Hillel Kristal (1931 - 2007)

Born 23 Sep 1931 in New York City, New York, United States

Died 28 Aug 2007 at age 75 in Manhattan, New York County, New York, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Albert Taylor [send private message]

Hillel Kristal is Notable.

1973 Shaping The Culture - CBGBs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVoNI8rFaNI

Blondi, Debbie Harry & Band Oct. 14, 2006 last show night before CBGB's closed for ever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpV5b8ybro0

Biography

Hilly (born Hillel) Kristal, son of Shamai Kristal, a Russian pogrom survivor. Shamai started a successful poultry farm in Hightstown, New Jersey countryside, where Hilly grew up.

Hillel Kristal was my friend since late 1977 and I am the person that accompanied him to Las Vegas and found him a location for the new CBGB's Las Vegas. The photo is of Hilly in Las Vegas City director's office of the Economic and Urban Development Department. However that wasn't what Hilly decided to do... to reopen CBGB's Las Vegas on Fremont Street. No real action there... kinda dull and worn out on Fremont Street. Go there you'll see. I introduced Hilly to a friend of mine by the name of "Henry" originally from New Jersey that owns the "Sonny's Saloon & Casino" at 3449 Industrial Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89109.

Henry then in turn introduced us to his friend who is a cosmetic surgeon originally from Philadelphia who owned a lot of real estate in Las Vegas. We went to look at the property which was in a industrial park setting next to the railroad tracks in Harris County, Las Vegas a few minutes drive from the fabulous ultra hot Las Vegas Strip district. This property was formerly used as a large machine shop. It was perfect and Hilly was very happy with the monthly lease rate. And the restricted gaming license (easy to obtain) permits the operation of a maximum of 15 slot machines in an establishment where the operation of such slot machines is incidental to the primary purpose of the business. And in Harris County the (easy to obtain) alcohol permit authorizes the holder to sell for consumption on or off the premises where sold but not for resale, beer, ale, malt liquor and wine not more than 14% or 17% alcohol. Hilly was really happy !

When CBGB's closed down in Manhattan, Hilly literally stripped everything from the inside the stage, the bar even the bathroom fixtures and put it all into storage with the intention to resurrect CBGB's with everything from the original location in Las Vegas.

Unfortunately Hilly died before he could see his dream come true. He operates GBGB OMFUG in Heaven tonight and every night for the rest of eternity. All the good punk rockers (now Angels) that have passed away are performing there every night. So be good while you are on this Earth and when you go to the great beyond there will be Hilly waiting for you at his desk at the front door. And a nice ice cold beer and a shot at the bar in CBGB's Heaven will be waiting for you !

Hilly was born and died on (September 23, 1931 - August 28, 2007). He was an American club owner, manager and musician who was the owner of the iconic New York City club CBGB, which opened in 1973 and closed in 2006 over a rent dispute. Hilly was serious about moving CBGB's to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Early years

Kristal was born in New York City in 1931, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. His father, Shamai Kristal, was a Russian pogrom survivor. Shamai whose namesake was Shammai, named his son after Shammai's contemporary Hillel the Elder. His family moved to Hightstown, New Jersey when he was an infant. He studied music from a young age and eventually attended the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. Kristal also spent a period of time in the Marines.

Venturing into music

He moved back to New York City, where he worked as a singer, appearing on stage in the men's choral group at Radio City Music Hall. He later became the manager of the Village Vanguard, a jazz club in Greenwich Village, where he booked Miles Davis and other musicians. He married in 1951 and had two children: Lisa Kristal Burgman and Mark Dana Kristal. In 1966 he and Ron Delsener co-founded the Rheingold Central Park Music Festival, sponsored by Rheingold Beer. By 1968, Delsener had changed beer sponsors to Schaefer and Kristal was no longer involved. The festival took place every year until 1976 in Central Park and featured musicians from a range of genres, including Miles Davis, the Who, Chuck Berry, Bob Marley, B.B. King, Led Zeppelin, the Beach Boys, Frank Zappa, Ray Charles, Patti LaBelle, Ike & Tina Turner, Fleetwood Mac, the Allman Brothers, Slade, Kris Kristofferson, Curtis Mayfield, Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith and the Doors.

CBGB OMFUG stands for Country, Bluegrass, Blues and Other Music for Uplifting Gormandizers

In 1970, Kristal opened a bar in the Bowery section of New York called "Hilly's on the Bowery", which closed within a couple of years. Then in December 1973, he created "CBGB and OMFUG". Hilly had one rule...you must play only original songs only...no cover tunes.

The club, eventually called simply CBGB, became known as the starting point for the careers of such punk rock and new wave acts as the Ramones, Talking Heads, Patti Smith, Television, Blondie, the B-52's and Neighbors and Allies. Kristal also briefly managed Dead Boys, The Shirts, two bands that frequently performed at his club. CBGB featured many famous musicians over the years and remained very popular until its closing in 2006 due to a personal disagreement with the landlord, who opted not to renew the lease.

“Hilly was an integral part of the punk scene from 1974 until his death,” says Marky Ramone. “He was always supportive of the genre and of bands like the Ramones, Blondie, Talking Heads and Richard Hell and Voidoids and will hold a prominent place in music history. In an era when disco was the mainstream, Hilly took a chance and gambled.”Located in the then-crime ridden Bowery, the space achieved iconic status but began to falter in the 1990s. In 2006, the club was forced to close in the face of rising rents and gentrification in the neighborhood. Before the closure, Kristal and many of the musicians connected with the club fought valiantly to save it, throwing a number of benefit shows and even convincing New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to appear at a rally in a “Save CBGB’s” t-shirt. Despite their efforts, the venue shut for good in October 2006. A retail store that Hilly moved to and sold club-related merchandise opened on St. Marks Place in New York for a while but closed after Hilly passes away.

• Death
• Kristal died on August 28, 2007, from complications of lung cancer, aged 75.

Sources

• Personal knowledge as I was a friend of Hilly Kristal.
• https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/cbgb-founder-hilly-kristal-dies-at-75-1049626/
• https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/cbgb-founder-hilly-kristal-dies-after-battle-with-cancer-88727/
• https://streetsyoucrossed.blogspot.com/2011/10/1978-ads-cbgb-and-cbgb-theater.html
• https://www.thejc.com/life-and-culture/the-kosher-birthplace-of-punk-cs4b1x9m