both musicians and fans. “Everyone came to jam because you were trying to get in a band and wanted everyone to hear you,” Taylor says. “Char’s was cool because it felt like you went somewhere. It was like the most popular bar. Everybody wanted to be there or play there.” An undated photo of a live performance at Char’s Has the Blues. (Phoenix New Times archives) ▼ Music >> p 26
