By: Alison Moore
NEW YORK, NY – Party Boys: How the Ballinger Brothers Built the Best Nightclubs in the World written by nightlife impresario Lon Ballinger, tells the amazing true story of how a family from a small farm town in Canada built an entertainment empire in New York City. The self-published memoir, available through Amazon and BarnesandNoble, shares the Ballinger family’s unique stories of celebrities and musicians, the challenges they faced, and the successes they celebrated.
Ballinger and his brothers created the modern nightclub industry in Canada. They were behind such iconic New York nightlife venues Webster Hall, Big Bop, Go Go, RockIt, Ballingers, American Beauty, Heartbreak Hotel and the Boom Boom Room where more than 40 million people danced, laughed, and had the time of their lives. This is Lon Ballinger’s first-person account of how he and his family created some of the most famous nightclubs not only in New York, but the world.
From their humble beginnings in rural Canada, the three brothers migrated to the then run-down East Village in New York City in 1988 where they turned a beat up and forgotten old building, formerly The Ritz, into the hottest nightclub in the country. Webster Hall, now classified a landmark building in New York City, was a 10,000 square feet four floor space with capacity to hold up to 3,000 people nightly. A renowned nightclub and live music venue, Webster Hall the place to go for anyone in the know from 1988 until 2017. During this time Webster Hall hosted nearly 30,000,000 people and showcased 10,000 of the world’s best musical acts and talents.
Over the decades the Ballinger family hosted thousands of celebrities, from Mick Jagger to Madonna, and millions upon millions of happy loyal fans. The brothers introduced hip-hop to the white masses in the early 1990’s and then Electronic Dance Music to the United States in 1997. In addition, Ballinger was involved with the making of music and mixed more then 30 chart topping dance CDs, sold millions of Webster Hall Records, and then quietly sold the entire business to a huge music corporation.
Party Boys is a candid and colorful story about how to run a rough trade business in the unforgiving New York City. Readers will be left spellbound by these incredible stories. Ballinger gives a truthful and fascinating account of he and his siblings’ meteoric rise through his unique storytelling abilities in this compelling music-centric memoir.
You will learn about his family’s early hard scrabble years on a farm and stories that allowed the Ballinger brothers to become successful nightclub operators for nearly 40 years. Other nightclub owners did not fare so well; Studio 54 lasted for only 18 months and then the owners went to prison for 4 years. The owner of Limelight, Tunnel, Club USA and Palladium went to prison also.
After selling the business in 2017, Lon Ballinger and his wife, Louis, moved to upstate New York where they bought and refurbished The Stewart House in Athens NY-a breathtaking boutique hotel set right upon the Hudson River. They now operate this hospitality gem and host their friends and guests at the beautiful historical 1883 Stewart House Hotel.
Party Boys illustrates that nice guys don’t always finish last and doing the right thing is always the best road to follow. Party Boys share Ballinger’s unique stories of celebrities and musicians, the challenges they faced, and the successes they celebrated.
Full title: Party Boys: How the Ballinger Brothers Build the Best Nightclubs in the World
Author: Lon Ballinger
Published: April 4, 2024
Publisher: Partyboysnewyork.com
Price: $21.95
Available through Amazon.com & Barnesandnoble.com
Amazon.com
https://www.amazon.com/Party-Boys-Ballinger-Brothers-Nightclubs/dp/B0D11WCZ7H
Barnesandnoble.com
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/party-boys-lon-ballinger/1145316060?ean=9798990215306
Website: PartyBoysNewYork.com.
ISBN-13 979-8990215306
Published by: Nelly Chavez
