Chick Hall's Surf Club

Detail:

The true origins of the Surf Club are shrouded in mystery. At some time prior to 1955 it was first established at 4201 Bladensburg Road in Colmar Manor. By the time it was to become Chick Hall's Surf Club, Colmar Manor and Cottage City was where many folks from the District and surounding areas would go for the nightlife. No one knows for sure why it was originally named the "Surf Club", although there are several theories.

Chick Hall, Sr. bagan playing with his own band, the Chick Hall Trio around 1953 or 1954.  After playing for a few years at the club, Chick decided that he'd like to make the Surf Club his musical home and so he bought the place in 1955 and began playing there 6 nights a week. The Surf Club transitioned from Jazz to Country Music, and many of the country greats visited the Surf Club - Jim Reeves, Lefty Frizzell, Patsy Cline. It was around this time that the Colmar Manor/Cottage City area was in it's heyday with numerous clubs such as the Crossroads, Rusty Cabins (which turned into Burt Motley's), the Dixie Pig, Angelo's, the Wheel, and Basin Street, mostly all offering live music 7 days a week. There was always a party going on.

Things change gradually. Chick got married early on and had two sons - Chick, Jr. and Chris. In 1975, a developer made a good offer on the Surf Club, so Chick sold the club property, and built another one up the street at 4711 Kenilworth Ave (at the corner of Kenilworth Ave and Crittendon Street), where the club still operates today.