Dino & Carlo’s Bar, located at 750 Vallejo and owned by Dino Pettuchi and Carlo Morella, existed from 1965-1969. Local musicians, poets and artists were invited to perform for free. These artists performed there for exposure but not for the venue itself: the acoustics were atrocious and the clientele was the unlikely coupling of longshoremen coming off shift and hippies who came to hear groups including Big Brother and the Holding Company[1], The Grateful Dead[2] and Creedence Clearwater Revival.
In 1969 Freddie Herrera bought Dino & Carlo’s Bar and changed the name to Keystone Korner. Herrera converted it into a topless bar with his wife the only performer. As Keystone Korner was located a fair distance from the Broadway stripper corridor, the bar struggled. One night a drunk Nick Gravenites, a local musician, convinced Herrera to allow him to perform there. Once again, Keystone Korner became a popular music venue. This time groups like Elvin Bishop, Boz Skaggs and the Pointer Sisters were paid to perform.
In 1972 Herrera sold the bar to Todd Barken, who transformed into one of the most important jazz venues in the United States. Most of the great jazz musicians of the time, including Miles Davis, performed there.
Keystone Korner shut its doors in 1983. Today it is a Chinese restaurant called Little Garden.
[1] Big Brother and the holding company: https://thesanfranciscophoenix.com/?p=5072
[2] The Grateful Dead: see story coming August 9th
