Charliesamuels · CC BY-SA 3.0

Born Hillel Kristal, he opened CBGB in New York's Bowery in 1973 intending it for country, bluegrass, and blues — the club's full name — but it became instead the birthplace of American punk, hosting the first shows by Television, the Ramones, Blondie, and Patti Smith. The club he ran for over three decades closed in 2006 in a rent dispute, the year before his death.