Bert's is crankin': Eastern Market jazz club turned into entertainment complex

Bert's is crankin': Eastern Market jazz club turned into entertainment complex When veteran record firm executive Miller London moved back to Detroit in 2010 after decades in Los Angeles and New York, he was ready to wind down a bit. (Boxing matches are planned for the warehouse. Russell Street Entertainment has already hosted several big name concerts in the warehouse; soul singer Chuck Jackson on Thanksgiving weekend, and L. Reynolds of the Dramatics for two days in January. Bert Dearing has operated many nightspots through the years, as well as a party store and assorted real estate, mostly on the east side. The next big event will be the "Ice Man," soul singer Jerry Butler on May 12, the day before Mother's Day. "Our goal is to make that an event for people to bring their mothers and grandmothers to, who were part of the Jerry Butler era," London says. Dearing, London and Gibson are upbeat about Detroit's prospects, especially the Eastern Market area. All of this activity will require a lot of staff er right corner of the post to report it. When veteran record firm executive Miller London moved back to Detroit in 2010 after decades in Los Angeles and New York, he was ready to wind down a bit. . Next to that is the slightly larger Hastings Street Room, as well as a fully equipped barbershop and ladies' salon and spa. The big warehouse in the back, dubbed Bert's Warehouse Theater, is now in play for larger concerts, along with film and TV productions and stage plays. Set up nightclub style, with round tables and waiter and waitress service, the warehouse theater can seat 900-1,000 patrons, although without tables it could hold up to 1,700. "The other venues, you have to hold your food on your lap, put your drink on the floor or in a cup holder," London says. During football season, the parking lot behind the warehouse bustles with tailgaters, and the exterior grills are sizzling with meat until it's too cold to put them out. They are seeking scripts, as well as investors. Dearing's film will center on Hastings Street, Detroit's frenetic black entertainment district of the 1950s, and will feature interviews with entertainers such as Lottie the Body. "Pimps, murphy guys, prostitutes, the whole environs of Hastings Street," Dearing says. Over the years Dearing has amassed a slew of photographs and paraphernalia for a documentary that will be Paradise Valley Productions' first project. "There will never be another company like Motown," London says. We'll just take the brand and the mold that was created by Motown, and add to it. Dearing of course is a longtime force in Detroit's live music scene. The footprint of Bert's Market Place has slowly crept down the block since he bought the bar in 1987. The three are firming up two big prominent acts for June, two for July, and a "blue-eyed soul" artist they're very excited about for August. The Motown Room, which Dearing had already decked out with framed photos of Motown stars and posters of Marvin Gaye and other greats, now features a slew of gold and platinum records that came from London's personal collection. In pride of place in the Motown Room, over the bar, is a photograph of Berry Gordy in his boxing days, opposite a photo of Joe Louis. Bert's is crankin': Eastern Market jazz club turned into entertainment complex Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 03/04/2012