Recherche

Le Hibou

521 Sussex Drive

Écrit par le Musée Bytown le 03-déc.-2009

A photograph of the exterior of Le Hibou on Sussex Street
A photograph of the interior of Le Hibou on Sussex Street A photograph of a poster for a performance by Odetta at Le Hibou

Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Sneezy Waters, Gordon Lightfoot, BB King. These are just a few of the incredible musicians who have played at Ottawa's legendary Le Hibou Coffee House.

Le Hibou's roots go back to a small apartment on Rideau Street in 1960. Students paid a $2 membership fee to enjoy music, poetry and theatre. It was also a venue to discuss current political events. By 1965, Le Hibou had moved to 521 Sussex Drive and owners David Faulkner and Harvey Glatt began booking bigger acts.

For the next few years, Le Hibou was the place to be. It featured poetry readings by Leonard Cohen and Irving Layton, Monday night jams with Bruce Cockburn and even a children's theatre series.

After struggling for a few years, Le Hibou closed its doors in 1975, but the famous coffee house lives on in the hearts of many.

Do you have a Le Hibou story to share with us?


Ajoutez un commentaire Commentaires sur l'histoire

Je me souviens très bien de ce café. Tout le monde en parlait comme un lieu de rencontre littéraire et artistes renommés. Je connais bien l'ancien propriétaire Denis Faulkner et j'ai toujours eu beaucoup d'admiration pour lui. C'est de sa Claire de Richmond, B.C. que j'ai appris que Denis préparait un livre sur l'histoire de fameux café. Je vais certainement surveiller lorsque son livre sera publié. Félicitations à toi Denis et j'ai très hâte de te lire.
En souvenir de notre jeunesse
Marguerite Gauthier (amie de Claire)

Marguerite Gauthier, 16 janvier 2012

I remember a Christmas visit to this club in 1968.A trio called The New Esquires were playing Paul Butterfield and Cream numbers and other songs of the day. I remembered a simple stage against a long brick wall.I googled the photo and there it was. My memory is better than I thought. What a nice evening, drinking pop and listening to an electric blues-rock band. What a time to be in your teens.

Murray Sanders, 24 août 2011

Nice picture ... brings back memories. Jack Elliott eating my wife's carrot cake; Eric Andersen and Tom Rush alternating sets (Rush:"I can take Andersen on with one hand tied behind my back"); Jim Queskin & the Jug Band; Gary Davis (who stayed at my place while in Ottawa). And I'll never forget that night in summer 1967 when Joni Mitchell danced out front on Sussex Street beneath the midnight stars.

Mike McGuire, 4 mai 2011

I moved to Ottawa in 1970 (from Michigan) and worked/hung out at Le Hibou from 1970 to 1972 when I moved to Vancouver. Thanks to some of the music I heard there and one performer in particular (John Jarvis, itinerate classical guitarist)I was inspired to study the classical guitar seriously and that led to a performing and teaching career that continues today...
Alan Rinehart (www.alanrinehart.com)

Alan Rinehart, 3 mars 2011

InI saw buddy Guy, T-boone walker,Bruce Cockburn Syrinx,first moog I heard, a great place to hear blues ...extra good times in my late teens Helmut

helmut, 14 octobre 2010

Some performances that I can remember after all these years seeing at Le Hibou were by:

Tim Hardin, Jerry Jeff Walker ("Mr. Bojangles" concert), Dion DiMucci (in his folk music days), Murray McLauchlin, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, James Cotton Blues Band, Muddy Waters Blues Band, Tom Rush, Tom Paxton, McKenna Mendelsohn Mainline, Modern Rock Quartet (MRQ) Sneezy Waters And The Excellent Band, and the Otis Spann Blues Band. There were others, but these are the ones I remember with clarity.

Tony Hitsman, 28 juillet 2010

P.-P. Lafrenière's naming of the other owners are welcomed additions. Indeed, Denis Faulkner was owner from 1960 to 1968.

J.Y. Pelletier, 7 avril 2010

You need to correct your text the founder and
owner was Denis Faulkner, John and Joan Russow were
owners from 1968 to 1972, Pierre-Paul Lafreniere and Dapne Birks were owners from 1972 to 1975.

Pierrre-PaulLafreniere, 21 mars 2010

Ajoutez un commentaire

Musée Bytown

Quartier

Depuis ses débuts en 1826, Bytown (la jeune ville d’Ottawa) est divisée géographiquement, avec la Haute ville à l’ouest du canal Rideau et la Basse ville à l’est. La Basse ville, délimitée à ... lire la suite