The Dream Bowl: Where Goodman, Ellington, and the Grateful Dead Convene

Publication date: 2019

Ideas into Books

Publisher information:

The Dream Bowl was a ballroom in Northern California that, when I was a kid, fascinated me each time I saw it in the 1950s on trips from Napa to Vallejo. Looking into its history, I was astonished at the parade of major musical acts that performed there from its opening in 1941 to its closure in 1969. It had Swing, Country & Western, and Rock bands during each of those eras. Near its end, I saw Santana, and the Grateful Dead at the Dream Bowl; both highly memorable experiences. There was no shortage of examples bridging these various genres and musical periods as the music developed and styles mixed over time. The Dream Bowl – Where Goodman, Ellington, and the Grateful Dead Convene, is a celebration of music generally, and specifically, a deep-dive, with great respect and love, into the stories that happened within this incredible house of music.