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Disco Music > Discotheques and Clubs Index > Emerald City
Emerald City
Route 70, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, USA
1978 to 1983.
Site of the former Latin Casino, now the corporate headquaters of Suburu America. The Wizard of Oz. If I remember correctly, cover was $12 with two drink passes. Emerald City had a giant dance floor with a "yellow brick" going down the center. DJ would play two songs with one two beats behind first.
Owner: ???
DJ: Phil Smith
Photo of the Emerald City dancefloor submitted by Phil LeBash
Phil Smith's Emerald City disco in the late seventies. The old south Jersey, Latin Casino done over by Richard Long of NYC sound associates and DJ Phil Smith opened venue called Emerald City in Cerry Hill, New Jersey. The stage and part of the huge dance floor of Richard Long's and DJ Phil Smith's sound associates design at Emerald City discotheque in souther New Jersey, right across for center city Philadelphia. The Emerald City was the old Latin Casino, a lot of the early Philly soul acts sang and entertained there.
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COMMENTS ON THIS DISCO / DISCOTHEQUE / NIGHTCLUB
I went to this club once, in Cherry Hill Jersey, we where part of the hot dance group from the limelight, and went there to show off, and they did not take us lightlee, but we had fun. the girls loved us.
A night I will never forget. I remember being there when a fire started in the heating ducts. Music stopped, lights went on, panic erupted, headed toward the exit only to find the door locked. Came back in the club and was overwhelmed by a thick smoke. Finally made it outside as hundreds of people were screaming franitically. Fortunately with some minor injuries and not too much damaged to the club we were back there the following week.
I remember as a kid driving by Emerald City and seeing this green pyramid shaped building with long lines of people waiting to get in. Now on that site sits the Suburu American Headquarters.
in 1978-9 i just had two kids got divorced made my way from small mobile home in toms river nj to cherry hill rt 70 nj in a small cold green beat up station wagon every couple of days in 1979-83 would go to emerald city only 4 bucks cover greatest place around punks etc... dance floor lit up boxes all types of disco lights great sound hotdogs, lots of sex great shows then one day in 1983 rode a few of my girlfriends to emerald city found it closed they nearly killed me... db nyc www.youtube.com user nycrocks
Went to the Latin Casino and saw the last performance ever to be there. It was Donna Summer who did a wow show.
When it reopened as Emerald City I was amazed at the transformation. I do have pix standing on the blocks with an old boyfriend and some other friends.
It wasn't my fav club but I always had a good time when I went. But back then I always had a good time.
Linda Cafarella
I went here once to check it out with a group of my friends. Had a good time but clubs closer to home were just as good or better so I never went back.
I was a dj at Emerald City for most of the new wave / punk shows from 1979 - 1982-ish.
I dj'ed the night The Rolling Stones were going to play, but big-mouthed WMMR leaked it out too soon. When I arrived with my two milk crates full of vinyl (pre-cd days) there was a line wrapped at least three deep around the building. I remember getting to the front door and banging to get in, it took some time for someone inside to see me and recoginize it was the Dj outside. When I played SHATTERED at midnight, the over crowded club of at least 1500-2000 people went into a frenzy!
I dj'ed at least 50 times or more there - from The P.Furs to The B-52's to Alice Cooper To The Ramones to Blue Oyster Cult (As The Soft White Underbelly) to The English Beat - with that performance being recorded for a ska movie, the movie name escapes me.
I have many memories at Emerald City, and I later took my talents and learnings from Emerald City as a dj and what I learned from helping put together shows there to put a Trenton NJ club on ther map until 1997- City Gardens, booking over 3000 different bands there and dj probably over 1000 nights there as well.
i went to emerald city a few times. living around the philadelphia area at the time my first nite was new years eve 1978 had a good time dancing with these two divas that where grace jones looka likes. me and my friends would sometimes get in free saying to the door man that they didnt stamp our hands when we went out for air lol i thaught the club was great and looked good to. i also remember wcau fm 98 disco party there with bob pantano. and also butters disco from wdas
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Emerald City (RIP)
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I hung at Emerald City every weekend when it went from disco to new wave, the dance floor was electric and amazing, I saw the Talking Heads, Joe Jackson, Plasmatics, Iggy Pop, Morris Day and the Time, Pearl Harbor, and the best concert of all was the B52's they brought down the house, it was amazing when dance this mess around came on everyone was standing on the bars and table and dancing it was an experience I will never forget, the place is sorely missed it was a great era of music and entertainment combined.
I remember when Aerosmith played there in 1983. I couldn't get tickets, but heard from friends that it was a very rowdy show. The fans kept yelling "Joe Perry", who was out of the band at the time.
Despite the fact that Steven Tyler was whacked out on all sorts of drugs at that time, many who went to that particular show claimed he was awesome that night.
Went to Emerald city many Friday and Saturday nights while a junior & senior at Bishop Neumann HS. If I remember correctly, cover was $10 but you got two drink passes. The dance floor was awesome....a yellow rick road down center. DJ often played same song two beats apart..Knock On Wood and Have a Cigar were terrific.
In 1980, it went punk. Then closed.
