Northwest Dance Halls

Photo Needed
Cascade Club
Jasper Road
Springfield, Oregon

Some of the bands that this place during those great years of NW music were:

Bobby Bare Leon Smith and the Basics Donny Brooks James Brown and the Famous Flames Del Rays Dick and Dee Dee Dorsey Burnett Johnny Burnett The Cascades The Gems The Jademen Jan and Dean Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Merritt and The Crowns

The Kingsmen Paul and Paula Paul Revere and the Raiders Ricky Nelson Roy Orbison The Pentatones Chris and the Sundowners Johnny Tillitson Ike & Tina Turner Review Bobby Vee The Ventures The Versatiles Wailers Jerry Wallace

The Cascade Club out on Jasper Rd. in Springfield was owned and operated by Pat Mason, a major N.W. agent and promoter.  Pat booked dozens of national acts and N.W. local bands on a weekly basis.  The Cascade was mostly closed during the week serving as a recoding studio, or layover for traveling bands Pat was booking.  It was usually packed on weekends with the combined music of regional bands or national chart makers.

    Here are only some of those N.W. bands:
        The Gems (from Walla Walla, the preferred back-up band of most national acts)
        Jerry Merritt and The Crowns (out of Portland; Jerry Merritt played for about 3 years as Gene Vincent's guitar player 1958-61.)
        The Wailers (white soul out of Seattle)
        Chris and the Sundowners (folksingers out of Portland on Pat Mason's label, Lavender Records and later Dolton Records, Hollywood.)
        Leon Smith and the Basics (out of Springfield/Eugene area; had some play on their single "Little 40 Ford")

If a recording artist had a record being played on top 40 radio in the 60's they probably performed at The Cascade Club.

Jim Christiansen, May 2007

We also backed 'Jan and Dean' , and Bobby Bare in 1963, on their Northewest tours.  Jan and Dean were kinda sad without their reverb and echo.  Bobby Bare had '500 Miles'  and 'Detroit City' around that time.  Under the pseudonym Bill Parsons, he recorded "All-American Boy".  The crowds really loved that song.

We would play at the Division Street Corral one night, then the Cascade Club, the next.or vice-versa.

Duane Gusse, 'The Gems', May 2007