Zoo Bar
The Zoo Bar is a blues music venue and nightclub located in downtown Lincoln, Nebraska. Larry Boehmer, a musician, artist and Master of Fine Art graduate from the Unversity of Nebraska founded the Zoo Bar in 1973. Styled around the Chicago blues clubs, it is a long, narrow venue in a building built in 1921. After enticing Chicago blues musicians to stop in Lincoln on their way to the west coast on Interstate 80, Boehmer booked legendary performers as well as local blues, rock and jazz bands. By the late 1970s, the Zoo Bar had built a reputation as the place to play for midwest exposure. The Zoo Bar continued to thrive throughout the 1980s and 1990s, as musical acts included: Albert Collins, Albert King, Bo Diddley, Luther Allison, Bonnie Raitt, Magic Slim, Rod Piazza, Anson Funderburgh, James Harmon, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Kenny Wayne Shepherd. Numorous live albums have been recorded here and Magic Slim enjoyed playing the club so much that he erlocated to Lincoln from Chicago. In 2003, Larry Boehmer semi-retired from the bar and passed most of the responsibilities down to his sons. Today the Zoo Bar continues to thrive as a venue to see notible blues and roots-rock musicians in an intimate and exciting atmospher.
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