The prohibition of alcohol in the United States during the early 20th century didn’t really affect the nightclubbing scene in Los Angeles, California, especially in the Culver City area during the 1920s. Sebastian’s Cotton Club, at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and National Street, was the leading and most popular jazz club in Culver City, and in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. The club was opened by Frank Sebastian in 1926, hence the name “Sebastian’s Cotton Club” was influenced by the famous Cotton Club in Harlem. The building was built in 1923, formerly known as “The Green Mill,” the largest entertainment emporium in the Los Angeles area, before Frank Sebastian purchased the building for his own business. Frank Sebastian was already a prominent entertainment businessman in Los Angeles having owned one other prominent and successful establishment: Sebastian’s Café, also known as Venice Café due to its location being near Venice Beach. What made Sebastian’s Cotton club ahead of its time was the fact that it was one of the very first jazz clubs to play exclusively all-black bands and orchestras. One of the famous acts that performed at Sebastian’s Cotton Club was the very well-known Louis Armstrong Band which … Continue reading Sebastian’s Cotton Club Culver City, California (1926-1938)