R.I.P. Steve Paul

(photo by Kate Simon)

You first encountered Teddy, the sharkskin-suited maître d’hôtel, on the sidewalk. If you got past him, Steve Paul was at the door to insult you.

The insult, usually devilishly clever, was the cover charge to one of New York City’s hottest, most intriguing clubs in the 1960s. It was called the Scene, and it was the brainchild of the dashing, idiosyncratic Mr. Paul, who was 23 when he opened it in 1964. It became famous for brilliant moments in the history of rock music, as the place where Jimi Hendrix and the Doors shaped the music of the ’60s in inspired jam sessions.

Mr. Paul, who went on to manage Johnny Winter and other rock stars and record them for his own label, died at 71 on Sunday at a hospital in Queens. His friend Tariq Abdus-Sabur said the cause was not yet known. -[NY Times]

Steve Paul was an iconoclast and general NYC music scene legend. Rest in peace, Steve.