My friends and I went to various discos in the Philly/South Jersey area back in the day including Emerald City. This club was in a class by itself! I remember dancing to Cher's "Take Me Home" on its huge dance floor. What memories!
If Jersey, especially southern Jersey, had a show-case site, this was it. As infamous as it was famous, THE MOB had their hands deep inside The EMERALD CITY'S pockets. A "hangout" for the RIZZO crew from Philly. The Federal Government eventually forced the doors to be permanently closed. But while it lasted, just as spectacular as the biggest and best that Philly and New York had to offer. On my scale from 1-10, it gets a 10.
The club closed due to lack of money to pay the bills and artists. No MOB connections other than just a hang out for drinks and chicks.
When a club is full almost every night they open, when they make the type of profits they make. Paying their bills becomes easy, its paying them after all the skimming that becomes problematic. As for no MOB involvement, it is a matter of PUBLIC RECORD. Check the County records, the local newspaper archives, you'll see a DEFINITE gangster influence. Hidden, silent "Partners" are usually MOB!!
I remember WAY back, my sister called to tell me there was this really neat all-girls band called the Go Gos playing at Emerald City and I was like are you kidding? Sounds boring...we of course went and saw them up close! I loved Emerald City-we saw so many acts in a small venue before they became big and famous-B52s, Talking Heads, Joe Jackson, The Go Gos, Elvis Costello...what a great place!
Emerald City was run by ELECTRIC FACTORY - are you trelling me that EF is part of the mob ? Many high end clubs close down due to financial problems. Bands want huge guarantees, NJ liquor laws are the worst in the nation, too.
I stand by what i said.
Are we talking about the same place? The place that was formerly known as the "LATIN CASINO", the same place that routinely booked Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bobby Darin? How do you think "they" got them there? The liquor license remained under the same name, check the public records in Cherry Hill's department of records! "Silent Partners" always had figureheads or "Corporations" to be the "on book" owners, they stayed hidden, always! Seriously, did you forget the time period we are talking about? The MOB influence was everywhere back in those days, only when the Federal Government put them in jail, did that practice stop. By the way, is it a coincidence that when they went to jail, EMERALD CITY closed it's doors? Open your eyes, it is a fact. I can understand that your memories of a great time in your life would obscure the obvious. People tend to not see, or forget that the world back then was more dirty, more cloak and dagger. We remember the good things and good times, forget the bad. But to deny that the MOB influence existed is obtuse.
As a deejay at such a great club like EMERALD CITY, RANDY must be extremely proud, full of great memories. Who wouldn't in his shoes!? I am envious of the great times he must have had there. They must have been spectacularly wonderful. Wish I could have been there. But as a former JERSEY boy, a deejay who worked at many DISCOS, I enjoyed the privilege of a lot of experience. Every club, and I do mean EVERY CLUB, was MOBBED UP!! They had to be, that was just the way it was! They, the MOB, had their hands in everything, from liquor distribution to valet parking;from the laundry services to the interior design of every club in the Philly, New Jersey and New York area. Just cause you were too busy enjoying the "life", don't put on blinders, it, the MOB was there, in one way or another. FACT!!
Looking for Dave and Paul from Emerald City. Has anyone seen them? Hottest bartenders in So. Jersey! (K&L)
I ran a night club for 17 years (City Gardens in trenton) and we had NO MOB TIES, and I was there every day and night it was open from 1979 thru 1997.
Randy, I totally believe you. BUT, look at the dates you mentioned. By 1979, the MOB was on its way out, almost all the families in New York and especially Philly were getting either killed or indicted. What was his name, "Little Nicky"Scarfo had a foot in federal court by then. Lets say I am totally wrong, that the EMERALD CITY was TOTALLY CLEAN OF THE DIRTY HANDS OF "LA COSTRA NOSTRA" will you agree that MOST clubs had MOB influence. And we could dispute your definition of "NO MOB TIES". While not directly involved with the management of a club, in Trenton,like most North Eastern Cities, the GARBAGE pick up were run by companies that were all affiliated if not totally controlled by the MOB. It wasn't until the 90's that these GARBAGE Haulers were put out of business, and replaced by "honest" companies. In New York City it didn't stop until this decade! How about the LIQUOR that you bought for your club, all major distributors had to pay their"DUES" to stay in business. That increased the price of booze that you bought and sold.So while THE MOB didn't OWN or RUN your place, there were "ties" that you may not have been aware of. I worked for MOB run or"owned" clubs for over a decade, afterwards I could spot their "fingers" in everything. Even major corporations like the HILTON and PLAYBOY had to deal with it.Whether they knew it or not. I think that applies to all Clubs prior to this century. Especially in the sixties and seventies, when it was more OBVIOUS, and out in the open. But don't take what I say personally, I am sure that you had nothing to do with them. Do me a favor Randy, check out HISTORY 101 in this site, specifically a survey about DRUGS and DISCO, I assume that a man with your experience would have plenty to say. Also, lets talk further about the MOB influence later, maybe you could email me personally, I smell an article.
Does anyone know where Keith is? Keith Kashner from the band Prowler???
we should all read THE SOPRANO STATE ! LOL !
Was that FUNNY? I am calling TONY right now and have you WHACKED!! Silence is golden.
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