Red Dog Saloon Celebrates 60th Anniversary

The Red Dog Saloon is celebrating its 60th anniversary all summer long. On Saturday, Matt Axton—yes, the son of Hoyt Axton—took the stage with his band, featuring his mom on keyboards. Matt, with over 300 original songs, is carving out a bold path in Americana music, blending elements of rock and roll. The crowd was on their feet, dancing all night and singing along to familiar hits. Sue and Loren, regulars most weekends, brought a cake to mark the occasion. Newlyweds Dylan and Kimberly stopped by to celebrate their first day as husband and wife, and the band invited them onstage for a photo.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Red Dog’s history, here’s a glimpse from their website. In the summer of 1965, Laughlin, better known as Travus T. Hipp, a disc jockey and news commentator, recruited talent that blended traditional folk music with psychedelic rock. He and his friends created “The Red Dog Experience,” featuring then-unknown acts like Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Charlatans, and The Wildflower, who played in the refurbished saloon from 1965 to 1966. There was no clear line between performers and audience during this era, as music, psychedelic experimentation, and Bill Ham’s primitive light shows fused to form a new sense of community. Laughlin and George Hunter of The Charlatans, with their long hair, boots, and Native American-inspired clothing, were dubbed “proto-hippies.”

The poster for The Charlatans’ first six-week stint, starting in June 1965, is a rare psychedelic artifact known as “The Seed.” Visit https://www.reddogvc.rocks for more details and to grab tickets for the next show.