VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – It has been a fixture at the corner of Seymour and Dunsmuir for decades.

Tomorrow, the Railway Club will celebrate its 80th anniversary.

Behind the bar, there’s a signed picture that reads:

The singer is one of a host of artists who got their start gracing that famous stage.

“[She] is probably the most famous. Los Lobos came through here, Barenaked Ladies…. They did a week back in the day, when nobody knew who they were,” explains Steve Sillman, who has owned the club for the past four years.

“The first couple of shows, there weren’t many people here. By the end of the week, apparently it was packed.”


Sillman is also the chief talent buyer for the Railway, so it’s up to him to book all the acts. He says live music remains the core of the club’s business.

“We have, on average, three bands a night, every night. We don’t open on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day but literally, 363 nights of the year there’s music, so [there are] hundreds of acts going through here all the time.”

Tomorrow night, the club celebrates with three bands on the bill: the Stingin’ Hornets, the Modelos, and the Graham Brown Band.

Sillman hints some surprise alumni guests may show up too. “Absolutely! But we can’t say. People will have to come see for themselves!”