Part 1: The Birth of a Legend In 1963, the world was in a state of flux. JFK had been shot in Dallas, Martin Luther King Jr. had given his “I Have a Dream” speech, segregation was on its way out in the south and the Beatles released their first album. On Friday the 13th of December the Singing Nun had the #1 hit in the country with “Dominique” and in Indianapolis, Indiana…Harold and Lorean Yeagy bought a bar. And so the Slippery Noodle Inn was born. Harold said in an interview from 1983 that the bar reminded him of his grandfather’s bar in Peoria, Illinois. “I can remember being in my grandfather’s bar when I was 4 years old. When I first walked into this place, it was like going home.” Harold Yeagy, a larger than life person, was classified 4F in WWII; he joined the USO, emceeing shows, writing jokes and one-liners. These one-liners came into play when it came time to name the new acquisition. According to Harold, “On the night before we had to register a name for the place, the whole family got together. By 3 in the morning, after trying just about every name in the world, we still didn’t have one. So I said, ‘why don’t we call it the Slippery Noodle Inn?’ Everyone laughed and wanted to know why. I told them I didn’t know. At 3 in the morning the Slippery Noodle Inn just sounded right.” When the family acquired the bar, Harold was still working as a manager for the P.R. Mallory Company in their timer switch division. Every member of Harold’s family worked at the bar. Harold was always at the bar after his shift ended until closing time. At this time the bar was a lunch-counter affair, open from 9:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. On Fridays the bar would stay open later to host the “Friday Night Hootenannies” in the Hell-Za-Hoppin room, where the front stage is now located. Musicians Harold knew would get together and play music in the dining room area. One of the stories told is that Harold worked with jazz legend Wes Montgomery, and he would show up at these Hootenannies. In 1964, Harold lost his eyesight due to diabetes. He was let go from the Mallory Company. But through this hardship, another legend of the Noodle was born. After losing his sight, Harold’s sense of touch became so acute that he was able to “read with his fingers”. Hal Jr., Harold and Lorean’s youngest son, recalls when he was 7 years old, sitting at home with his father, “Dad and I used to sit at home and play the card game War. He used to tell me the cards I had in my hand when he dealt them.” By 1966, Harold was once again back at the Slippery Noodle, this time as the full-time bartender. He knew the bar so well and his sense of touch was so refined that he was able to bartend and make change even while blind. Customers from the late 60’s and 70’s would tell stories about how Harold would come out to pick up plates and dishes from the booths in the front bar even though he was blind. Many a person would come into the Slippery Noodle to try and fool the legendary blind bartender by handing him a bill and asking him what it was. No matter the denomination, Harold always knew what it was. By 1969, Bill and Terry, Harold and Lorean’s older sons, had moved on from working at their parents’ bar to having their own careers. With the closing of Union Station in 1973, downtown Indianapolis began a downward spiral. During 1975, the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana began a search for the state’s oldest businesses. Harold was intrigued, and after some research by youngest son Hal, they learned the bar dated back to at least 1865, when it was the home of the first German club in Indianapolis. More research by Hal actually established the date as 1850 and the original name as the “Tremont House”. Gangsters John Dillinger and Al Brady actually hid out in the bar. At least 2 unsolved murders on city records were committed inside the Noodle. In the mid 70’s, Harold led a battle to rescue and restore many of the old downtown buildings. Luckily at this time, one of Indianapolis Mayor Bill Hudnut’s major goals was the economic expansion of the downtown area. During the late 70’s downtown Indy saw more than 30 major building projects take place including the two square block Indiana Convention Center and Market Square Arena. At this time, the local press began referring to Harold affectionately as “the Mayor of South Meridian Street”. In 1979, the Slippery Noodle Inn received news from the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana that they were officially the “oldest continually operating tavern in the state of Indiana”. In 1982, ground was broken on what would become the Hoosier Dome, later to be named the RCA Dome. This year also saw the Slippery Noodle recognized on the National Registry of Historic Places. By this