Tucked away at the bottom of an alley, it served as a prominent nightclub, live music venue and historically significant meeting place for London's rock elite in the 1960s. The club opened on 14 July 1965 at the height of 1960s swinging London scene and soon replaced the Ad Lib Club, which closed in November 1966, as a meeting place for the swinging London set and rock musicians.[3] The heritage of the Scotch St. James was referenced when it was relaunched in 2012 after 25 years of closure.[4]
History
1965–1980
The Scotch of St. James was where a then-unknown Jimi Hendrix first performed on the night of his arrival in England on 24 September 1966,[5] when he joined the house band for an impromptu session on stage.[6] It was on this night that Hendrix met Kathy Etchingham who became his girlfriend.[5] On 25 October 1966 the Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first UK gig as a private showcase at Scotch of St. James.[7] The club was also where Paul McCartney first met Stevie Wonder, after the latter's live performance at the club on 3 February 1966.[8]
After falling out of fashion in the 1970s, the club struggled for clientele and eventually closed down in the mid-1980s.[citation needed]
2012–present day
The club was restored and reopened by a group of investors in January 2012. After a brief collaboration with Parisian nightclub brand Le Baron between April and November 2013,[4] the club was initially renamed 'Le Baron London at The Scotch of St. James' and then later reverted to the original name of The Scotch of St. James in March 2014.