Sept 17-23, 2015

Gay life in Chicago this week, back in...

1979

In Richard Cooke's Discovery column in Gay Chicago, he writes:

"Michael Graber and Lou DiVito [popular DJ's in the gay clubs]. Both men have very complementary write-ups appearing this month. Lou DiVito had an excellent piece in last Sunday's Tribune and will also be in next month's Chicago Magazine. Michael Graber had a very good piece on him in this month's Chicago Magazine. Also mentioned are Eddie Dugan and Ronn Veltman of the Bistro and Frankie Knuckles of the Warehouse."

+++

IMAGE: The Disco Ranch – Gay Chicago September 27, 1979

Top 15 Tunes courtesy of DJ Dick Guenther at Man's Country: 1) "Tryouts for the Human Race" – Sparks; 2) "Over and Over" – Disco Circus; 3) "Come to Me" – France Joli; 4) "Never Trust a Pretty Face" – Amanda Lear; 5) "Discovery" – Electric Light Orchestra; 6) "Can't Live Without Your Love" – Tamiko Jones; 7) "Georgy Porgy" – Toto; 8) "Rock it" – Lipps, Inc; 9) "My Sharona" – The Knack; 10) "The Break" – Kat Mandu; 11) "Eve" – Alan Parsons; 12) "Unforgettable" – Leroy Hutson; 13) "Danger" – Greg Diamond; 14) "Star Generation" – James Brown; 15) "Disco Symphony" – Lightning.

1992

In the bars and clubs, there's a hot pants contest every Tuesday at Hunger, 3336 N. Milwaukee, Chicago's premiere Latino bar. Hosted by Miss Ketty with DJ Mike Zuaz. "Feed your soul with deep house and hot, hot salsa"; it's two-steppin' Fridays at Berlin, 954 W. Belmont; the Boys of Bistro Strip For You at Bistro Too, 5015 N. Clark St.; "Strip for Life," is a benefit for AIDS Walk Chicago at the Lucky Horseshoe Lounge, 3169 N. Halsted; Lori Noelle appears at Vortex, 3631 N. Halsted. "This Chicago comedian will knock the girls flat with her own brand of hysteria"; it's Leather United Club Night at AA Meat Market, 2933 N. Lincoln Ave.; and play the Newlywed Game at Roscoe's, 3356 N. Halsted.

+++

IMAGE: John Reich Studio/Gallery – Gay Chicago June 20, 1985

Top 5 Good Reads from People Like Us Bookstore, 3321 N. Clark St.: 1) "Serious Pleasures: The Life of Stephen Tennant" by Philip Hoare, Penguin, $15.00; 2) "Gertrude and Alice" by Diana Souhami, Pandora, $26.00; 3) "Talking at the Gates: A Life of James Baldwin" by James Campbell, Penguin, $12; 4) "Behind the Mask" by Dave Pallone, Signet, $5.99; 5) "Martina," by Martina Navratilova, Fawcett-Crest, $4.95.

+++

Obituary in this week's Gay Chicago:

"Magdiel 'Macky Gallardo, 30, died on Saturday, Aug. 29 of complications due to AIDS.

"Mr. Gallardo tested positive in June of 1990.

"He was a longtime employee of the Grasmere Residential Home.

"Mr. Gallardo was an avid photographer and pianist. He was greatly loved and will be missed. Fortunately his photos and memories will live on."

+++

In Rick Karlin's Etc. column in Gay Chicago, he writes:

"So, the Chi-Town Squares hosted a number of dances in conjunction with the 'Fly-In' that brought dancers from all over North America to Chicago. Events at the bars and even the fog-shrouded dance at Belmont Rocks were covered by the press. What you won't read about is the nude square dance that was held on Saturday (Well, I guess you just did, didn't you?) Grab your partner, and sashay-carefully! ..."

2011

Erasure performs at the Congress Theatre, 2135 N. Milwaukee Ave.

+++

IMAGE: Girlbar – Nightlines January 22, 1992

The Gerber/Hart Library and Archives, 1127 W. Granville, hold a book sale. More than 50 categories of books are on sale, including LGBT, cookbooks, fine arts and social sciences.

+++

From Windy City Times:

"LGBT-welcoming worship services at Urban Village Church are eclectic and experiential, practical and intelligent, relevant and, hopefully, inspiring. 10:15 a.m.-11:30 a.m., Urban Village Church, Spertus Institute, 610 S. Michigan."

+++

The 19th Annual Hall of Fame Celebrity Auction, benefiting the 2011 Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame, takes place Tuesday, Sept. 20, at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted St. The registration reception, silent auction and raffle begins at 7 p.m., and the bidding starts at 8 p.m. David Boyer, NBC-5's Chicago Wayne Johnson and Velicity Metropolis auction off donations during the evening.

+++

IMAGE: Black Is Beautiful – Thing Summer 1993

The Chicago chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER) hold an event to mark the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" at the Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted.

+++

Ani DiFranco perfoms at the Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield.

+++

Article on front page of Windy City Times, "Popular performer 'Miss Ketty' dies," begins:

"Ketty Teanga—known to many as Circuit nightclub regular 'Miss Ketty'—died Sept. 15 of kidney failure. She was 64.

Teanga was born in Ecuador March 22, 1947. She moved to New York City when she was about 16 before arriving in Chicago during the '70s. She was largely known for performing at Circuit Nightclub with the longest running promotion the venue has had aptly named La Noche Loca for 15 years.

"While she could be abrasive on the microphone with her off-color humor, she was extremely private. Her health had been failing for the last year of her life and she had to be placed on dialysis. Baton owner Jim Flint told the story of traveling with her to Puerto Rico; even though she was hooked to a dialysis machine all day she never complained and was at the clubs to give an incredible show at night.

"The Association for Latino Men for Action gave Miss Ketty the ALMA Community Leadership Award in 1998. ALMA Board President Julio Rodriguez stated, "ALMA gave her the award for being a pioneer in the Latina trans community, because so many people had identified her as someone who helped them get resources, especially because in those days, it was pretty dangerous. She housed a lot of people, she did a lot of HIV/AIDS education informally." She was recently crowned by Chicago's Puerto Rican organization Paseo Boricua. They honored her for everything she did for the Latino community and being a staple in the Chicago area for so many years.

Her sister Miriam and Carlos, her ex of 19 years, were at her bedside for the last few hours as they unplugged the life support at Loyola University Hospital."

Homework

Does anyone remember People Like Us Bookstore?

Whatever happened to Michael Graber?

Whatever happened to Lori Noelle?

Gay Chicago Photo Rewind

Dave Ouano photographs the Fierce Birthday Show at Spin for Chicago Free Press July 9, 2008

The Gay Pride Parade in 1985 in Gay Chicago July 11, 1985

A Jason Smith photograph in Windy City Times June 25, 1998

Marty photographs Jackhammer for Nightspots April 3, 2002

Thanks go to publishers Michael Bergeron for Chicago Gay Crusader, Ralph and Craig Gernhardt for Gay Chicago, Grant Ford and Chuck Renslow for Gay Life, Malone Sizelove for Babble/Gab, David Costanza and others for Chicago Free Press, Jeff McCourt for Windy City Times, Stacy Bridges and Mark Nagel for GRAB, and Tracy Baim for all the publications at the Windy City Media Group, which aided the above research. St. Sukie de la Croix is an internationally published reporter, playwright, photographer and historian. He is also the author of Chicago Whispers: A History of LGBT Chicago Before Stonewall published by the University of Wisconsin Press.