The Golden Crown was located at 1616 4th Ave. The Crown, located upstairs from a Chinese restaurant, hosted rock shows from 1979 to 1986, when it was demolished to make way for Westlake Center.
The Golden Crown opened in June of 1972. The Seattle Times noted that the new restaurant “will have entertainment eventually…for the time being, the Chinese food gets top billing. The restaurant is operated by the same triad - George Woo, his wife, Martha, John Loui - responsible for the cuisine at the Gold Coin Restaurant.” The restaurant’s address was 1600 Times Court, the alley off the old Westlake Court. In February of 1973, the owners of the Crown added a dinner theater called the Cabaret Theater, and performances were held in the “Upstairs Club” on the second floor. Patrons were offered a sit-down Chinese dinner in the ground floor restaurant prior to the show and a Cantonese smorgasbord was offered after the performance.
The theatre had a different address than the restaurant - 1616 Fourth Ave, and it was located across the street from the east entrance of the Bon Marche. Several performers have noted the treacherously steep stairs leading up to the new space. The first mention I've seen of music being performed at the Crown was in May 1973 when it was advertised that Danny Ward & His New Reality would perform after the dinner-theatre package, from 11pm to 4am(!) Thursdays through Saturday. The August 5, 1973 edition of the Seattle Post Intelligencer noted that the One Reel Vaudeville Show planned to open a nightclub in the restaurant, with a stage and dance floor, and a swing band would play between acts of the show. It appears that the ownership ceased operating the dinner theatre in the spring of 1974, and hired a pianist, Bob Dudley, to perform on a regular basis until January of 1975. In March of that year, CTI recording artist Seawind performed at the Crown, and that was the only music show listed in the papers until May 25, 1978, when Les McCann performed. While published listings for the Crown were scant during this era, Bon Von Wheelie of the legendary Tacoma band Girl Trouble noted, "The Golden Crown Up (that was the upstairs club name) hosted a ton of funk/soul bands in the 70s. When rock went to stadiums I mostly listened to KYAC (which I think was one of those stations that would cut off at sundown) and Robert Nesbitt was the deejay. He was responsible for bringing in those acts and sometimes they were national. I can't find it anywhere but I thought James Brown might have done a show there once."
In 1980, the cabaret shows resumed, this time featuring drag shows instead of plays. These stage shows took place in the “Golden Crown Cabaret Lounge,” while upstairs became the “Golden Crown Upper Level.” Clark Humphrey's book, "Loser," notes that former manager of pioneering Seattle punk clubs The Bird & Gorilla Room, Roger Husbands, took over booking around this time, but he must've lasted only a short time, as the P.I. mentioned that Terry Morgan and Steve Pritchard took over booking the Crown in November of 1981, but apparently this was a very short-lived partnership as Pritchard was soon out of the picture. This was a turning point…shows were being booked—and advertised—every week. At first, the featured bands were mainly the old standbys of the Seattle bar scene - Annie Rose & The Thrillers, the Cowboys, Jr. Cadillac, etc - but by 1982 there was a marked increase in local new wave bands booked at the club, as well as some eclectic and exciting national acts (Snakefinger, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Chris Spedding, to name a few).
On February 19th, 1983, Golden Crown co-owner John Loui was killed along with 12 others in the infamous Wah Mee Massacre. Loui had sold his interest in the club before his death, but it is unclear if his partners, The Woos, were still part of the ownership at this time. Loui’s death marked yet another turning point for the Crown. After existing March and April bookings were honored in the Upstairs space, the owners shuttered the club except for the occasional odd booking in the cabaret. While the Upstairs club resumed hosting shows on October 7, booking largely little-known bands (to me, at least), they quickly readjusted their focus, with the OFFICIAL re-opening taking place on November 18th. For the rest of 1983, they went back to booking popular new wave/punk bands. Then, in January 1984, the club announced a name change to “The Crown,” but by the next month it reverted back to the Golden Crown. In October 1984, the club was again renamed…this time it was called the Disillusion Lounge. By December it was again the Golden Crown. In 1986 the Golden Crown fell victim to the construction of the new Westlake Mall and the building was demolished. The club moved two blocks west to 1516 Second Ave and continued booking cabaret shows until December 1988.
