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The Royal Motor Lodge was a motel located along US Highway 1 on the bank of the Indian River in Melbourne, Florida. The motel had a small restaurant with a very small cocktail lounge in the back.
I remember my parents going there occasionally when I was younger. I think they called it the Blue Room or something similar to that. It was basically just a bar with a few booths for seating.
The first time we played there was in 1974. They had expanded and opened a second room on the other side of the bar. I don’t think the room could hold more than fifty people at one time. However, we played in the little room and began to build our business. We were having a great time.
We got the offer from Bali-Hai to play there full time. This meant we would have to give up the job at the Royal Motor lodge. As I mentioned before, we made all those changes, but eventually ended up back at the Royal Motor Lodge.
The owners wanted to re-model the lounge and expand the seating. In order to do that, walls would have to come down, others would have to be put up. They moved the bar to another side of the room. Of course, Larry and I were always up for a project. We actually came in a helped with some of the construction. In a few weeks, the room was ready.
 One of the changes included adding another entrance from the back of the room, hence came the name “The Back Door” lounge. This would be one of the many re-models for the lounge, and one of many projects for Larry and I.
The Back Door was a comfortable, friendly place where everyone loved to go. You could always go there and see someone you knew.
Larry and I played at the Back Door off and on for approximately seven years. The first time we left there to play at the Bali-Hai, we returned. The second time we left to open our own club called Larry & Sandi’s Rendezvous. We returned again to the Back Door. We left again and played at the Kismet Restaurant & Lounge.
During the years of moving from the Back Door to other places, the Back Door changed owners a few times. Each owner that took over had great ideas of how to change things and make them better. Granted, some things needed to be changed. It is often difficult to see the positive side of change when you are on the receiving end of it. However, some of the changes included changing the entertainment in the lounge.
Larry and I were very fortunate to have developed a following that was very dedicated to us and wanted to go where we were performing. Quite often we would be asked to return to the BackDoor because the owner would realize we were really a part of the success of the lounge.
The last time we left the Backdoor to go to the Host of America. After this last time, we never set foot in the Backdoor again.
After all the years, approximately seven all together, we still hold the Backdoor dear to our hearts. We had so many wonderful times there and made so many friends, it will forever be a special place for us.
At the time of this writing, the old Royal Motor Lodge and the Backdoor Lounge have been torn down to make room for new developments. I still expect to look over and see the old building each time I drive by the site where it used to be.
The Backdoor went on for years after we left. There were several owners and many other bands that played there. It just never was quite the same. We will try to share some of the memories from the Backdoor and the other places we played throughout the years. Hopefully, you will remember some of the stories, and hopefully, we will remember most of the details.
I think back about the times we had and I wish I had kept some type of journal. Unfortunately, I didn’t so we are going to have to rely on our memory for most of the details. Let’s see how well that works !
One of the great things about being in the entertainment business is the people you meet.
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