Steve Nelson
Steve Nelson managed the legendary rock, R&B and blues club The Boston Tea Party in 1967 and 1968), owned The Woodrose Ballroom in South Deerfield, Massachusetts in 1969 and produced shows such as “The Woodrose Presents” at The Paramount Theater in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1970. Growing up on Long Island in the 1950s, he was a fervent fan of rock ‘n’ roll and rhythm ‘n’ blues and a loyal listener to legendary deejays like Alan Freed and Tommy Smalls (aka “Dr. Jive”), but he never imagined that he’d be in the music business.
THE BOSTON TEA PARTY
While living in Cambridge, Nelson went to The Boston Tea Party in May 1967 to see The Velvet Underground’s first appearance there. That night, he met Ray Riepen, co-owner of the club. Three months later, after Riepen bought out his partner David Hahn, he brought Nelson in as the club’s manager.
At the time, the Tea Party mostly featured local bands, but Nelson brought in more out-of-town acts, including Canned Heat, Chain Reaction (Steven Tyler’s first band), The Chambers Brothers, The Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood), Lothar & The Hand People (a Tea Party favorite featuring a theremin), Nazz (with Todd Rundgren), Procol Harum, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Richie Havens, The Steve Miller Band, The Sun Ra Arkestra, Tim Buckley, Tim Rose, Traffic, Van Morrison (who lived in Cambridge at the time) and The Yardbirds (with Jimmy Page). He also presented blues greats B.B. King, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters.
Always wanting to support local acts, he booked them to open shows for national acts and headline gigs in their own right. Notable local groups that appeared at the Tea Party include The Beacon Street Union, The Cloud, Earth Opera (with Peter Rowan), Quill, Ill Wind, The Sidewinders (with Andy Paley), The Bagatelle and Ultimate Spinach. The Hallucinations (fronted by Peter Wolf) played so often that they were essentially the house band.
THE WOODROSE BALLROOM
Nelson was the foremost producer/promoter of concerts with The Velvet Underground, not only presenting many VU shows at the Tea Party and the Woodrose, but as well designing several posters for their appearances. Among the other acts that appeared at Woodrose were The Allman Brothers, Barry T. & The Studebakers (with Barry Tashian and Bill Briggs of The Remains), The Blues Project, The Charley Musselwhite Blues Band, Chubby Checker, Chuck Berry, The J. Geils Band, The Magic Sam Blues Band, MC5, NRBQ, The Stooges and Van Morrison. Among the many local acts taking the Woodrose stage was the Western Massachusetts favorite Fat, who are still performing occasionally over 50 years later.
MMONE, GETTING’ HOME: AN ODYSSEY THROUGH THE ‘60s, HOMO ELECTRIC
Nelson left the music business, but remained a forever fan of the music. In 2006 ,this led him to co-found, with Harry Sandler (former drummer for The Mods and Orpheus) and others, the Music Museum of New England. “I always believed in the great talent which came out of New England,” he says, “and MMONE has become, and will continue to be, the leading vehicle to preserve and honor that amazing musical legacy.”
In 2018, Nelson wrote a memoir, Gettin’ Home: An Odyssey Through The ‘60s. You can read excerpts and listen to a playlist here. In 2021 he wrote Homo Electric: How Coronavirus, Social Media and Climate Change Are Accelerating Evolution of a Dynamic New Human Species. It includes a section on the evolution of music, from banging on rocks in the Stone Age to banging out rock ‘n’ roll in the Electronic Age. You can buy it here.
