Bob & Barbara’s, located at 1509 South Street, is not only a classic dive bar, but practically a Philadelphia historic landmark. If you haven’t been there yet, chances are you’ve at least heard of it, and if you’re the one introducing your date to Bob and Barbara’s for the first time, it’s going to be a date to remember. With walls heavy with vintage Pabst’s Blue Ribbon beer paraphernalia, a rowdy bar, and a venerable jazz tradition going back over twenty years, weekends at Bob and Barbara’s may feel more like a rite of passage than a date. For example, a PBR pounder and shot of Jim Bean might not be the classiest of choices on most dates, but at Bob and Barbara’s it’s just what you order – every time. It’s also a great spot for a group date, as my cohort discovered on a recent Friday night.
How cheap we talkin’: Entry is FREE! The “special” (a PBR and shot of Jim Beam) is only $3. Don’t call it the Citywide. It’s just the special here. (And no judgment, but if this is a first date, I recommend sticking to one per person).
Why this will impress your date: The musicians, the musicians, the musicians. Utterly unfazed by any of the nonsense that occurs in a packed bar with cheap drinks, these guys are the real deal. Fridays and Saturdays they play more of a familiar jazz repertoire, while Sundays they host a jam session.
The Inside Game: Bob and Barbara’s can pretty crowded, so getting served can take awhile. If you’re getting your date a drink, go together to the bar so you can still chat. Otherwise, make sure your date is comfortable with what could be a long wait for your return!
Score Extra Points: By treating your date to a late-night snack. The night we were there the guys from Coup de Taco were set up in a corner dishing up their inventive, non-traditional taco combinations like Sweet Thai chicken with peanut sauce, pulled pork, or castro-style rice and beans with Sofrito sauce, $3.50 each or two for $6. Between specials, it really hit the spot.
Next Date: Friday, Saturday, or Sunday!
A lot has been written about Bob and Barbara’s, but the thing is, it’s all true. It attracts all kinds of people – jazz hounds, older couples, young art students, black, white, gay, and straight. Some describe it as a “melting pot.” Others describe it as “co-opted.” But nearly everyone describes it as amazing good fun. And it was. We got there a little after 10pm, and the room was just beginning to fill with the diverse crowd that has become one of the bar’s hallmarks. As the musicians were setting up against a backdrop of faded PBR signage, songs that were NOT Journey songs (they have a strict NO JOURNEY policy) were blaring over the oddly modern jukebox. It was one of those glowing, blinking, touch-screen models, and the only element in the bar that seemed somehow out of place. But when the live music started, a different kind of energy took over the bar and the jukebox was instantly forgotten.
The house band, a trio, consisted of a drummer, a saxophonist and an organist. As described here by former Inquirer journalist Chris Gray, “what makes Bob & Barbara’s truly special is that it remains a showcase for Philly Organ Jazz, a type of blues-and soul-based jazz that was popular back in taverns and barrooms in the 1950s and 1960s.” She goes on explain that “At one time, Philadelphia was the center of the organ jazz movement. Musicians such as Jimmy Smith and Joey DeFrancesco are from the area, and the neighborhood where Bob & Barbara’s is located was once full of mostly African-American juke joints and bars.” Until he passed away in 2006, the band was led by sax tenor Nate Wiley, who started playing at Bob and Barbara’s in the 1980s, and continued to woo crowds there well into his 70s. (For more information about Nate, and a fascinating history of Bob and Barbara’s, check out this 1998 article from the City Paper).
From the first chord struck, it was obvious that these guys had been playing together and honing their craft – not just that of playing jazz, but of entertaining, pleasing, and responding to a crowd – since long before most of the patrons in the bar were even born. While they played, people were dancing, people were drinking, people were calling out song requests – some people (like me) were simply awe struck, and stood watching with rapt attention, while others starting shouting to talk over the noise, but it was all OK at Bob and Barbara’s, where these musicians have literally seen it all, and kept playing.
In short, Bob and Barbara’s is the kind of place where you feel like anything could happen. You could run into anyone there, from any walk of life. You could end up sick in the bathroom, or having the time of your life twirling around on the dance floor. Time passes without effort and before you know it, it’s 2am and you’re spilling from the dimly lit bar onto the dimly lit street, wishing the night wasn’t over yet. And the remarkable thing is, this magic is created every single weekend, and has been created every single weekend, for decades.
Just go there some time. You’ll see.
This sax-man played in my band from 1967-1981 and I am happy to say that he is one of the best in the USA. I am pleased that he is still performing today. May he and the rest of the band be blessed always.