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Thinking Outside the Bread Box By Ali Kaufman / Photos by Joseph Lemieux Jr. If you are a music lover and lucky enough to have been of age between October 1971 and 1982, you likely have some incredible, albeit perhaps fuzzy, memories of the magical music venue called The Shaboo. The club was the brainchild of a couple of local kids from Willimantic, David A. Foster and Bruce John, who wanted a place to play. I call them kids
because David wasn’t even old enough to have a beer at his own place when the doors opened. These musicians in their own right, found the perfect spot sandwiched between two universities, Eastern State University and UCONN. The business of music was a far different proposition than it is today, The
Shaboo was an example of being in the right place at the right time. The 11 years of the club’s existence coincided with the rise of many artists we now call legends. Bonnie Raitt was a regular, and her appearances guaranteed a crowd that made up for the uncertainty of booking “new” acts like The Police, Tom Petty, and Aerosmith. B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, and Muddy Waters all graced the stage as well. James Cotton’s 1976 album Live & On The Move was recorded at The Shaboo and stands as a powerful reminder of what was. There have been reunions through the years but the latest, the 50th, held at the end of August this year drew their largest crowd yet. About 3,300 or so gathered at the recently completed Shaboo Stage in Jillson Square, just over the
Frog Bridge in Willimantic. 50 years gone by have done nothing to diminish the enthusiasm for live music and community involvement of both artists and audience. The evening was blessed with perfect weather and outstanding talent with proceeds going to support the Covenant Our Soup Kitchen. Governor, Ned Lamont, even stopped by to recognize this anniversary and surprised everyone by playing the piano and singing a few lines of John Lennon’s Imagine. I asked Bruce John if he had a standout moment among the many that night, “Tom Rush” was his answer. He then went on to say, "he was clear as a bell and sharp as a tack. At 80 he still puts on a fantastic show and remains a significant representative of the folk community. He is just a real great guy." Bruce also mentioned James Montgomery or the