1983
January
7 - Next Exit, Moving Parts
8 - Next Exit, Pamona Boners
21 - Red Dress, Pack Of Wolves
22 - Red Dress, Rally Go
28 - Moving Parts, Pamona Boners
29 - Shakin’ Pyramids, The Hurricanes
February
4-5 - Beat Pagodas, New Flamingos
8 - Annie Rose & The Thrillers
9 - Big Fun
10 - Visible Targets
11-12 - James Cotton w/Louis X. Erlanger, Slamhound Hunters
13-15 - Lonesome City Kings
19 - 54/40, Rally Go, Supershaft
22 - Bush Tetras
25 - Wipers, Young Pioneers
26 - Moving Parts, Pamona Boners
March
4 - The Scissors, New Flamingos
5 - The Scissors, The Spectators
11-12 - Beat Pagodas, Mad Dash
18 - Pamona Boners, Fastbacks
19 - Moving Parts, Los Popularos
25 - James White & The Blacks, Beat Pagodas, Mad Dash
26 - Savage Republic, Jungle Nausea, Supershaft
April
1-2 - Visible Targets, 3 Swimmers, Septimus
8-9 - Bernadette Bascomb
13 - Codona
May
28 - Kenny G
June
3-4 - Emerald Times Band
July - September
“City Magic - Tuesdays-Saturdays”
October
7-8 - The Mosquitos
14-15 - L.J. & The Shades
21-22 - L.J. & The Shades
28-29 - Kings Of The Beat
November
18 - Life In General, UVC
19 - Red Dress, Memory
25 - Septimus, Slidin’ Spades
26 - Moving Parts, Pushbuttons w/Robyrt DeLong
December
2- Bombadiers, Living Dolls
2 - The Frazz
9 - Pudz Reunion, Charisma Boys
10 - Life In General
16 - Harvard Surf Club
17 - Life In General
20 - KYYX-mas Partty w/Mondo Vita
23 - Sundance
30 - The Moberlys
31 - KJET NYE Party w/Allies, Next Exit, Living Dolls
1984
January
“City Magic, Tuesdays-Saturdays”
27 - Allies
28 - Next Exit, Bombadiers, Aisle Five
February (name changed to “The Crown”)
3-4 - The Allies
10-12 - Billy Rancher
17-18 - Red Dress
19 - Strypes, Confidentials
23 - Images In Vogue
24-25 - Cowboys
March
2-3 - Paul Collins Beat, UC-5
4 - Mondo Vita
6 - Allies, Visible Targets, Boibs, Next Exit
9-10 - Mondo Vita
11 - Moberlys, Moving Parts
16-17 - Billy Rancher
23-24 - Eagertones
25 - Allies
30-31 - Moving Parts
April
6-7 - Moving Parts, Theatre Of Sheep
24 - The Cramps
27 - Linton Kwesi Johnson, Dennis Bovell’s Dub Band
29-30 - Love Tractor, Pell Mell, Red Masque
July
3 - The Rats
13-14 - Storm, 51/50
20 - Bunnydrums, Aftershaft, Ziggarat
August
3-4 - 51-50
September
28-20 - Eek-A-Mouse, Jah Malla
October - Changed name to Disillusion Lounge
5- Ministry Of Love
6 - Green On Red, Red Masque, Life In General
12 - Blood On The Saddle, U-Men
13 - Bombadiers, Fastbacks
20 - Love Tractor, Beat Pagodas
24 - Soul Syndicate
November
2-3 - Clarence Gatemouth Brown
5 - Fastbacks
9 - Sonny Okosun
10 - Sam Smith
16 - U-Men, Life In General
17 - Bombadiers
23-24 - Ras Kiddus Roots Connection, Pack Of Wolves
29 - Sam Smith, Jam Delight
30-12/1 - Beat Pagodas
December - Changed name back to Golden Crown
1 - Beat Pagodas
7 - Messenjah
14 - Moberlys, Young Fresh Fellows, Queen Annes
15 - Obo Addy
28 - Visible Targets, Beat Pagodas
1985
January
5-6 - Sundance, Sound System
18-19 - Bombadiers, Walkabouts, Itchy Brother
23 - Ministry Of Love, Baba Yaga
February
8-9 - A Western Family, Ministry Of Love, Feast Of Friends
22 - Room Nine, A Western Family, The Dwindles
March
2 - Shanghai Club, The Accused, Wicked Angel, On The Rocks
3 - Hoi Polloi, The Dwindles, Shake & The Diversions
30 - The Moberlys, The Frames
April
27 - Room Nine, Young Pioneers, Noon Moon
June
1 - Baba Olatunji and His Drums Of Passion, Beat Pagodas
August
2-3 - Napalm Beach, The Icons
23 - Room Nine, Feast
24 - Room Nine, Skin Yard
September
20-21 - Mondo Vita (final Seattle shows)
27 - Room Nine, Young Pioneers
October
25 - Room Nine, The Dream Museum, The Dwindles
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