Growing up in San Francisco in the 60’s, 70’s and on, the music scene was pretty epic. Everyone remembers the Winterland Ballroom and the Fillmore as they hosted the greatest rock acts of the era. But to me, for the most eclectic, varied, entertainment option in town, we headed to Bush Street to a small live theater venue called The Boarding House.

The Boarding House at 960 Bush Street, on Lower Nob Hill, was known by many names since it opened as a theater after the 1906 earthquake and fire, most recently Doug Weston’s Troubadour North (a sister to its famous Sunset Strip sibling in West Hollywood).

But in March 1971, David Allen who ran the hungry i for Enrico Banducci, and helped launch the careers of Barbra Streisand and Lenny Bruce, opened this amazing showcase for upcoming music and comedy acts

David hosted the most varied array of musical genres possible. Bette Midler, Billy Joel, Crystal Gayle, Harry Chapin, Neil Young, Waylon Jennings, The Dire Straits, Randy Newman, Jim Croce and many many more played the small concert hall on Bush. With less than 300 seats, there was no other performance venue more intimate than the Boarding House.

In 1975 Melissa Manchester had an up-and-coming stand up open for her: BILL “Billy” Crystal

In 1975, David brought in an act that would become world famous: Bob Marley and the Wailers, with a performance that music critic Joel Selvin dubbed “strange”.

We had the pleasure of sitting at a front row table during Steve Martin’s hilarious “Wild and Crazy Guy” performance. He recorded his first three comedy albums at the club.

And we also got the thrill of catching young Dolly Parton…with her spectacular acoustic guitar work (with her impeccably long manicured fingernails) and oh that voice!

…and, the week previous, we caught the smooth cowboy classic Western harmonies of the great Sons of the Pioneers.

The Boarding House had a small restaurant in the basement run by local burlesque performer Magnolia Thunderpussy. The signature dessert was the “Montana Banana”- her erotic version of the banana split- this banana UNsplit, two scoops of ice cream, dollop of whipped cream. You get the picture…oh, there’s the menu….

So many live albums were recorded at the BH… here are just a few:

The Boarding House fell on hard financial times, so a star-studded concert was held at Civic Auditorium

But in 1980, there was a fire, and a developer was buying up property to build condos on that 900 block of Bush. The Boarding House closed in July of that year. They reopened in North Beach, but that club closed in ’82, David passed in ’84. The memories of one of San Francisco’s greatest entertainment clubs is all that remains.