KNICKERBOCKER CAFÉ

No, this is not a performer or a band; this is a venue: The KNICKERBOCKER CAFÉ, where Ocean State blues was born in the late ’60s. Duke Robillard and Al Copley formed Roomful of Blues to play Chicago blues, soon adding in a bit of swing, R&B, and jazz, with a strong horn section, and Roomful became Westerly’s hometown band. National performers also hit the Knick’s stage: Big Joe Turner, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Stevie Ray Vaughan. But it was another homegrown musician, Johnny Nicholas, who has lived in the Hill Country of Texas for almost 30 years, who found the financial backers to bring back the dance hall in a grand opening last May that included Nicholas and his band, Delbert McClinton, and Greg Piccolo. With a beautifully refurbished Starlight Ballroom, the Knick is back in the swing of things! | 35 Railroad Avenue, Westerly | 401.596.4225 + 401.315.5070 | theknickerbockercafe.com