The Celebrity Club

THE CELEBRITY CLUB

Near this site at 54 Randall Street stood The Celebrity Club, New England's first integrated Jazz and rhythm & blues venue. Founded by Paul Filippi in 1949, the world-class club broke the race barrier by bringing Blacks and Whites together to enjoy, in a social milieu, the most gifted artists of the time. Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Coleman Hawkins, Stan Getz, George Shearing, Ray Charles, Fats Domino, and dozens more played week-long engagements, many forming lifelong friendships with local merchants and fans. The club closed in the early 1960's. 

ERECTED BY THE RHODE ISLAND BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY 2013