Barrymore’s founder Gord Rhodes dead at 68
Posted Jul 11, 2013 10:09:45 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA – The man credited with putting Ottawa on the music industry’s map has died.
Gord Rhodes, 68, who was the co-owner of Barrymore’s Music Hall, died in his sleep Wednesday.
Barrymore’s was named after the famous Hollywood family in tribute to its previous life as a movie theatre. It began as a disco in the fall of 1978, but was relabelled as a music venue months later.
Gord, who was a musician himself, started bringing acts like U2, Tina Turner, Bryan Adams and REM to Ottawa.
He’s being remembered by fellow live music promoter Eugene Haslam as a pioneer who forever changed Ottawa’s music scene.
Barrymore’s closed in the fall of 1991 and eventually re-opened under new ownership. It currently features DJs and dancing, while live music fans pine for the good old days.