time, Harold had lost one of his legs to diabetes but continued to bartend with a prosthetic leg – but he was so much more than a bartender. In an interview Lorean gave in 1986, she talked about how Harold’s diabetes doctor would send patients down to speak with him. “If the doctor knew the people were going to lose their sight, he would tell them to go and talk to Harold.” In November of 1984, Harold lost his battle with diabetes. According to Lorean, “People came from everywhere. It was just amazing how people said he had touched their lives. He didn’t realize it, he was just being himself.” Harold may have summed it up best himself in an interview in 1983, “It’s a family affair. It’s been a good investment in more ways than one. It’s let me educate my sons, and I’ve met a lot of good friends from all different nationalities.” Part 2: The Mecca of Blues By the end of 1984, Harold Yeagy Jr. (Hal) was at a crossroads. The youngest of the Yeagy sons had finished at Purdue University and was working at Eli Lilly as a computer programmer; his first marriage had ended and his children, Erika, Kari and Brian, had moved to Texas and his father had passed away in November. The time was right for a change. Hal wanted to run the Noodle. His mother and older brothers were less enthusiastic about that idea. “No one quit Lilly’s,” recalls Hal. “You got a Lilly job and worked it until retirement. People didn’t just quit.” During this time Hal was working three jobs from 6:00 a.m. till midnight. Around this time he met and started dating Carol Caplinger. On their second date, they started refinishing the front bar together. This would not be the last time that one of their dates would consist of remodeling the bar. In May of 1985, Hal resigned from Eli Lilly. He came to the Noodle and showed his mother, Lorean, his letter of resignation. “Oh my God don’t turn that in,” she exclaimed. Hal’s reply was, “Too late. I already did.” By the summer of 1985, Hal had hired two friends to help at the bar, Al Lesh and Alan Powers. Hal remembers in the early years, “It was all my friends coming down to help me get going.” If a room needed paint stripped and repainted, Hal would make a few calls, and childhood friends would show up to help. It was some of these friends who were in the first band to play at the bar since the Hootenanny days. In September of 1985, the band “LighTouch” played at the Slippery Noodle. In late 1985, Hal began having live music on a regular basis on the weekends. According to Hal, “At that time the music was mostly folk or rock.” Soon a local musician named Mad Jack approached Hal about doing a “working man’s jam” on Wednesdays at 5:00 p.m. In 1986, Mad Jack introduced Hal to a local guitar legend by the name of Jerry Booth. Jerry’s exploits are the things of barroom legends. He had the thirst of Diamond Jim Brady, the guitar skills of Charlie Christian and the temperament of an ill-trained pit bull. In October of 1986, harmonica player Rick McHenry convinced Hal that he and Jerry Booth had a blues band that would fit in great at the Noodle. The band didn’t even have a name when they showed up to play the gig. “I remember standing outside the front door with Jerry and Rick,” Hal relates. “There was a full moon out and we decided to name them the Full Moon Blues Band.” It was that night Hal discovered that the music he had been listening to for most of his life was either blues or blues inspired. It was also around this time that local musicians introduced Hal to blues mandolin legend Yank Rachell, who was a fixture around Indianapolis and the Noodle, until his passing in 1997. On April 18, 1987, Hal and Carol were married on the front stage of the Slippery Noodle Inn. Carol’s children Josh and Alecia were 11 and 9, respectively, when they became members of the Yeagy family. On his wedding night Hal ended up having to bartend due to the fact that his scheduled bartender, who was also his best man, had “celebrated” a bit too much and was unable to finish out the night. In 1987, the Slippery Noodle shifted to playing blues all the time. It didn’t take long for blues musicians to hear about the new kid on the blues block. “By the summer of ‘89, we had a continuous line at the door on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We knew we needed to expand.” After major renovations, the large music room in back opened on May 8, 1990. It was during the 90’s that the Noodle cemented its reputation as a Blues Mecca by hosting world-renowned blues artists. “In those days, if I didn’t like your music, I didn’t book you because I also had to work the shows.” Hal said. In 1993, the Slippery Noodle started up its own recording label, Slippery Noodle Sound and three compilation CD’s were released: Volume I in 1993, Volume 2 in 1994 and