Palace, The

IT WAS ALSO CALLED "RICH AND FAMOUS". I REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS THE PALACE, THEN RICH AND FAMOUS, THEN CLOUD NINE, THEN IN THE EARLY 90's IT WAS A GENTLEMENS CLUB (WIERD AS HELL). I USED TO DEEJAY BACK THEN BUT ONLY IN NEWARK AND NEW YORK CLUBS. I WENT THERE BECAUSE I HAD SOME FRIEND FROM AROUND THE WAY SO I USED TO FREQUENT CLUBS AROUND THE BAYWAY CIRCLE B4 I WENT TO NEW YORK.

Oh and the Lido in Long Branch, I have pics of everyone hanging out at the pool during the day.

D'Scene was my first club. I was from North Jersey and we's drive there dance till it closed then head into the city and hit Sanctuary till noon hte next day. I remeber Frankie & Marta and loved the Meadowbrook on Friday's it was near my house spent a fabulous New Years Eve there. I remeber the Joker and Sunday at Creation....and many, many more.

This comment is for Couldhavedancedallnight:

If you have any memories of the Rainbow Room in Asbury Park that you would like to share, please email me at: siamese14@juno.com

I am in the process of gathering information for a book on the Albion Hotel/Rainbow Room, Asbury Park. Thanks!

DJ Allan, Now It makes sense to me. The Palace as you say closed down in 79 or 80. It became Cloud 9 sometime in mid 80's before changing back to The Palace around 87. The Time frame for Frankie Hollywood was 88 to 89 There also was DJ Johnny B. till 1990 Tommy Tune was there from 89 till sometime in 1993

Like I say in my original post above it was in the 1978-79-80 time frame. Since I was involved with the club from the start, I remember it being coverted from the T&C into the Palace so I know it was not a club prior to it becoming The Palace. I am not sure what happened after 1983 because I moved to Chicago in 1983. However I did know Frankie Beauchamp quite well back in the day. I do not remember a Frankie Hollywood or a Tommy Tune working there but it is possible the club was resurrected after it had originally shut down in 1979 or 80.

DJ Allan when did you work at the Palace? The Palace in Elizabeth was The Towne and Campus, Then was Created into a club and was Named Cloud Nine before being called the Palace, I remember a DJ Frankie Hollywood working there for a very short time on thur. nites but was Replaced by Tommy Tune who was the resident DJ on Fri. and Saturday nites. They also would have Franco Iemmello as a guest DJ along with Tommy Tune on some thursdays. Frankie Beauchamp owned a sound company called Design Studio and installed a new sound system in the club back in 1991. The Palace was sold to a group of Chinese guys who didnt know anything about running a club and did away with the dance music nites and tried running it as a Latin music club for a while, then they Changed it to a half a** gentlemens club which didnt last long at all. Eventually they shut down completely around 1994. There is now a Carwash on the original site.

Nice Speaking with you as well.


By the way, I have some friends who grew up in Carteret and they know you! The DeStefano's . . .They jogged my memory and now I recall who you are. Small world.

I do know about youtube, however I haven't been that successful on the older songs.

Be well.

I will try to check out 96.1 on the internet on Saturday nights as soon as I can.

There is no doubt you were "there" back in the day as you bring up names of clubs that only the people that were "there" during the time would know.

La Salsa in Union and the JetPort in the Holiday Inn in Elizabeth on the north side of Route 1 (might have been Rt 35) and the Lotus Garden on the eastbound side of Rt 22 in a catering hall with DJ Carlos, a really nice club for back then...you certainly knew them all.

If I had to pick, my all time favorite would be Sunday nights at Creation where I spun as it was a happening every Sunday night and before that, The Meadowbrook on Friday and Saturday was the best club in northern NJ bar none. The balcony that went around the entire club, the raised dance floor that ran most of the length of the 1st floor and where you could be on the balcony and watch the dance floor below you, the sound system, the lights, the music, the people, the fashion...it brings back so many memories because it was the biggest and the best before there was even the word Disco. I really enjoyed my time going to and spinning at that club.

I grew up in Carteret, NJ (north central NJ) and I graduated from Newark State College/Kean College/Kean University. I went from NJ to Chicago in 1983, then to West Palm Beach in 1995, then to Los Angeles in 1997 and then to Dallas in 2000 all to take corporate jobs with increasing levels of responsibility.

I am sure you might know this but if you go to youtube and put in the name of any song from the back in the day, when you listen to it, it will link you to other songs from the day and you can listen to hours and hours of "our" music just sitting on your computer.

Later, and it was nice speaking with you.

