Paul Colby, co-owner of famed New York venue The Bitter End, died Feb. 13 at his home in Montclair, N.J. He was 96. Colby was born in Philadelphia on Oct. 4, 1917. He began managing and booking the Bitter End in 1965, and became owner in 1973. During his tenure, the club booked early shows by stars including Peter, Paul & Mary; Frank Zappa; and even Lady Gaga. Thanks to performances by Bob Dylan, James Taylor and others, The Bitter End, and Colby, played a key role in the rise of the Greenwich Village folk scene. “There was an aura about him,” says Paul Rizzo, one of Colby’s partners in the club. “He was one of those guys that when he walked in the room, everybody wanted to talk to him.” Colby is survived by his wife, Pamela Ann Wilson, and brother Morty.
