![]() ![]() No matter what it’s called, we think it will always be remembered as Jewel’s, a fitting name for the diamond in a rough neighborhood that shone so brightly, it made everything around it shine, too. Henceforth, she says, its moniker will simply be the Catch One Nightclub. More are sure to follow until a new owner is found.Īs Williams states in her farewell announcement on the club’s website (which you can read in full below), the club’s identity will no longer be tied to her or its past. ![]() Many local bands and promoters continue to book shows there, such as indie buzz band Phases (featuring Phantom Planet’s Alex Greenwald and The Like's Z Berg) last month. Outside parties and events promoters should take note: Catch One has not been sold yet, so it is currently available for private rentals and one-offs. We frequented Bunker there most over the years, and always dug the darkness and openness of the room, as well as the cavernous hangout areas and dance rooms on the lower level. With viewing platforms, go-go boxes and a substantial stage and bar, its ambiance has a retro, almost New York feel about it that we love. Saturday you could feel the love and good vibes for what she created as Bobby Martin, DJ Key Key, DJ A-Ski and DJ Chris Johnson spun lively funk jams and party song mixes both in the downstairs bar room and upstairs amidst the flashing lights of the main disco, which retains one of the best dance-floor layouts in town as far as we’re concerned, not to mention a groovy “Disco” neon sign at the entrance. “Mama Jewel,” as many called her, did more than give gay African-Americans a place to dance - she gave them opportunities and support to make their lives better. In addition to countless dance ragers, both gay and non (of the latter, the most notable was the long-running industrial favorite Das Bunker, which left the venue a couple of years ago), Catch One also held many HIV/AIDS community forums with elected leaders. Williams' place in nightlife and civil rights history cannot be overstated. Saturday’s party also served as fundraiser to complete the documentary, which features footage of Williams’ early club days as well as some of the venue’s highlight events, including the party Madonna hosted for the release of Music back in 2000 and appearances by the likes of The Pointer Sisters and Sylvester over the years. She’ll now be focusing full-time on the Village Health Foundation, the free clinic she founded next door, offering alternative health care treatments, educational programs, group activities, lectures, workshops and more for the community.īonnie Pointer sings her '70s hit “Heaven Must Have Sent You” Credit: Lina Lecaro ![]() A live performance by Bonnie Pointer and a trailer screening of a soon-to-be-complete documentary about Williams and the club saw the crowd on their feet, dancing, clapping, singing and shouting accolades about the familial environment and how much it will be missed. Still, given the multitude of nightlife options for gays (and straights), the club has struggled to keep patrons in recent years.Įarlier this year, Williams announced that she’d be closing the Arlington Heights spot for good, and this weekend she did, but only after throwing a celebratory “Last Dance” with DJs who’ve spun there over the years, and a long line of regulars and random clubbers who hadn’t been there in a while wanting to pay respects. But even so, Catch One had a magic and an authenticity that’s never been duplicated anywhere. Times have changed, thankfully, for both the gay and African-American communities. With Catch One, owner Jewel Thais-Williams sought to offer a welcoming alternative, a place for expression and celebration that was a refuge from daily discrimination. It was out of necessity, too, as West Hollywood nightlife was discriminatory against minorities and black clubs were mostly unaccepting of their LGBT brothers and sisters. In 1973, the first African-American female-owned disco in Los Angeles, Jewel’s Catch One, opened its doors, providing an inclusive, exuberant and one-of-a-kind environment for gays of color to party in. ![]()
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