The era after WWII was a very dynamic time in American popular music. The big band era was dying, and returning GIs had been exposed to many different aspects of American culture. And, the jazz and R&B scene on Jackson and Madison was strong. Seattle's Trianon Ballroom, in Belltown, had a strong roster of talent, mostly Black R&B, but it was whites only, eventually 'compromising' with a Saturday afternoon that Blacks could attend. Louis Armstrong played there, under those conditions, in 1943. It was six years later when he made his first of 4 known appearances at Eagles Auditiorium, which never seems to have had such restrictions. In the 50's there were two nearby clubs - the Magic Inn (at 602 1/2 Union St, just down the block) and Birdland (on Capitol Hill/Central District, at 2203 E Madison, where a Safeway now stands). The Eagles Auditorium was home to a lot of this churn, with shows by aging Big Band acts, country music (Roy Acuff, e.g.), jump blues, jazz, the emerging 'R&B sound', and a number of smooth-singing white guys. After a few years, it settled down and Eagles became primarily a home for top-notch rhythm and blues. Eagles was not unique - there was an active jazz and blues scene along Jackson Street, where many big stars got their start. But Eagles was clearly a step up - a chance to play for a far bigger audience than in a crowded hazy bar.

'We got jazz, country-western and Chicago blues. It's the greatest music that you ever knew' - Dave Alvin - American Music.

To date, I've discovered 150 performances from this era. It was from this great gumbo that rock and roll emerged.