Blackburn at Hullabaloo in Erie PA

Old Time Erie photo of Blackburn courtesy of Sam Orrico.

The Hullabaloo at 3619 McClelland Avenue in Erie, PA was the place to be in the late sixties. Blackburn, whose members hailed from the New Castle/Ellwood City, PA, played at Hullabaloo around 1970. Blackburn included guitarist Jon Zedick, the late Jerry Wiley on bass guitar, drummer Sam Orrico, and keyboardist David Maranaccio.  

Hullabaloo was a national chain which included 87 clubs as of January of 1968. The one pictured above was located on the east side of McClelland Avenue. The backdrop included the logo from the Hullabaloo TV series painted on the wall, complete with the outline of a television screen. The building has since been demolished. Locals remember it as the home of the Place, Gadsbys and the Alternative. The Bayfront Connector runs through a portion of the old Hullabaloo parking lot.

You could purchase a Hullabaloo Scene franchise for as little as $17,000 in March of 1967, depending on the size of the local market. Booking was done on a national basis, and the deal included training, business forms, advertising, and a sign out front.

Ad in Billboard magazine, March 18, 1967.

Enjoy more historic facts and photos of Erie, PA at: oldtimeerie.blogspot.com