Northwest Dance & Music Venues

Arlington Ballroom
 Vancouver, BC

Some of the bands that this place during those great years:
 

Evan Kemp and his Trail Riders
Frank McCormick and the Country Macs - featuring Curtis Cowan
General Wolfe and The Redcoats
Vancouver Playboys
 

Others ??
 

When I was about 19 I was a featured singer (known as Marilyn Hart, Vancouver;'s Queen of hearts)  with with Evan Kemp and his Trail Riders and we played the old Arlington  Ballroom every Friday and Saturday night.  This was in the late 60's early 70's.  Back then we played a lot of different music, country, rock and standards.  I didn't have a car and I remember getting on the bus in my long sparkly gown to go perform at the Arlington.

It was a lot of fun and I was young and having the time of my life.  Sometimes there would be another band upstairs in the smaller room and one memory is dancing with my current boyfirend to "Hang on Snoopy"!  Great Memories!

I can't believe the Arlington is still there...it was a lifetime ago!

Marilyn Bentley, February 2005


I had the house gig at the Arlington back in 1974-75. I got the gig through Gowan Jorgensen from the Northwest Company, who played the bass with Eddy Reno & Easy Country. Eddy was a country singer and guitarist (he played a Gretch Country Gentleman 25th Ann. model) (He was also related to the great country instrumentalist Don Reno). The drummer was his cousin. I talked him into getting a real drummer and we scared up Mike Russell, a drummer from Toronto who had been in the band Ocean (Put Your Hand In The Hand).   We played in the smaller upstairs lounge from Monday through Thursday, and then on Friday and Saturday nights we played the big room downstairs. We played there for about a year.

The Arlington was built in 1929 and featured a sprung dance floor.  It still had the art-deco band-shell downstairs when we played there.  In recent years it has been know as The Big Bamboo and catered to a much younger audience.

At the time when we played there, the owners also owned Bob's Tavern across the line in Blaine, Washington, where Loretta Lynn got her start.

Roger Stomperud, January 2008


If you have corrections, a neat photo or more information, please send it to:

Make a donation using PayPal.  It is fast, free and secure.
Last Update:  26 January 2011
Credits: Chris Wolfe, Curtis Cowan, Marilyn (Hart) Bentley, Dennis MacFadden, Roger Stomperud (R.I.P.)