Bunjies
Bunjies Coffee House & Folk Cellar was a cafe situated at 27 Litchfield Street (just off Charing Cross Road), London WC2. Opened in 1953 or 1954, it was one of the original folk cafés of the 1950s and 1960s. Below the café, in a 400-year-old wine cellar, was an influential music venue which changed little until its closure (and conversion of the premises into a restaurant) in 1999.[1][2] Allegedly named after the first owner's pet hamster, the venue featured, early in their careers, Tom Paxton, John Renbourn, Bert Jansch, Bob Dylan and Paul Simon.[1] Al Stewart secured a residency at the Folk Cellar in 1965, at the age of 19, which was a significant factor in his later success.[3]
During the 1960s the venue was run by two brothers, Leo and Theo Johnson[4] and, at this time, a range of artists more associated with mainstream pop music than folk happily performed to tiny audiences in the confines of the cellar; Phil Collins, Sandie Shaw, Cat Stevens, Art Garfunkel, Rod Stewart, Long John Baldry, Amory Kane, and David Bowie being amongst them.[5]
In the early sixties, the Coffee House was owned by Lou Hart, and Wednesday night in the cellar was run by
Bunjies was also a haunt of many writers, comedians and artists. Regulars have included Jarvis Cocker of Pulp.[6]
Other London folk cafés of the 1950s and 1960s included
References
- ^ a b "Jim Clark". Archived from the original on 1 April 2008. Retrieved 19 August 2008.
- ^ Classic Cafes
- ^ Acoustic Magazine
- ^ "Ged Clarke, Hereford". Archived from the original on 28 December 2008. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
- ^ Book: Rock Music Landmarks of London by Graham Vickers
- ^ "PULP - ACRYLIC AFTERNOONS - Jarvis Cocker Interview". www.acrylicafternoons.com. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
Further reading
- "Rock Music Landmarks of London" by Graham Vickers