Scene Club Owner Steve Paul Dies

Steve Paul, 71, owner of one of New York’s hippest clubs of the ’60s and a former manager of Johnny Winter, died at a hospital in Queens Oct. 21.

The cause was not known at press time, according to the New York Times.

Paul ran The Scene, and opened the club in 1964 when he was 23. It had two incarnations in six years and attracted the “in” crowd – like Sammy Davis Jr., Liza Minnelli, Richard Pryor, Tennessee Williams and Andy Warhol, the Times reported.

Jimi Hendrix played his first major New York engagement there in 1967.

The small club also hosted Pink Floyd, Jeff Beck, Traffic, Fleetwood Mac, The Chamber Brothers and Johnny Winter. Tiny Tim was often the opening act.

At 25 he had a primetime television show called “Steve Paul’s The Scene” that featured acts like Aretha Franklin.

Along with Winter he managed The McCoys and launched Blue Sky Records.