Knuckleheads Saloon
2715 Rochester, Kansas City, MO 64120
www.knuckleheadskc.com
816-483-1456-club
816-483-6407-office
By Sugar Mae Owens
It’s like a diamond in the rough; it’s Jimmy Reed’s
“Bright Lights Big City.” No, it’s Knuckleheads—an
original, a friendly open atmosphere nightspot with train brakes squealing
in the background,
Once a small motorcycle shop named after a Harley Davidson’s WWII engine that resembled knuckles, Knucklehead Saloon was reborn into Kansas City’s hottest nightspot for blues, swing, rockabilly and everything in between. After the legendary Grand Emporium closed in 2004, Knuckleheads became the new oasis for the blues. You’ll find it in the industrial east bottoms surrounded by long slow moving railroad car traffic jams. After a couple of turns through a dark vintage neighborhood, Knuckleheads appears with its welcoming flashing neon signs and a large bright orange ongoing message board announcing upcoming shows. There’s plenty of parking. It’s a perfect setup for a fun rollicking live music venue.
Ronnie Baker Brooks playing to (and in) the crowd
at Knuckleheads, November, 2007. Photo/Robert Jr.Whitall
Knucklehead owners Frank and Mary Hicks turned a motorcycle
shop with an actual beer vending machine into an expandable club that,
when the weather permits, opens up to a large patio and stage area that
seems more like a beach scene than the Missouri River bottoms
“I bought this in 1985, and so when the Grand Emporium closed we
did some remodeling for 3 or 4 months and then began bringing in national
acts—Kenny Neal, Lil Ed, and Anthony Gomes—and have kept doing
it ever since, trying to pump more money back in—like upgrading
from a 16 channel sound board to 40 channels. We needed more room so we
added the hurricane doors to give an outside atmosphere and we saved our
pennies for the garage doors so they can open up. Two years ago this March,
a tornado hit and knocked the caboose (on the back patio) on its ass,”
recalled Frank “and it was a godsend.” The outdoor stage is
now where it is supposed to be— facing the club instead of out towards
the neighborhood. The caboose is now used as a VIP room and on top of
it there is a great view overlooking the tracks. The patio can accommodate
615 people.
“We recorded Chubby Carrier’s CD/DVD last summer on the patio stage and it will be released here on Nov. 30 (2007),” says Frank, who remembers how a few years ago, he asked musicians what would make their stay at Knuckleheads more comfortable. Besides a nice hotel with a hot shower, they asked for a homey green room and Watermelon Slim suggested a washer and dryer. Frank’s formula has worked out very well and everyone is happy. Sometimes there are crunch times—like clearing the room after a 7 hour jam session on Saturday to set up for the national act that night— but Frank quickly admits that he owes his success to his hard working staff, including his wife Mary behind the bar and Grandma working the merchandise register. Visit www.knuckleheadskc.com for more information.
Congratulations to Knuckleheads, chosen “2008 Blues Club of the Year” by the Blues Foundation. They will be honored at the Foundation’s Keeping the Blues Alive brunch on Saturday, February 2, 2008, Memphis, TN.
