Adorable Story #80: Olivier Coquelin and the invention of the modern discotheque
From the Korean War to New York, how a French expat invented the Disco
Olivier Coquelin, nicknamed “Disco Daddy,” was a French expatriate entrepreneur and nightclub promoter.
Olivier opened Le Club, the first American discotheque, on New Year’s Eve 1960, on East 55th Street in Manhattan. By 1962, The New York Times, discussing and defining the new term “jet-set,” used Coquelin and members of Le Club as paradigmatic examples.
Table of Contents: From Paris to New York: Le Club / The Cheetah Club / Live Acts: Jimi Hendrix / Salsa: Fania All Stars / Rock: Pink Floyd / Valerie recalls / Night Life / Closing Act: Haiti
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From Paris to New York: Le Club
Oliver Coquelin was born in Paris in 1937, and his heroism during the Korean War earned him the American citizenship.
After the Korean War, Olivier moved to the United States and the “King of the Clubs” opened his first nightclub called Le Club at 416 East 55th Street in New York City in 1960.
Le Club remained open until 1995 as a members only club that was attended by the wealthy of the city.
At Le Club, Olivier met his future business partner and New York socialite Borden Stevenson (the son of Adlai Stevenson, famed American politician and diplomat who, as a part of the Kennedy Administration, was at the time the United States Ambassador to the United Nations).
Olivier together with Borden became the trendsetters for New York nightlife and the jet set.
