Henry Loconti Interview, 2005
Abstract
In this 2005 interview, Henry Loconti, founder of the Agora Nightclub in Cleveland, discusses the history of the famous nightclub which provided the "big break" for Cleveland bands like Eric Carmen and the Raspberries and Grand Funk Railroad. Mr. Loconti talks about how he started in the jukebox business and in later in the 1960s opened the first Agora Nightclub near Case Western Reserve University. In 1968, he moved the nightclub to downtown Cleveland--on 24th and Euclid. Mr. Loconti chronicles the famous bands that got their start at the Agora; his franchising of 14 such nightclubs around the country; and the problems that the Agora in Cleveland had in later years, including the 1984 fire which required moving the club to a new location.
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History 400: Local History
Interviews conducted by students in the Local History seminar (HIS 400) at Cleveland State University Department of History, supervised by professors Mark Tebeau and Mark Souther.