Paul Colby is the owner of the legendary Bitter End nightclub in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The club opened its doors in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of Fred Weintraub. Colby became the manager and booking agent in 1968, and in 1975 he became part owner along with Pat Kenny. The venue was a haven for folk singers in the sixties who are now household names — Bob Dylan; Carly Simon; Neil Young; Peter, Paul and Mary; and many more. Later it became the launch pad for the careers of a huge roster of now-famous comedians and rock, pop, and jazz musicians. The club itself became a landmark in 1992, and Paul Colby deserves landmark status himself. In January of 2010, he donated the records from the club to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Click here to see a video of Colby in 2009 — then 95 years old — going through a treasure trove of some of the 40 year-old posters he discovered that are now housed at the museum, available for all of us to enjoy. Thanks, Paul Colby!
