CBGB & OMFUG - THE HOME OF UNDERGROUND ROCK

Founded in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village, CBGB was ground zero for the seminal punk rock and new wave movements, launching the careers of bands like theRamones, Blondie, Talking Heads, Television, Patti Smith Group, The Dead Boys, Richard Hell, The Beastie Boys, Misfits,The Cramps, Joan Jett andThe Dictators.

Always Hard As F***

DURING THE 1980’s, CBGB WOULD BECOME HOME TO THE HARDCORE PUNK REVOLUTION, WITH BANDS SUCH AS AGNOSTIC FRONT, MURPHY’S LAW, CRO MAGS, GORILLA BISCUITS, SICK OF IT ALL, AND YOUTH OF TODAY BECOMING SYNONYMOUS WITH THE CLUB. CBGB BECAME THE UNDISPUTED BIRTHPLACE OF PUNK. 

IN THE 1990’s, THE CLUB EMBRACED THE NEXT GENERATION OF HARD ROCK WITH BANDS INCLUDING SUM 41, KORN, GREEN DAY, AND GUNS N ROSES WITH GNR’S DUFF MCKAGAN ACTING AS AN AMBASSADOR OF THE CBGB ATTITUDE ON A WORLDWIDE BASIS.

The storefront and large space next door to the club, known as the "CBGB Record Canteen" served as a record shop and café for many years.

In the late eighties, the record store was closed and replaced with a second performance space and art gallery, named "CB's 313 Gallery".

The gallery went on to showcase many popular bands and singer-songwriters who played in a musical style more akin to acoustic, rock, folk, jazz, or experimental music, such as Dadadah and Toshi Reagon, while the original club continued to present mainly hardcore bands and post-punk, metal, and alternative rock acts.

The club closed in October 2006.The final concert was performed by Patti Smith on October 15. CBGB Fashions, which included the CBGB store, wholesale department, and online store stayed open until October 31, 2006.

CBGB Radio launched on the iHeart radio platform in 2010.

OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS, CBGB HAS BECOME THE MOST FAMOUS, INFLUENTIAL AND TALKED ABOUT ROCK & ROLL CLUB OF ALL TIME.

In 2013, the former location at 315 Bowery was added to the National Register of Historic Places and remains a pilgrimage site for legions of music fans today. The National Park Service nomination form describes the significance of the site:

"CBGB was founded in 1973 on the Bowery, in a former nineteenth-century saloon on the first floor of the Palace Lodging House. The legendary music venue fostered new genres of American music, including punk and art rock, that defined the culture of downtown Manhattan in the 1970s, that still resonates.In this role as cultural incubator, CBGB served the same function as the theaters and concert halls of the Bowery's storied past.

The location of the former club at 315 Bowery remains a pilgrimage site for legions of music fans today."

CBGB and its iconic logo continue to personify underground and alternative music and all that it stands for.

The club’s legacy and cultural relevance is as influential in music, fashion, and visual art today as it ever was.