A Swing & One Too Many Hits

by Tony Barber ☮

(Forward: there are very likely going to be many acts and names listed in this article, please be curious and investigate them, at least Google some or all of them and increase the value of this article. It’ll be FUN !!!) 

The Swing Auditorium was a large successful municipal venue here in San Bernardino. It was built in 1949 on the National Orange Show grounds at 689 E Street and was named after local practicing attorney & State Senator Ralph E Swing. This indoor arena posted a 10,000 seating capacity and hosted a wide array of entertainments including; holiday extravaganzas, circuses, touring acts, benefits, conventions, boxing, ice hockey, ice skating, roller derby, the Harlem Globetrotters and other basketball, even midget auto racing and many concerts of many genres and comedy acts amongst other events. The Swing Auditorium was the place to be in the 50s, 60s, 70s here in the Inland Empire. It was a hit ! 

Early important hit acts gracing the Swing included; Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Perez Prado, Stan Kenton, George Burns, Jack Benny, Phyllis Diller, Bob Newhart, Bob Hope and Sammy Davis Jr. amongst many others

Bob Hope notably performed 13 consecutive years at the Swing Auditorium.

Sammy Davis Jr. hosted a benefit concert for St Bernardine's hospital at the Swing in 1958, including Judy Garland, Jerry Lewis, Tony Curtis and Danny Thomas. Sammy threw this benefit for Saint Bernardine's in gratitude for having helped save his life when he was in a severe car accident in San Bernardino in 1954, resulting in the loss of his left eye. The historic significance of the Swing Auditorium mounts ever greater. 

Rock and Roll history and royalty

Rock and Roll history and royalty

Legend Jimi Hendrix performing at the Swing Auditorium in 1968

In the mid 60s about 14 years after it's initial opening the Swing

Auditorium swung for the fences and leaned into the burgeoning Rock & Roll era with gusto ‘hitting’ again.

A website concertarchives.org lists 114 Rock & Roll concerts between summer 1964 and autumn 1981 held at the Swing Auditorium. (While the list is fascinating and incredible, I doubt it's exhaustive.)

The 114 aforementioned concerts list reads like a Who's Who of Rock & Roll royalty and a real recipe for substantial success. 

The laundry list of acts include, of course beginning with; the Rolling 

Stones, Elvis Presley, the Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, the Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, Alice Cooper and the Beach Boys.

Those are the biggest of the big listed on concertarchives.org but there were so many others of huge importance musically and culturally including; 1964 - The Rolling Stones, 1966 - The Byrds, 1967 - Buffalo Springfield, The Seeds, Donovan, The Doors, 1968 - Cream, Janis Joplin, Big Brother & the Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, Chicago, The Grassroots, Steppenwolf, Iron Butterfly, Jimi Hendrix, Canned Heat, Country Joe and the Fish, Eric Burdon and the Animals, 1969 - MC5, Lee Michaels, Steve Miller Band, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, John Mayall, Credence Clearwater Revival, Three Dog Night, The Moody Blues, The Grateful Dead, 1970 - The Young Rascals, Joe Cocker, Ten Years After, Derek and the Dominos, Leon Russell, Elton John, 1971 - Fleetwood Mac, War, Edgar Winter, Mountain, J. Geils Band, 1972 - Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Yes, James Gang, Spencer Davis Group, Black Oak Arkansas, Tower of Power, 1973 - Alice Cooper, ZZ Top, The Beach Boys, Savoy Brown, 1974 - Emerson Lake and Palmer, Elvis Presley, Steely Dan, 1975 - KISS, Rod Stewart, Blue Oyster Cult, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Robin Trower, 1976 - Ted Nugent, The Doobie Brothers, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Montrose, Black Sabbath, 1977 - Foghat, Boston, The Outlaws, Journey, Eddie Money, 1978 - The Tubes, Judas Priest, RUSH, Cheap Trick, 1979 - Sammy Hagar, 1980 - .38 Special, The Jacksons, Frank Zappa, Rainbow, 1981 - REO Speedwagon, Humble Pie, Iron Maiden, UFO. (Two additional concerts are listed that may have been scheduled but couldn’t have taken place at the Swing were, Triumph & Def Leppard.) 

That was only the Rock & Roll acts. I have personally located many other very important concerts that took place at the Swing Auditorium as well including; B.B. King, Ray Charles with Billy Preston and the Raelettes, James Brown and his Revue, Diana Ross and the Supremes, 

Johnny Cash, Glen Campbell, Porter Wagner, Charlie Pryde, Sonny James, Marty Robbins, Brush Arbor and The Everly Brothers. The historic significance of the Swing Auditorium abounds. 

I dare claim the Swing Auditorium may still be up and running to this day were it not for a fateful day in 1981. 

At that time it would have been tragic certainly, but in hindsight even more prophetically horrible, that a twin engine Cessna crashed into the Swing Auditorium on September 11th, 1981. (Two decades prior to our historic National tragedy of September 11th 2001.) The only upshot (tragic as it was) of this portion of the story is that only the two on board the Cessna were killed, as the Swing Auditorium was closed and void of public masses at the time of the crash.