Volume 3 in 1997. In 1994, extensive renovations were started, both inside and out, to the Noodle. The project was overseen by the Historical Society, and ended up taking three years at a cost of $1.5 million to complete. The expansion continued with the opening of the new atrium area on New Year’s Eve 1999, with entertainment provided by Matt “Guitar” Murphy. In 1996, the Noodle began hosting live music seven nights a week. “Hal and I had a weekend off, and we went down to Louisville,” Carol relates, “When we got there, nothing was open on Sunday. At this point we decided that Indianapolis downtown had grown so much that we should offer some kind of entertainment on a night when no one else was.” In 1998, the Slippery Noodle celebrated its 35th anniversary by holding a week long party, featuring a who’s who of the blues, including: Pinetop Perkins, Lonnie Brooks, Darrell Nulisch, Walter Trout and the Blues Brothers Band. In 2003, the Slippery Noodle was awarded the internationally prestigious Keeping the Blues Alive (KBA) Award, a lifetime achievement award from the Blues Foundation for non-performers who have made significant contributions. Through all the changes and growth, one thing has remained constant, the Slippery Noodle Inn is still a family affair. Along with Hal and Carol, three of their five children work at the bar. The investment that Harold Sr. made in 1963 is on its third generation. From a lunch counter to a world-renowned blues club, Hal & Carol Yeagy continue to keep the vision Hal’s father had alive and well in downtown Indianapolis. composed by Marty Bacon, General Manager Started at the Noodle in 1992 There are countless patrons, musicians, employees, friends and family that have helped make the Noodle what it is today. Without their support the Noodle could not have made it 50 years in my family. We cannot begin to list them all - but our sincere and heartfelt thanks are with them all. Without the wherewithal of the employees, the atmosphere that they create and the friendly service they provide we would just be another bar. Special thanks (and sincere apologies) to our very long term employees (years): Tim Kavanaugh (22), Rick Schmidt (21), Marty Bacon (20), Dave Martin (20), Chick Bowling (19), Chrissy Conway (19), Josh Caplinger(*son*)(16), Alecia Coss(*daughter*)(15), Vinny Flynn (15), Reynaldo Montes de Oca (13), Adam Kunkel (10), Jesus Vargas (9), Ed Schroeder (9), Paul Bowman (9), Omar Sanchez (9), Sara ‘Phoebe’ Etherington (9), Rudy Davenport (9), Brian Yeagy(*son*)(7). Not to mention that Josh, Alecia, Brian, Erika & Kari all had to grow up in the place. Thank you: Amanda Adams, Steve Bailey, Chae Cox, Armando Cruz-Cruz, Jeff Freeman, Jake Golob, Morgan Gray, Howie Green, Will Gross, Gabby Hatfield, Adrianne Hull, Kristen Humphress, Josh Hurm, Katherine Johnson, Aaron Jones, Corey Keller, Erick Landrum, John Marquis, Britteny McAlister, Kourtney Miller, MJ Mills, Lupe Montes, Richard Monzon, Lorraine Nuthak, Ashley Oldham, Angie Perring, Brian Piccione, Katie Riley, Caiti Shandrick, Curt Skinner, Amber Spayd, Melissa Stultz, Arika Swigert, Cassie Thomas, Adam Walker, Jessica Walker, Jessica Welch and the newest member of the family, Megan Yeagy (Brian’s wife). As I said 15 years ago on the liner for Volume 1: There are many people responsible for this CD, though none quite as important as my family. My appreciation of music is a direct result of my father. Without the benefit of sight, he was always listening to the radio and encouraging me in my musical pursuits. Both of my brothers helped start the place, basically from scratch. Without their time and effort at the onset, the Noodle would not have been there for me to take-over. Both have provided valuable advice and assistance since then. My mother was the practical one. She taught me to save everything and how to do the bookwork. Without her help and business sense I would never have lasted this long. My wife, Carol has been by my side for the entire 29 years that I have run the place. We operate as a team. Not an easy feat to run a business together and still try to have a family life. It was Carol’s idea for this very project and she is responsible for booking the great musicians that are at the Noodle every night. We joke that we now share a common brain - finishing each others thoughts. So she already knows that I am going to put it in print: Carol, I love you and I could not, would not, have done any of this without you. We are now into the 3rd generation-Josh, Alecia & Brian-It seems that Carol and myself have done all right. All in all it has been a family effort, including my illegitimate stepchild, Marty, and I would like to dedicate this album to the family, but especially to Mom and Dad. Thanks Everybody, Harold (Hal) R. Yeagy Jr.