Paul’s Saloon
Venues
After opening in 1969, Paul’s Saloon became a legendary hub for bluegrass in San Francisco. The venue became a "bluegrass community center" after the band Styx River Ferry, led by Bob and Ingrid Fowler, convinced the owner Paul Lampert to host live bluegrass. The band initially built up a weekly Tuesday night audience by offering free hot dogs to beer buyers, paving the way for the venue to host live bluegrass seven nights a week for over two decades. When Bob and Ingrid and four other musicians relocated to Tennessee in the mid 70s, they founded the legendary Station Inn using Paul’s Saloon as a template. Until its closure in 1991, Paul’s Saloon remained incredibly significant to the Bay Area bluegrass scene serving as a launching pad for local legends like High Country, Laurie Lewis, and the Good Ol’ Persons while also hosting performances by genre pioneers like Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley.