Chicago’s Regal Theater first opened in 1927, when African American entertainers were in abundance, yet Jim Crow laws did not allow African Americans, even the relatives, friends, or sponsors of the entertainers to enter the venues as audience members. The Regal Theater was not only open to Blacks, but unlike other venues they hired Black stagehands, Black janitors, Black managers, and even Black ushers. Some say singer Nat King Cole got his start at one of the Amateur Nights held at the Regal Theater. Other stars like Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, and Cab Callaway entertained fans at the beautiful, lavishly decorated Regal Theater.
Over the years Chicagoans were introduced to phenomenal entertainers through the Regal. Sugar Child Robinson, a child prodigy with a unique talent for playing the piano, first came to the Regal. Little Stevie Wonder, Smokey, and the Miracles, the Jackson Five, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and too many others to name, all performed at this delightful venue. In 1971, a fire partially destroyed the building, and it was never rebuilt. The Regal Theater was demolished in 1984.
In 1987, businessman and humanitarian, Edward Gardner, President of Soft Sheen Products Inc.,
reopened the Avalon Theater at 79th and Stony Island Avenue, and named it the New Regal in honor of that iconic Bronzeville venue that brought joy to so many African Americans throughout the years.
Jerald Gary was a mere toddler, only two years old, when Ed Gardner brought the New Regal to the theater.
He lived and went to school a few blocks away from the theater and was still a youngster when that Regal was closed. But he knew about Bronzeville’s Regal theater and the south side’s Regal Theater. He also knew what the Avalon theater, though way before his time, had meant to the community. And today, at the age of 38, Gary is following his dream of bringing the Avalon Regal Theater back to life.
Gary purchased the building in 2014, and although it has been a financial struggle, he is determined to see his dream come true. His determination has recently paid off as he is now partnering with two groups: An investment group called Oasis, which focuses on investing in Black communities across the United States that are often ignored by traditional financiers, and Revolt TV, an American music-oriented digital cable television. Oasis was co-founded by Michal Amir, CEO and Faheem Muhammad, CIO – two Black young men who have built a multi-million-dollar investment empire. On their site is a message, “Here at Oasis, we not only focus on generating profits for our partners, but we aim to improve the living conditions of our communities. Creating jobs with every investment. Revolt TV was founded by Sean “Puffy” Combs and Andy Schuon in 2013. This partnership brings Gary’s dream closer than ever to reality of bringing back the glamor, the entertainment, and the excitement Chicago once knew to the new Avalon Regal Theater of South Shore.
It’s all part of building a better, more vibrant Chicago for today’s new generation of youth..
