Ronnie Pierce

"I showed up at the Green Lake Field House. They gave me a coat, probably not as swanky as this one, but five dollars and the jacket and there were girls in their bobby sox and I thought this is a good way to go, so that’s been my entire life playing saxophone."

"I drive up in my black 1946 Plymouth and this guy that had been watching me was hanging in front of the door. Just like the Beatles, you went down 18 stairs; it was an underground club. There was a gold piano, a white leatherette bandstand, and a bar with 20 seats. It was a professional club. In the ’30s, it was called the Spinning Wheel. Somehow, I ended up from 1962-1974 owning the Vault. I never went broke.

It was during the Vietnam War; all these people were from New Jersey, New York, Florida. No one came (to the Vault) from Seattle; they were scared to death. We had nine go-go girls and four bands, five nights a week. And it was just hucklebuck."

Legendary Seattle saxophone player and former owner of the Vault, an underground club downtown which was my Mom's hang out in the late 60's.

There's a longer interview with Ronnie you can read HERE

I think he's still playing The Whiskey Bar once a week.