Saturday, May 28, 2016

Every Which Way But Loose at Zanza Bar

Scene at the Zanza Bar on Colfax Avenue in Aurora, Colorado from the Clint Eastwood movie "Every Which Way But Loose".
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16 comments:

  1. AliJune 4, 2017 at 3:23 PM

    Loved my Zanza Bar, they even had a painting on the wall of Clint!

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    1. AnonymousNovember 23, 2022 at 10:22 PM

      I was in the army at the hospital going to nursing school and went to the Zanza bar every weekend. I was in shock when I found out it was torn down. My favorite bar of my entire life. Don Bennett

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    2. AnonymousNovember 23, 2022 at 10:28 PM

      Was stationed at Fitsimons army medical center and went to the bar all the time. Loved it

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  2. UnknownDecember 15, 2018 at 10:49 AM

    I lived near e Colfax in the mid 60s and it was a happening place. I was just 19 and I never before saw such mean women in this big city

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  3. UnknownJune 21, 2021 at 7:22 AM

    still there ?

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    1. RussOctober 16, 2021 at 11:07 PM

      No. I don’t went it went out of business. But, it’s gone.

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    2. UnknownApril 8, 2022 at 3:16 PM

      Went out of business 35 years ago

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  4. AnonymousJuly 17, 2022 at 6:45 PM

    What part of the movie was it in? My fiancés dad was an extra there and we want to spot him

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  5. AnonymousSeptember 26, 2022 at 2:20 AM

    My husband and I went dancing at the Z Bar all the time in the 70’s.Great Country western bands. The movie Urban Country helped usher in a whole new music genre. We won more than our share of dance contests. The leader singer for one of the bands was a blind guy. Can’t remember his name, but he was very very good.

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  6. Gary PfisterJune 16, 2023 at 12:59 PM

    Have many great memories and met some great friends at the Z Bar, Lee sims and the platte river band played there a lot and Danny was the owner. Good times

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  7. AnonymousJuly 15, 2023 at 6:46 AM

    My favorite place to go when I was stationed at Lowry Air Force Base. I was sad to hear that it closed down.

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  8. Rick, Ricky (Kid Keys)May 1, 2024 at 1:16 PM

    I played there with Dave Toland for the better part of 2 years..85/86ish...6 nights a week...Dave played a solo on Sundays...since we all pretty much lived there, we played a lot on Sundays, too so really 7 nights a week many weeks...played a Yamaha baby grand that we expanded the stage for...Danny was the owner...Rich was bartending...trying to come up with the other bartender's name...was a wild time...capacity 550 and we'd have probably 1500 in there during stock show...everything and everyone you could imagine...rough and tough cowboys and ranch hands, hookers, pimps, beautiful dancers, lots of regular, curious people (the song I love this bar came out shortly after our stint there and perfectly described the Zanza Bar)...some of the people I played with there: JJ Zucker (who still lives in town and still playing--married to Monica who he met at the Traildust steak house)--drums, Steve Shannon (living in Wisconsin with his wife Sam)--guitar, Jim Shannon--bass, Butch (Ranger) Hause, Charlie--bass (played at Club Corners for a very long time)...I played with Lee Simms for a short time after and they were all wonderful...Ronnie Cook was the best guitarist and came to see us all the time at the zanza...Gary (their drummer) also frequented while we were there...Lee would come round...his brother Burt played bass with them but married a girl and left the band..Mark Bretz would come in to play my piano, as did Gary Snacker...many great players...I'd buy them a drink and they'd play all night...one of the highlights of my life and so many memories and stories...those jobs don't exist anymore...the waitress Holly stands out in my mind...just remembered the other bartender, Paul (muscular guy who I believe also did the gay rodeo circuit)...very nice and funny guy...Kirby (retired navy lifer) bartended a short time...Dave Toland himself was a hoot and a very good singer...Janet Perkins (a local drummer) came a lot...some other patrons I remember: Julie (expert, beautiful 2-stepper), Pat, Barb, my own wife, Jean (who I met in that era from a blind date, set up by my sister, Cindy)...when we were really hitting, the whole bar would go silent, listening and you could hear a pin drop...just nothing like it unless you've experienced it

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    1. Rick Ricky (Kid Keys)May 1, 2024 at 1:23 PM

      Bev (who had some wild stories about working as a "greeter" for a big petroleum co when other oil men would come to town in Houston, I believe...stunning girl who died shortly after our stint there) a different Jean, Susan (Janet Perkel's friend who was married to an Aurora cop)...locksmith I ended up working for, Dwain (started a different era of my life) ...I still think back to those times now and then

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    2. AnonymousMay 7, 2024 at 10:33 AM

      correction: Janet Pirkle, not Perkins---still drumming and played a long time with her brother, Terry

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