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The Recovery Room was an influential Dallas-based jazz club that flourished from 1973 to 1980 in the Oak Lawn neighborhood at 4036 Cedar Springs Road. It was founded, owned, and operated by Jeannie and Bill Donnelly, husband and wife.

History
Bill (né William Peter Donnelly; born 1930) and his wife, Jeannie Donnelly (née Jeanie Leona Gunn; 1927–2002), opened the Recovery Room November 14, 1973, as a neighborhood lounge. Four months later, they added live jazz. The Donnelly's closed the club in July 1980 with the aim of selling it and re-locating somewhere else. Initially, the sale fell through, but, nonetheless, the Donnelly's re-opened the club at 4036 Cedar Springs.

The club's predecessor, The Arandis, had been operating on weekends only and the Villager had been closed for several months.

Jeanie Donnelly had been an actress since the age of 3 in her father's theater company, the Mad Capp Players. Her family had been in show business for six generations. Her father, Toby Gunn (né Leon Oryn Gunn; 1892–1973), co-directed the Mad Capp Players as a tent show in Dallas from 1931 to 1945.

Featured artists

 * Red Garland
 * Marchel Lee Ivery (1938–2007), tenor saxophonist

Owner's
Jeanie Leona Donnelly (née Jeanie Leona Gunn; 1927–2002), born in Pecos, Texas, to the marriage of Toby Gunn (né Leon Oryn Gunn; 1892–1973) and "Honey" Baker (née Jeanie Finette Baker; 1904–1985). Jeanie Donnelly was married five times:


 * Joseph William Free (1924–1984); married September 12, 1943, in Rockwall County, Texas


 * Earl Carmack Bristow; married June 25, 1944, in Rockwall County, Texas
 * They had a son, Michael Edward Bristow (born 1945)


 * ??? Manor


 * ??? Storm


 * Douglas Wills Ackley (1918–1993) was, in 1946 singing vocal duets with the Wayne Babb Players


 * Bill Donnelley (né William Peter Donnelly; born 1930)
 * They had a daugher, Toni Elizabeth Donnelly (born 1967), who, from 1986 to 1988, had been married to Stephen J. Kennedy. In 1990, Toni married Martin Bradley Smith

Jeanie, in 1934, at age 7, under the stage name "Baby Jeanie Gunn," was a featured actress, notably playing the part of Little Mary Morgan in 10 Nights in a Bar Room, a Madcap Tent Theater, a production by the Madcap Players in Dallas. "Baby" as part of her stage name, was used to distinguish her from her actress mother, whose stage name was Jeanie Gunn.

Works by Jeanie Donnelly

 * Hold Your Breath, a play in three acts (©1951)
 * By Joseph William Free & Jeanie Leona Gunn Free


 * The Entertaining Game of Stock Market Bridge (©1955)
 * The Entertaining Game of Stock Market Gin (©1955)
 * The Entertaining Game of Stock Market Poker (©1955)
 * By Joseph William Free & Jeanie Leona Gunn Free

Dallas area jazz clubs during the 1970s

 * Strictly Tabu at 4111 Lomo Alto Drive, near Lemmon Avenue in Dallas. The venue dated back to the late 1950s, but its jazz room opened Easter Weekend 1976 and flourished until about 1999. Jim Young (né James Compton Young; 1945–2017) was a co-owner from 1976 to ????.  Nick was co-owner from 1976 to 1984.  It was known for pizza and decor that included pink flamingos and green palm trees painted along the interior walls. Eugeni Kolykhanov's (né Eugeni Georgewich Kolykhanov; born 1965) (aka Zhenya Rock of the Red Elvises) pink-flamingo paintings that hung in the club from 1995 until the club closed sold in 2007.
 * Maxine Kent's at 5404 Lemmon Avenue in Dallas closed around 1978. The Dallas Jazz Orchestra used to perform at Maxine Kent's on Sundays until 1978. Maxine Kent (née Evelyn Maxine McKinnon; 1928–2010) had performed as a singer in Saint Louis as "Maxine Kent" from 1953 to 1963.
 * The Kings Club at the Adolphus Hotel
 * The Bagatelle at One Energy Square, 4925 Greenville Avenue at University Boulevard, a restaurant, was opened in 1974 and was owned and operated by Greenville Associates, which also owned and operated the Plaza Restaurant. Leo Meier was President.  Paul Guerrero, jazz drummer, performed there for more than 10 years.  The Restaurant closed sometime before 1983.
 * Windmill Dinner Theater, in 1978, was renovated and re-opened as The Palladium Dallas
 * Granny's Dinner Playhouse, 12205 Coit Road, Dallas
 * Caravan of Dreams
 * The Mayor's House
 * The Venetian Room at the Fairmont Hotel (house big band)
 * Southern Kitchen East
 * Popsicle Toes, at 5627 Dyer Street, Dallas, owned by Karen and Wayne Morgan, featured the Dallas Jazz Orchestra on Sundays, beginning 1978, when Maxine Kent's closed. The club flourished until about 1987, when it closed.
 * Venue history:
 * 1968–1970: The Ricksha
 * 1972–1974: 1912 Emporium, Joseph Baker Dickinson (1932–2010) had been a partner
 * 1975: Meet Market – Clay Burr (né Henry Clay Burr; born 1949), lead guitarist founded The Saloon Band in 1970 which, in 1975 became the house band for the Meet Market
 * Then "The Market"
 * 1980–1987: Popsicle Toes featured jazz; but Buster Brown was the house band; Phyrework also performed there.
 * Buster Brown band:


 * Otis Gardner (vocals)
 * Kelly Mcnulty (né Kelly Waite McNulty; born 1953) (keyboards, vocals), founder
 * Jim Casey (né James Robert Casey; born 1953) (guitar), founder
 * Al Olive (vocals)
 * Roger Burton (formerly of the Bees Knees)
 * Michael Medina (bass)
 * Lawrence "Peabody" Ferrell (drums)
 * James Kings (keyboards)


 * Others
 * Ken Johnson (drums)
 * Mark Wilson
 * Pat Darling (né Patrick Arnold Darling; born 1952) (guitar)
 * Danny Darling (né Daniel Eugene Darling; born 1949) (drums)


 * Note: The Darling brothers and Jim Kasey graduated from Pampa High School – Danny in 1970, Patrick in 1972, Jim in 1973


 * Eric Tagg
 * Mike Collier (drums)
 * Albert Evans
 * David Collier (drums)
 * Lewis Nichols
 * Connie Schlig (née Constance Liebe Schlig; 1957–1996) Dan Haerle's original Zebras group at the University of North Texas College of Music. She graduated in 1979 with a Bachelor of Music degree
 * Rusty Lewis, keyboards
 * David Shelander (né David Martin Shelander; 1954–2013), keyboards; stepson of journalist William Brinkley
 * Greg Bissonette
 * Brad Dutz (de) (né Bradley G. Dutz; born 1960), percussion
 * Freddie Pol (Federico Pol; born 1958), bass
 * Rick Rigsby (né Ricky Charles Rigsby) (bass)
 * Tony Wilcox
 * Kenny Evans
 * David Ritz
 * Sherry Hammonds (joined the band in the late 80’s)
 * Lou Nichols (bass)
 * Tom Braxton (né Thomas Roy Braxton; born 1961) (sax)


 * Einstein's Apartment
 * Tiffany Smith
 * Connie Schlig


 * The Ozona
 * Currently (as of 2018): Green Elephant

Dallas area jazz publications during the 1970s

 * Dallas Jazz News, founded 1978, Dale McFarland, editor;

Dallas area Jazz societies

 * The Dallas Jazz Society, Inc.