Soon enough, the Whisky effect led the ‘go go’ look to becoming standard on every single television variety show in the 60s. Thanks to the rock ‘n’ roll phenomenon happening on the Strip and the novelty of go-go girls, the Whisky quickly caught the attention of the national media, with a Life magazine write-up and Jack Paar broadcasting an episode of his weekly variety program from the club within months of opening. “LA started to happen, as far as the music business – it blew up”. “Once the Whisky started to happen, then Sunset Boulevard started to happen”, Adler told Vanity Fair. Valentine recognized Adler’s ear for talent and enlisted him to help book the club in its early days. Future music mogul and co-owner of the Roxy with Valentine, Lou Adler, produced Rivers’ live Whisky album and would become the invisible force behind the club’s star-making magic. Rivers’ residency led him to become the Whiskyʼs star attraction for the first year of its existence and where he would record his hit record, Johnny Rivers at the Whisky a Go Go, in May of ʼ64.
With no space on stage, he erected a glass-walled cage for the scantily clad DJ to save space (or so the story goes) and her spontaneous oscillations led the audience to believe it was part of the act. Valentine’s idea to have female DJ’s spin the latest hits between live sets created the accidental phenomenon. The club was sold out virtually every night with stars like Cary Grant, Johnny Carson and The Beatlesholding court in its tufted red booths. Since its opening night in January in 1964, the Whisky was a hit, with Johnny Rivers playing his Southern-fried brand of rock, rhythm and soul to a crowd of Hollywood stars while female DJ’s shimmed in cages above the dance floor – effectively unleashing the ‘go-go craze onto America.
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