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Copacabana (often referred to as The Copa) was a famous New York City nightclub. Many entertainers, among them Danny Thomas and the comedy team of Martin and Lewis, made their debuts at the Copacabana. The 1978 Barry Manilow song "Copacabana" is named for and about the nightclub, and part of the 2003 Yerba Buena song "Guajira" is set there. The Copa was used as a setting in the films Goodfellas, Raging Bull, Tootsie, Carlito's Way and Beyond the Sea.

The club opened November 10, 1940^[1][2] at 10 East 60th Street in New York City.

Harry Belafonte was banned from the Copacabana in 1944, for being African-American. He was in the U.S. Navy at the time, and was denied entry with a date (he returned in the 1950s as a headliner at the club).

In addition to their debut, the nightclub was also the setting for the last-ever performance of Martin and Lewis, on July 25, 1956.

This nightclub achieved a degree of notoriety due to a May 16, 1957 incident involving members of the New York Yankees. One evening, Mickey Mantle, Whitey Ford, Hank Bauer, Yogi Berra, Johnny Kucks and Billy Martin of the Yankees, along with the wives of the former five arrived at the nightclub to celebrate Martin's birthday. Sammy Davis, Jr. happened to be the headliner. During the performance, a group of bowlers, apparently intoxicated, started to interfere with Davis' act, even hurling racial slurs at him. This behavior incensed the Yankees, especially Martin, since his club roommate was catcher Elston Howard, the first African American to join the Yankees. Tensions erupted between the two factions, and the resulting fracas made newspaper headlines. Several of the Yankees were fined. One of the bowlers sued Bauer for aggravated assault, but Bauer was found not guilty.

In the mid-1970s, the Copa became a discothèque. It was closed for three years in the 1970s after the owner died.^[3]

In 1992, then-owner Peter Dorn moved the club from its original location of over 50 years, to 617 West 57th Street. Dorn charged landlord Nicola Blase with "not liking Hispanics," the stated reason for the move.^[1]

In 2001, the club was forced to move a third time to W. 34th Street and Eleventh Avenue on the west side of Manhattan, when its landlord terminated its lease early to build office towers on the site. It has presented mostly Hip-Hop and Salsa acts since then.^[4]

On January 20, 2007, the club announced that it would have to move by July 1 because its current location was condemned due to the planned expansion of the IRT Flushing Line (7 <7>) of the New York City Subway.[2]. June 30 of the same year was the last night the club was open with "El Gran Combo" performing. The owners plan to reopen the club once a suitable new location is found.

• Frank Sinatra
• Bobby Darin
• Dean Martin
• Sammy Davis Jr.
• Jackie Gleason
• Jerry Lewis
• Peggy Lee
• Lena Horne
• The Supremes
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Tony Bennett
• Nat King Cole
• Jimmy Durante
• Billy Eckstine
• Buddy Hackett
• Joe E. Lewis
• Johnnie Ray
• Della Reese
• Billy Daniels
• Danny Thomas
• Jack E. Leonard
• Sophie Tucker
• Wayne Newton
• Julie Wilson
• Tony Orlando
• Carmen Miranda
• Tommy Dorsey
• Martha Reeves and The Vandellas
• Smokey Robinson and The Miracles

1. ^ Austen, Brie (2002). The Great American Supperclub. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
2. ^ New York City - The Cabarets (1959). Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
3. ^ Night Spots Confront Residential Growth And Higher Rents Mireya Navarro. New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Aug 4, 2001. pg. B.1
4. ^ Night Spots Confront Residential Growth And Higher Rents Mireya Navarro. New York Times. (Late Edition (East Coast)). New York, N.Y.: Aug 4, 2001. pg. B.1

• Copacabana Historic Nightclub
• New York City's Copacabana review from 1949

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