Sand Dollar brings the blues

He has seen a lot of sunrises right outside the doors from where he sits on a recent Thursday afternoon.

Especially this time of year.

For the majority of the past two decades, John Earl has overseen operations at the Sand Dollar blues lounge, long the hub of the local blues scene with spokes extending in dozens of Vegas bands who've gotten their start here.

Next month, the Sand Dollar commemorates its 20th year with another of its annual anniversary parties, blues blowouts that start around noon and end well into the next day, with sets by Earl's Boogieman Band, the Moanin' Blacksnakes and nearly a dozen more Sand Dollar staples.

"I've never seen one end before 5 a.m.," Earl says with a grin, sitting in the dark confines of the club as Luther Allison plays on the jukebox.

The Sand Dollar has weathered its share of ups and downs over the years, and Earl has witnessed most of them firsthand. It's now on its third owner, and after a three-year hiatus, Earl, along with his wife, Shirley, recently returned to oversee the place once again three weeks ago.

This is their third go-round as well.

Beginning in the early '90s, the Sand Dollar built a rep by luring in name acts such as Charlie Musselwhite, Marcia Ball, Tinsley Ellis and others, while guitar greats such as Joe Bonamassa and Ted Nugent were known to drop by for impromptu sets from time to time.

One of the draws is the vibe of the Sand Dollar, which has a familial, clubhouse feel to it.

"When you sit down and you start talking to somebody here, whether you've ever met 'em or not, you feel like you're in a bar at home," says Earl, a stout dude with a white beard. "It's a local hangout. There's no pretense. That's why the bikers can talk to the bankers here, and vice versa."

A blues lifer, Earl began making the rounds in his own band in his native Texas at the age of 14. Eventually, he'd end up in Amsterdam, running a small music club in a buddy's casino before opening a venue of his own, which he oversaw for nine years.

These days, he wants to re-establish the Sand Dollar, which has been singin' the blues in a literal sense of late.

"Now that word's getting out again that we're involved, we're starting to get lots of phone calls from California and Utah and Arizona from the bands that used to come through here," Earl says. "We're going to get a lot more diversified entertainers. I think it's probably going to be as good as it ever was," he says. "If not better."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.