by ben “duke” core –
Through his own eyes and the stories of the patrons he served throughout the last 50 years as a bartender in gay establishments in Southern California, he has seen and heard it all. Leo Martin, now a bartender at Studio One 11 in Cathedral City, began his career before he was even of legal drinking age in 1969.
Where did you start your career as a bartender, Leo?
It began at The Gallery Room in Los Angeles, where I worked until the management realized I wasn’t 21. The manager told me I could have my job back when I was of legal age and I started back bartending on my 21st birthday. The owner and most of the staff were straight, but it was patronized by mostly gay clientele in the entertainment industry… though most of the gay men arrived with women as “beards.”
After the Stonewall Riots in June of 1969, it became known as a gay bar almost overnight. Before that if you were seen even touching another man, you could be arrested. It had been raided a couple of times—police made everybody line up against the wall and demanded their ID’s—even men that were 80-years old were made to prove that they were of legal age. Nobody was charged with any crime, but the people who didn’t have ID’s were brought to the police station until someone could bring their ID’s. I think it’s very important for the younger LGBT folks to know about the plight of those who were there before them and the hardships they had to endure.
What were some of the other gay establishments where you worked in L.A.?
For two and a half years I worked at The Cabaret, a restaurant and piano bar on La Cienega, owned by Liza Minnelli and Dudley Moore. Two nights a week we had a pianist, Michael Feinstein, who got his start there and later became a very famous musician. Then I worked at another restaurant and when one of the gay owners wanted his own place, we opened The Rose Tattoo on Santa Monica Boulevard and I worked there from 1981 to 1987.
It was a wonderful show lounge and because we had great talent, it came to be known around the world. A lot of entertainers launched their careers there: Etta James, Della Reese, Sinbad, Tiffany and Rosie O’Donnell, even Elton John came in once. Unfortunately, the owner Michel died of AIDS and at his funeral, I sat next to Princess Stephanie of Monaco.
Can you tell us what brought you to Palm Springs and where you’ve worked locally?
As many from L.A. do, I started visiting Palm Springs to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life and spend some time relaxing. I first started working at Blame It On Midnight on Tahquitz Canyon Boulevard until it closed, then went to work at The Blue Pear on the north end of town before it closed and in 2011 I came to work at Studio One 11, where I’ve been ever since.
What do you enjoy most about working at Studio One 11?
It’s the perfect place for me because of the camaraderie between the clients and the staff. There are a lot of regulars, including people who live here as well as returning visitors who always come back to see us. The new owner, David, has brought such a refreshing change to the bar, but kept all the same staff on board and retained what has been successful.
We have a player piano that plays everything from classic tunes to fresh, contemporary music during happy hour, with free fried chicken on Wednesdays (affectionately called “The Chicken Race” by locals) followed by live entertainment, an all-day Happy Hour on Thursdays with live entertainment in the evening, as well. There are some very good singers that come for Karaoke on Fridays and Saturdays, we have Bingo hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence every-other Sunday and live entertainment by the incomparable pianist Tommy Dodson on the other Sundays.
Studio One 11 is located at 67555 E. Palm Canyon Drive in Cathedral City. For more information, call 760.770.1111 or go to studio111bar.com.