Hip Hop

Hip Hop

View full screen - View 1 of Lot 6. [Disco Fever, The T-Connection, and Audubon Ballroom].

[Disco Fever, The T-Connection, and Audubon Ballroom]

Set of 9 early photographs from the taken at the legendary South Bronx Hip Hop nightclub Disco Fever, The T-Connection, and Audubon Ballroom , ca. 1980s

Lot Closed

July 25, 04:06 PM GMT

Estimate

2,500 - 3,500 USD

Lot Details

Description

[Disco Fever]


Set of 9 early photographs from the taken at the legendary South Bronx Hip Hop nightclub Disco Fever, The T-Connection, and Audubon Ballroom 1980s


Set of 9 vintage photographs (8 polaroids and one 3 1/2 x 5 inch print with watermark "This paper manufactured by Kodak"), three with decorative cardstock frames.

From the personal archives of Roosevelt "Dynamite" Simmons

FROM THE PERSONAL ARCHIVES OF "DYNAMITE", HYPE MAN AND ROAD MANAGER FOR GRANDMASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS FIVE.


AN UNCREDIBLE VISUAL ARCHIVE, DOCUMENTING THE HARLEM CLUB SCENE IN THE EARLY 1980s, MOST PROMINENTLY THE FAMED "DISCO FEVER"


Roosevelt Dynamite Simmons, a close associate of Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, was right there when Cowboy and Grandmaster Flash formed the group. Handpicked by Sylvia Robinson, he went from being a Sugar Hill intern to playing a key role as the group's hype man and road manager in their early years. His photos from that period include these intimate looks into the worlds of Sugar Hill Records nightlife polaroids from the Disco Fever, T-Connection, and the Audubon Ballroom, c. 1980-82. These lots of rare photos are from Dynamite’s personal photo archive:


  1. Polaroid of Blondy + Cheryl the Pearl of The Sequence with Dynamite at Disco Fever, in shamrock frame, 1981
  2. Polaroid of Cowboy of Furious 5 and Dynamite with pinball machine at Disco Fever, 1981
  3. Polaroid of Dynamite and Cowboy of Furious 5 with two ladies at Disco Fever, 1982
  4. Kurtis Blow, Dynamite, Cowboy, Super Rockin’ Mr. Magic, DJ Coolone (front center), and friends in back room of Disco Fever
  5. Polaroid of Dynamite at Disco Fever, in shamrocks frame, “Pockets Bulgin with Gusto,” “Get Tuff!”
  6. Polaroid of five ladies posing at Disco Fever
  7. Polaroid of Dynamite with two ladies at Disco Fever
  8. Polaroid of Super Putt + The 9 Crew at the T-Connection
  9. Polaroid of Micky, James, Dennis, Dynamite, Mr. Ness, Bernard at the Audubon Ballroom, 1980


From 1976 to 1986 the South Bronx dance club Disco Fever was, according to People magazine, "the rap capital of the Solar System." Owned by Sal Abbatiello, the club was frequented by Grandmaster Flash, and was home to the very first live act by a then-unknown Run-DMC. Kurtis Blow once commented that he went to Disco Fever "to see what the street likes", while the young producer Russell Simmons effectively used the venue as a test market for new, up-and-coming, musical talent.