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Historic Entertainment Showcase Celebrates a 'Virtual Reunion'

LOS ANGELES, Calif. - August 22, 2006 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) - The Bla-Bla Cafe was an early well-loved, highly-respected 1970s entertainment showcase. It was a nightclub in Studio City that had a major following, and 30-years later can claim that it was the training ground for a large roster of performers who have since become well-known, successful entertainers. Sandy Ross, one of the Bla-Bla's original regular performers, and its entertainment coordinator for 8 years, has just written and compiled a book that chronicles the historic nightclub.

A partial list of entertainers who got their first major break while performing there includes: Jay Leno, David Letterman, Robin Williams, Dave Matthews, Al Jarreau, Keb'Mo', and Sting. A partial list of performers who showcased there at various other times in their careers includes: (songwriters) Jimmy Webb, Karla Bonoff, Peter Allen, Roseanne Cash, Patti Davis, Steve Gillette, Steve Seskin, Randy Sharp, Gene Nelson, (actors) William Katt, Amy Madigan, Liz Torres, Vonda Shepard, (rock groups) The Motels, Huey Lewis and the News, The Police, (singers) Vicki Randle, Carl Anderson, Shelby Flint, and (jazz legions) Don Ellis, Morgana King, and Joe Pass.

Songwriter/author Sandy Ross, one of the Bla-Bla's original regular performers, and its entertainment coordinator for 8 years, has just written and compiled a book that chronicles the historic nightclub, and has created a website for the memory of the cafe which serves as both a sales-site for the book, "A Place Called the Bla-Bla Cafe," and a "virtual reunion" site where former Bla-Bla performers, patrons, family and friends can reconnect and exchange creative ideas and projects with each other once again. The website includes a brief history of the club, photos, a guest book, a forum, an alumni links lists, and pages of reunion photos taken at the "physical" book signing/reunion that was held at Tapia Park on June 11, 2006, to celebrate the book's release.

Says Ross, "The Internet is a perfect medium to use to create a reunion. We have been contacting and gathering Bla-Bla alumni, performers, family and friends, from all over the country via e-mail and are able to reconnect with each other again via photos and stories with just a few clicks of a mouse."

About the book, says Music Connection Magazine, "...the cafe was the place to be from 1970 to1980 ...(the book) is a thoroughly entertaining read." Says Mindquest Book Review, "Sandy Ross has created a one-of-a-kind book, with dramatic, personal celebrity experiences." Says BookIdeas.com, "What happened at The Bla-Bla Cafe did not stay at The Bla-Bla Cafe. It became a part of entertainment history we all know and recognize, and love. Think about that the next time you watch Leno or listen to the rhythmic musings of Jarreau. They had to start somewhere. The Bla-Bla Cafe was
a field of dreams."

To check out the website and get further information on the book, "A Place Called the Bla-Bla Cafe" (ISBN 0-977227-0-8, 237 pp., $16), visit: www.bla-bla-cafe.com.

Copyright © 2006 Send2Press® Newswire