DJ Alan

LOL..I guess you remember Vogels--The guy's name I dealt with was Sam.
I remember the Strawberry Patch and Flamingo Joe from the Joker! LOL OMG a lot of memories.... In the early days another Club on Rt 35 was Bachelors 2...do you remember that one. I think we use to go there on Tuesdays...do you remember LaSalsa in Elizabeth? JetPort Holiday Inn?
How about Lotus Garden on Rt. 22 in Union/Springfield?
Then Emerson LTD..in Union and also on Rt. 23 in Little Ferry, I believe.
I'm really jogging your brain now....
Mr. D's in Lodi?
They were all fun, but I have to agree, The Meadowbrook was awesome. I didn't have a set pattern for that one, sometimes Fridays, sometimes Saturday. Definitely Saturday if I was with a date!
There was room for everyone there--it didn't matter if you were hanging in the balcony or on the dance floor. I remember it closed and then re-opened, it wasn't as good after it re-opened and I remember it was when the punk thing started and it changed completely. After that I never went back and it eventually closed.

I live in South Jersey...at the shore, again as I mentioned above they have a lot of TSOP influence here and they managed to keep it alive somewhat. They have a lot of small venues and they play "our" music. If you ever get a chance check out 96.1 on the internet starting at 7pm Saturdays and I think on Sundays they also have a similar show. I haven't been in the area on weekends for a few months, so I am not sure if they still have it going or not, but in the summer they did. I was cracking up--the DJ really dug deep, I mean back from 1973/74. Songs I haven't heard since then and once they start playing, somehow you still know all the words and can pin point exactly where you were and who you were with! It's amazing!
I think you should give the DJ gig out in Dallas a try. We all wish we had a place to go that would play that type of music. I understand that we all have other commitments now, but I think once it caught on they may come out, especially if its early enough and perhaps a place where they can have dinner and hang out a few hours...that's how the Palace started and became so popular on Thursdays.
The club scene in the northern Jersey Shore area (Belmar to Seaside)area crazy with tons of kids. Most of the population in South Jersey (shore areas) now are people our age originally from Bergen, Essex, Middlesex and Union Counties and all wish they had a place where they can go enjoy themselves.

Where were you originally from and how did you wind up in TX?

Holy Cow, Vogels Music...I bought most of my early music there. 45's and LP's as there were no 12 inches at that time. They definitely had the best selection in NJ at that time, bar none. I also had a primary record store in lower Manhattan that I used to go to, but I will never remember the name of that store...real underground type musice store with a lot of imports and the first 12 inches.

I DJ'ed at the Chicago in Union and at Club Bene in Sayreville that you mention above. I also have been to and remember Brothers 3, Fountain Casino, Foxy Lady, and believe it or not The Bedroom...pretty much every club in NJ during those days, I have been to and knew the DJ. Remember the Strawberry Patch with DJ Jerry Lembo and also Flamingo Joe was one of the DJ's at Joker 2. One of my favorites, if I had to pick just one, would be The Meadowbrook...what a room and what a crowd. I couldn't wait for Friday nights when that club was open.

You are bringing back some great memories for me.

Where do you live now? I live in Plano, TX a town just north of Dallas. Sometimes I think about going to one of the clubs in Dallas and asking them to give me a Wed or Thurs night so I can play a mix of "our" music from the 70's through today...and not so much of the commercial disco music although I am sure I would have to play some of that, but rather more of the "real" early music of the time...maybe someday. I am not sure it would work because people our age have jobs and family responsibilities and I am not sure enough of them go out anymore.

Later.

Wow--it seems as though you also have some very fond memories of the early club days. Although I am originally from Union County, I remember the name, Dimples, but I don't recall ever going there.
Was that later changed to Chicago or Harpers?
D'Scene I don't recall either...On Rt. 35, I remember Brothers 3, Foxy Lady, Fountain Casino and Club Bene. The Bedroom was a lounge in Sayreville and they showed old movie/flicks.

I hear you about the WKTU situation and yes, some of the music you did hear on WBLS and now can catch some classics on 98.7 Kiss.
As far as The Philly sound, I agree it is great, and they keep in going in South Jersey.
They have a great station that plays "our" music on Saturday and Sunday nights they broadcast live from a local club. 96.1 The Touch. Saturday nights in the Summer is great around that area. Even some of the clubs in AC play classic club and have great dancing too. Most of the people are in our age group and they are from Philly. I have to give it to them, they kept it going. In addition to the clubs that still exist, for a while in AC they had a club called TSOP is was pretty good, but it eventually closed.

On another note, I would buy all of my 45's at Vogels in Elizabeth and what ever they couldn't get, I would go to 2 places in the city -- 1 was an underground (jerry Oberlin??) and the other was a well known "record store." I can't remember the name of it, perhaps you remember it? We would go a lot of times right after the clubs while it was fresh in our heads. It was open all night.

I'm going to check out your "favorite music."

