It’s hard to believe it’s been 30 years now that I have been presenting songwriters to Oklahoma City audiences. It wasn’t planned, it was just a spontaneous action of mine to bring my friends from Austin to play songs, as I greatly missed them and all that a songwriter community entailed. I barely knew Mary Reynolds, yet I convinced her to let me bring my friends to her cozy confines on North McKinley, where she lived and also did some shows here and there under the moniker Hotel Bohemia. Before I even called it the Blue Door, Michael Fracasso came in January, 1993 and christened this place under my watch.
A few shows later in May 1993, it was named the Blue Door, celebrated by the first of many sold out shows with legendary Okie songwriter Kevin Welch. From then on I have just tried to bring the best songwriters I know to town and for the Blue Door to be the best listening room in the country. From Woody Guthrie to Jimmy Webb and John Fullbright, Oklahoma songwriters are fully represented among the many great songwriters and musicians from every part of the USA and Europe.
To this day, I have never cared about sold out shows for the sake of just the numbers. I only cared about the art and craft of the song, period. Case closed. Thanks to Warren Palmer who helped me get this going. Also to my niece Meghan, Tom Hall, Mike and Theresa Lander, Mike Thompson and other volunteers over the years.
See ya at a show soon!!
Greg Johnson
Thank you for bringing Grant Lee Phillips to OKC. Wonderful evening. Congratulations on 30 years.
I caught one of Jimmy Webb’s appearances at the Blue Door. Almost missed it, saw a flyer on the door where Kyle Dillingham & Horseshoe Road were playing. The small venue of the Blue Door made me one of probably 100 people in the audience being entertained by Jimmy Webb! Couldn’t believe I was there, still can’t. He wrote so many of my favorites from when I was in high school, sung by Johnny Rivers, Glen Campbell, Richard Harris, etc. What a memory was made that night.
Dave Chapman
OKC
Best Music venue in OKC! Well done Greg!
Love the website! Thanks for the past thirty years Greg . . . I think best Blue Door days are still ahead.