Former location –
The El Monte Legion Stadium was built as a school district facility in 1932. After World War II the stadium was sold to the American Legion where for a while it doubled as the West Coast version of the “Grand Ol’ Opry”.
In the ‘50s and ‘60s many early rock and roll greats would stop at the El Monte Legion Stadium as a regular place to play. Among them were Chuck Berry, Big Brother & The Holding Company, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, The Grateful Dead, Ritchie Valens, Ray Charles, Ike and Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder and Johnnie Otis.
Famous deejay Art Laboe broadcasted “live” out of the stadium for more than a decade. Art was the first to officially broadcast the new sounds of Rock & Roll across the West Coast at the Legion Stadium which included many of the famous doo-wop & R & B musicians of the day.
One of Frank Zappa’s first hits, written in 1962 for the Penguins, was titled “Memories of El Monte.” A doo-wop song, Zappa wrote about the acts that called El Monte home.
The building Was torn down in 1974 and today it is the home of a post office.
Notable Concerts At The El Monte Legion Stadium include:
January 29, 1971 – Big Brother & the Holding Company
December 28, 1970 – Grateful Dead
December 27, 1970 – New Riders of the Purple Sage
June 1, 1960 – Fats Domino
July 20, 1958 – Jerry Lee Lewis
El Monte Legion Stadium
Corner of Valley & Ramona Blvds.
El Monte, CA 91731
Radio spots for shows at El Monte Legion Stadium contributed this line that lives in radio and rock and roll history:
“Be there or be square…guys no Vi’s, girls no Capris please”
The El Monte 1960 Graduation class had its all night party (dance) entertained by a lot of rock-N-roll stars. Conway Twitty when he was rock n roll, Running Bear, the Browns, and others I can’t remember.
We are having a 1960 reunion in September and I would like to share some history.
Can you help me?
Charles
chucktal@msn.com
Johnny “Guitar” Watson in 1959 opened for Johnny Otis (and the Three Tons of Joy).
I was there
I’m here because Art Laboe died a few days ago and they mentioned EMLS in his obit.
I now live down the street in Monterey Park but the first I ever heard of EMLS was decades ago when I lived in Boston and I played the Zappa song Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague a million times. The song is his reminiscences of his younger days. The second line is “Going to El Monte Legion Stadium.” It made me wonder what the EMLS was like.
I moved to SoCal many years after it was torn down but I may drive by the location just for giggles – I now live a couple miles away.
Seems the good old days are gone. Venues like EMLS are torn down to put up fast food joints. $10.00 tickets are a distant memory as prices for shows like those start at $100.00. Drinks are $15.00 min. You need to be searched to enter. As my ex used to say, “Sad, sad, sad.”