I do remember the Joker 2 and I remember the Giraffe very well also. I remember the Giraffe was a small, but very well apppointed club. People dressed out a that club as they did at most of the clubs of that day. One of the Dimples DJ's, Frankie worked there (not Black Frankie or Frankie Beauchamp). The first club I remember going to was D'Scene in Sayreville. Must have been around 1972/3. The first club I spun at was Dimples in Union 1974.

I am sorry to say that I do not remember any of the bouncers at the Palace. Danny was definitely not a bouncer. The only bouncer I remember at all was Phil at Creations, a big but very nice guy.

On a side note, to me, what started the demise of it all was WKTU. The reason is that before WKTU you had to go to the clubs to hear "our" music or you could hear some of the music on WBLS but WBLS did not commercialize it like WKTU did. Although I was happy when WKTU first changed their format to dance music, I quickly realized that it would effect the exclusivity of the music only being able to be heard at the clubs and ultimately cause problems, which it did. The real early club music....heavily influenced by the Philly sound is still my favorite music.

Yeah-- I certainly do agree with you...Clubs.
I thought another couple owned LaMartinque. I know Nancy she was married to the fellow who owned it?
It's been a while, but I am sure we all had the same experience.
As a matter of fact before all of this their was the Joker 2 in Passaic. I don't know if you remember that club or not...back in 1972-73. That is basically where it all started for me.
Do you remember any of the bouncers from the Palace?
By the way it is now a 24 hour car wash! Was Danny also a bouncer? He walked around with photos of himself. Adam, Phil, Vito and Louie to name a few.

All the clubs were great--but changed after Saturday Night Fever came out...Amateur City--

There was also a club called The Giraffe in Fort Lee...do you remember that one?

Frankie Beauchamp and his girlfriend Marta owned La Martinique on Broad Street in Elizabeth, NJ. A waaaay forward clothing store for the time.

Frankie Beauchamp was also involved with the Cameo as one of the owners or even the primary owner if memory serves me well.

Flamingo Joe was the DJ at Fire & Ice and he was one of the best. Ed "The Worm" Rothstein was the primary DJ at The Binghampton with Johhny Trip (Tripota) and Pete Denis working the upstairs there. Johhny Trip was also the DJ along with The Worm at the Breir Rabbit and the Ram's Horn.

You certainly know the clubs of the day. I am going to guess if I were to meet you, I probably know you or at least remember you.

I knew those days were special at the time and most really don't know the "specialness" of those clubs, people, and times. It sure was different than what most others were doing for their entertainment at the time.

To me it is important to note that we called them "clubs" back then and not discos.

DJ Alan

This is too funny--I think I followed you around...LOL...
Meadowbrook, Soap Factory, Creations, etc. LOL
Yeah I remember Black Frankie and Flaco Frankie....
Frankie Beauchamp I think he was from LaMartinque in Elizabeth? a few of us married some of the guys from The Palace..we're all divorced now... Oh well.

Also hung at Fire & Ice..Elegante.. Mr. D's, Lodi.
The Cameo, The Binghamton, Briar Rabbit, Ipanema, Marcos, etc. The list goes on...I'm sure you knew them all and then some.

I remember the woman's first name of the husband and wife team that opened The Palace and Dante's Inferno. Her first name was Judy and maybe her last name will come to me at a later date. I do not remember the husband's name but Judy was the main driver of the projects anyway.

I was the DJ on Thursday, Friday and Saturday and Frankie Beauchamp (I am assuming the Frankie you are are referring to), or Black Frankie, or Frankie Piserchia (the only Frankies I knew in the area) did not work at The Palace. I managed the DJ's for The Palace and I think the only other DJ was Danny Tabowitz on Wednesdays.

It is great that you remember the Rainbow Room. I am pretty sure that was a club Frankie Beauchamp was involved in. It was a great room and one of the early dance clubs.

DJ Alan

I will find out who the other DJ's were. I think the owner's name was Alex and his wife was a blonde--the coat check lady..if I remember correctly.
Me and my friends are cracking up at some of the good times we had there. It was good because it was close to home being Union County residents, especially on Thursdays. We had to go north or to NYC for any good clubs.

I remember Dante's Inferno--went 1 or twice..although I wasn't a Jersey Shore Girl...Rainbow Room -- Asbury Park... that's about it. (Now that's going back!LOL)

Hello, my name is DJ Alan Gohlke and I was the primary DJ at the Palace. I cannot remember the name of the couple (primarily the wife was the driver of the operation) that leased the space and opened this club. I remember being involved in the design of the club and this couple also opened Dante's Inferno in Brielle, NJ (down the shore) and it was the hottest club down the shore for the time that it was open. Both of these clubs were open in the 1978-1979 time frame if my memory serves me correctly.

The Palace was a very nice club and well equipped room. It had a surprisingly mixed gay/straight crowd and the sound system and lights were great.

I am sorry but I cannot remember who else dj'ed there on the nights that I was not working. I think it might have been Danny Tabowitz.