The High Note Lounge Cafe / Rock'N Horse's History

Sam Pilato has handled promotions for the business that is now the High Note / Rock'N Horse for over 15 years, back to the days when it was Faces Deli.

Since then, the bar has had several homes, including the Colonnade, the Howard Johnson's Inn on Oxmoor in Homewood, and now down on 21st Street S.

Through the many moves, the bar has retained it's friendly, welcoming atmosphere and loyal customer base. They just keep following Sam around, and it's no wonder. Talk to some of the regulars, and on top of the amazing and funny stories they'll tell you, you'll hear the same comments repeated over and over:

  1. It's one of the friendliest bars in town, and has been since the beginnning. Sam greets you at the front door and is a master of making his customers feel welcome. To drive the point home, bar patrons are constantly comparing the High Note to the neighborhood Boston hang-out in the TV sit-com, Cheers.
     
  2. Wendy's has Dave, KFC has the Colonel, the Highnote has Sam!
    Not only are the patrons loyal to Sam and the High Note (because Sam's persona is as tied to the bar as Dave Thomas' is to the Wendy's restaurants), but he's faithful and loyal to the Highnote's customers as well. On the walls of the pool table room, he still hangs the caricatures of the bar's customers from 10-15 years ago (who, by the way, still pop in to look at them). On the other walls of the bar, you'll find pictures of customers, friends, and bands who have played there from the late 1980s up through the present day. Whenever the business has moved, Sam always requested that the memorabilia should be taken to the new location.

    One of the most touching pictures on the wall is close to the karaoke stage. It's a picture of a pretty 21 year old college student who was murdered down in the 5 Points area in 2000. A benefit concert was organized by her friends and family and was performed in her honor at the High Note.
     

  3. The Rock'N Horse has been THE place in Birmingham for young up-and-coming bands to perform. It started back when the bar was Faces Deli: two young Birmingham brothers (the Vallejo brothers) were starting a band and didn't have a place to play. They approached Sam about setting up a stage, and so was born the Birmingham local rock scene.

    There simply was no other place that young musicians could walk in and get a gig in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The staff at the High Note / Rock'N Horse continue to encourage and support local acts whether they be bands, solo musicians, acrobats, DJs, or whatever. Read more about what some local bands have had to say about the High Note

    Not only has the High Note / Rock'N Horse been the training ground for new bands in Birmingham, but the best sound engineers to come out of our city have cut their teeth on our fabulous stereo and light system in the back room. Past sound engineers are now touring the country with popular bands such as Dexter Freebish.

    I suppose if you combine great equipment with a great learning environment, such things are bound to happen. :)
     

  4. The High Note has one of the largest karaoke selections and systems around, and to make the situation even better, the karaoke is actually fun.

    It's not competitive; the folks here don't care if the people performing are fabulous singers or not. It's all about cutting loose, having fun, and being silly if you want.

    Oh, and everyone eventually succumbs to the tempation and gets up to sing a song   ..   why not? Watch for bit, and you'll see a guy in a big cowboy hat hop up to the stage to sing a Willie Nelson tune, followed by a group of dancing girls singing Sir-Mix-a-Lot's Baby Got Back, followed by a lovely duet of Elton John and Kiki Dee's Don't Go Breaking My Heart.

    Sometimes the crowd gets a real treat: local band members have been known to get up and sing their favorite cover songs, and then there was the time when Ray Charles' back-up singers (yep .. the ones from the TV commercials) came and sang karaoke one night. In a nutshell, the High Note / Rock'N Horse is a friendly, diverse, locals bar with great karaoke and live acts. Sam and the rest of the staff have been making the bar a great place to hang out for over 15 years. So "Cheers!" to YOU ... Here's to betting that the next 15 years will be even better!

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