Northwest Dancehalls

The V.F.W. Hall
Salem, Oregon

Some of the bands that rocked The Salem Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall during the early years of NW rock and roll were:
 

The Archies
Bluefield Doughboys
Capitol Street Balloon
The Che-Vels
Grants Blueboys
The Kingsmen
The Phi-Dels
Reunion
The Wailers

Others?

Yes the VFW was used for a lot of dances.  This is where Ed Dougherty (EJD Enterprises) got his start. I think the first 60's band to play was probably either the Phi-Dels or my brothers group, The Che-Vels, both of Salem.  I remember even some Seattle bands coming down to play there too.  Bluefield Doughboys stands out in my mind for some reason.  I saw the Kingsmen plus lots of other local groups here.  It was the hot spot until EJD moved things over to the Salem Armory at the state fairgrounds.

Lars Van Valkenburg, February 2007

If you have corrections, a neat photo or more information, please send it to:

Last Update:  14 August 2007

Credits:  Dave Higginbotham, Lars Van Valkenburg, Tom Drechsler, David Zeit