Inspired by the arts and surrounded by a time of creativity in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the spirit, energy, and friendship of Patti Habib and Richard O'Brien led to the opening of The BamBoo at 312 Queen Street West in downtown Toronto, becoming a staple for the city's music scene.
Full of colour and life, the BamBoo played an important part in the burgeoning arts community on Queen Street West during the 1980s. From the Horseshoe Tavern to the Rivoli to the BamBoo, this stretch of live music venues along an artery of Toronto's downtown supported and celebrated local artists for over a decade.
1980s Queen Street West
During the 1980s, Toronto’s Queen Street West neighbourhood was full of avant-garde artists characterised by social activism and engagement. The nearby Ontario College of Art and Design University (OCAD) helped to create a space for experimental and conceptual art and music.
Today a hotspot of high-end fashion stores and coffee shops, the Queen Street West of the 1980s was a vastly different place, filled with cheap apartments, parking lots, greasy spoon diners, and dive bars.
Courtesy of the City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1526, File 76, Item 30
Photo by Patti Habib, courtesy of Patti Habib
Wicker World
Patti Habib and Richard O’Brien met while both were working at the CBC. Both had an interest in Caribbean culture and an affinity for late-night parties. Seeing a "For Lease" sign at a wicker furniture store at 312 Queen Street West, they snagged the opportunity to create a live music venue and restaurant.
With their spirit and vision, Patti joked about calling it "Liquor World" but chose instead "The BamBoo", as a namesake to the previously “Wicker World” furniture store. The BamBoo became a Toronto landmark and tropical haven filled with reggae music and global cuisine.
Photo by George Tamber, courtesy of Patti Habib
Courtesy of Patti Habib
A Hard Rock Soft Open
Although not yet officially open to the public, the BamBoo held its first event on July 11, 1983 as a record launch for Toronto band, Parachute Club.
Working without either running water or a liquor license, over 500 fans turned up to support the band and the new club. One month later, its liquor licence secured, the BamBoo opened its doors on August 16, 1983.
The Art of the BamBoo
Habib and O’Brien both loved African and Caribbean rhythms and wanted their new club to reflect their taste in music, a blend of styles often referred to as “world music” during the 1980s and 1990s. Friend and artist Barbara Klunder designed and created the BamBoo’s signage, hand-drawing menus, murals, artwork and even their own font type. Inspired by the geometric, abstract, and colourful elements often found sub-Sarahan African and Caribbean art, Klunder’s unique drawings defined the BamBoo's brand.
Artwork by Barbara Klunder, courtesy of Patti Habib
Great Food, Great Music
The BamBoo wasn’t just a great music venue but a successful restaurant as well. The menu was full of dishes inspired by Caribbean, Indonesian, and Thai cuisine.
The BamBoo’s Thai Spicy Noodles soon became a must-order item on the menu.
Early chefs included Vera Khan, a master of Caribbean flavours, and Wandee Young. Born in Phuket, Thailand, Young helped to introduce Thai flavours to the BamBoo menu.
In 1997, the chefs and owners of BamBoo published a cookbook, The BamBoo Cooks, which featured some of the venue's most beloved recipes.
The BamBoo Cooks
Courtesy of Patti Habib
The BamBoo House Band: The Sattalites
The Sattalites were often considered the BamBoo’s unofficial house band, playing at the venue roughly once a month. The band formed in 1981 and featured a pop-reggae sound that perfectly matched the BamBoo aesthetic.
Band members included band founder and flugelhorn player Jo Jo Bennett, singer/saxophonist Fergus Hambleton, Neville Francis, Bruce McGillivray, Dave Fowler, and Bruce "Preacher" Robinson. The band's music career has spanned six albums and two JUNO Awards.
This online exhibition uses third-party applications including Spotify and YouTube. Check with your organization’s web administrator if you are unable to access content from these channels in the exhibition.
A Space for Music
As a venue for large-scale music events such as Afrofest (the largest free African Music Festival in North America), as well as hosting weekly events dedicated to jazz or reggae music, the BamBoo regularly provided a venue for numerous local bands and artists to perform.
No single genre of music dominated the stage at the BamBoo. JUNO-Award winning reggae musician Leroy Sibbles performed at the BamBoo frequently. Singer Molly Johnson also stopped by, performing first with rock and then jazz bands throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Canadian rock band Rough Trade, known for their provocative lyrics and costumes, also could be seen at the BamBoo.
Photo by Biserka Livaja, courtesy of Patti Habib
Courtesy of Aser via Flickr; Licensed under Creative Commons
CKLN-FM
Along with providing a venue for Toronto’s local artists and musicians, the BamBoo’s owners also helped local music find a place on the radio. CKLN became a licensed radio station, on the frequency 88.1 FM, in 1983 the same year the BamBoo opened. The station became known for its music programming. Musicians who played the BamBoo often were featured on CKLN's Diasporic Music and Reggae Showcase.
The 1980s were a turning point for African music in Toronto, with the first local recordings of Ghanaian music as well as Toronto's first African band, Wana Wazuri.
Many of these new Toronto artists played at the BamBoo and were featured on CKLN. For many years, the BamBoo sponsored CKLN’s Sounds Of Africa weekly music show. Launched in 1986 by Thad “Thaddy” Ulzen and Sam Mensah, the program became a showcase for African music in Toronto. Often featuring Ghanaian music, many of the artists featured on Sounds of Africa also performed at the BamBoo and other live music venues along Queen Street West.
In 2011, after three decades of independent radio, CKLN lost its FM radio frequency and subsequently wound down its programming.
Courtesy of the Lilian Radovac Collection and alternativetoronto.ca
This online exhibition uses third-party applications including Spotify and YouTube. Check with your organization’s web administrator if you are unable to access content from these channels in the exhibition.
Listen: A. B. Crentsil's "Montwe Mma Yen"
Listen to "Montwe Mma Yen" from the 1985 record "Toronto by Night" by Ghanaian music star A.B. Crentsil and his Ahenfo Band. Recorded in Toronto and produced by Ghanaian expatriate Alfred Schall, the record was a hit on radio stations such as CKLN 88.1. During the 1980s, Toronto was a recording centre for Ghanaian highlife music, an uptempo, synth-driven style characterized by jazz-like horns and guitars.
Courtesy of Patti Habib
The End of the BamBoo
From 1983 until 2002, the BamBoo was a central music venue for Toronto, influencing music, fashion, politics, and food. However, co-owner Richard O’Brien began to suffer serious health problems in the late 1990s. A serious stroke in 2000 left O’Brien paralyzed, leaving much of the management responsibilities to his co-owner Patti Habib. When the club’s lease was up for renewal in 2002, Habib made the difficult decision to close the BamBoo for good.
The BamBoo’s final event, called “The Boo-Hoo”, was held on Halloween of that year. Musical guests featured the Parachute Club's Billy Bryans as well as the Sattalites, a nod to the two bands that had been so integral to the legacy and popularity of the venue.
After the BamBoo shut, former owner Richard O’Brien tried to keep the spirit of the original venue alive by opening the short-lived "Bambu by the Beach" in Toronto’s Queen's Quay. O’Brien passed away in 2005.