The Mudd Club was a SoHo nightclub that was opened in October 1978 by publisher Steve Mass , art curator Diego Cortez and singer Anya Phillips . The Mudd Club was located at 77 White Street in downtown Manhattan, NY and quickly became a major fixture in the city's underground music and counterculture scene. It was named after Samuel Alexander Mudd, a doctor who treated John Wilkes Booth in the aftermath of Abraham Lincoln's assassination.

In order to secure the space for the Mudd Club (a loft owned by artist Ross Bleckner), Steve Mass described the future venue as cabaret. Mass claims to have started the nightclub on a budget of only $15,000.

The club featured a bar, gender-neutral bathrooms, and a rotating gallery on the fourth flour. Live performances showcased punk rock, new wave, and experimental music

The Mudd Club acquired a chic, often elitist reputation and was frequented by many of Manhattan's up-and-coming cult celebrities. Individuals associated with the venue included Jean-Michel Basquiat, David Byrne, Lydia Lunch, Klaus Nomi.

See also

• CBGB