Unfortunately the fire set by the plane crash damaged the Swing irreparably and it was later demolished, relegating the Swing Auditorium only to our memories & history. 

I was not aware of the Swing Auditorium during its heyday having not grown up in this area.  

As soon as I learned about the Swing Auditorium and its history I craved knowing more about it. I first heard about it from a teacher at Valley College now retired art instructor Jim Stewart. He related a story to me about seeing the Rolling Stones at the Swing and almost more oddly being introduced to Elton John at the same location. My interest was piqued and the search for information ensued. I have been blessed to know and meet several people that did grow up in the San Bernardino area and did get to experience the Swing in all of its glory. Below are some interviews I did with those that swung, and I hope you enjoy them. 

 Wanting to find local sources that knew about the Swing Auditorium, I began randomly asking people in my circles and random strangers around town. Obviously they had to be older people because the venue went away in 1981, I have been fortunate to be able to interview three different locals for this article. Each of these three interviewees each have their own experiences with the Swing Auditorium. 

Interviewing those who experienced the magic of the Swing Auditorium

First off we have Lolly. I met Lolly playing pool, (she's much better than I am) but we got to talking and I learned that she knew about the Swing and was willing to tell me all about it.

Lolly was employed and thus had money and a car, a 1965 Chevy wagon perfect for loading friends and heading to the Swing together. Lolly grew up in Rialto and saw many concerts at the Swing Auditorium. She loved how close to home it was and that it was cheap, Cheap, CHEAP. Great acts for little money near home, how can you beat it. Along with affordability Lolly mentioned that there was never a bad seat in the house, all the concerts were great and it was easy in and easy out, must have been wonderful. Lolly made a point of mentioning how there were open rafters throughout the entire building kind of hanger-like venue and hanging in the rafters were long foil shimmery tinsel that was there as long as she could remember and was once commented on by Alice Cooper at a concert she was at where he referred to it as “god-awful silver shit”. Lolly also mentions several other bands that she enjoyed very much at the swing Auditorium including; Emerson Lake and Palmer, Blue Oyster Cult, The Doobie Brothers, Ted Nugent and Black Oak Arkansas et. al.

My second interviewee is Gary, a neighbor of mine and he has additional experience with the Swing Auditorium (and one of the greatest dogs of all time, Gracie). Gary grew up in Fontana and saw many acts at the Swing Auditorium. Notably, amongst other acts he saw there, when he saw Ike and Tina Turner and their horn section it inspired him to take his trumpet playing more seriously and then he got into a band with his trumpet at 16. Gary mentioned many acts that he saw at the Swing Auditorium beginning with; The Byrds in 1966 at around age 13, Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf with Grassroots, Jefferson Airplane, Young Rascals, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Lee Michaels, Three Dog Night with Pacific Gas and Electric and then there was the Jimi Hendrix concert that went south. Apparently too many people showed up to the Jimi Hendrix concert, many with tickets and though it was sold out and the venue was at capacity, people tried to bust down the doors to get in. The San Bernardino Police Department was called to the scene and responded in full riot gear and tear gassed the crowd ending the concert and giving everyone a hell of a story. Except for the tear gas incident “it was like in the days of peace and love, not violent at all, lots of marijuana smoked and liquor snuck inside cowboy boots” but nothing ugly or nasty. Gary's wife Maureen added that she in 9th grade got to go to the 1964 Rolling Stones concert though she was supposed to have been at the library. Gary remembers getting paid for his first gig $15 for 3 hours of trumpeting and thinking he was doing great. Later on as part of the San Bernardino Musicians Union he played trumpet behind George Burns, Phyllis Diller, Maury Amsterdam, and even Rudy Vallee at the Swing Auditorium.

Finally we come to Steve Avila, the awesome husband of a cohort artist friend of mine Peggy. He had been to see Johnny and Edgar Winter at the Swing Auditorium in his youth but has a much more poignant aspect to this story.Steve had just begun his career at San Bernardino City Fire having been on the job for about 1 year. In September 1981 he was a driver for the battalion chief and they arrived first. Steve was the first man in after the crash into the Swing Auditorium on September 11, 1981. Geared up head to toe Steve had to brave the smoke and darkness inside the burning Swing Auditorium searching for survivors. There were none, both occupants of the Cessna perished in the crash but Steve was the fireman that discovered it. Talk about hellish work, entering a smoke filled burning building hoping to be able to heroically save survivors only to learn there aren’t any. Steve went on to a full career with San Bernardino City Fire only recently retiring. (The Avila’s are one of the grooviest couples I have the privilege to know.)

The Swing had swung, and that final hit was just too much for it. The Swing Auditorium was demolished sometime later, determining it was irreparable. What a tragic loss of history musically, culturally and municipally.

Historically it’s crown jewel was the very first Rolling Stones concert in the U.S. which took place on June 5th 1964 at the Swing Auditorium. I've read that the Swing Auditorium promoter wanted to book the Beatles but ‘settled’ for the Stones when the Beatles were unavailable. This first U.S. Rolling Stones concert led to three additional appearances by the Stones at the Swing Auditorium.