{{Short description|American nightclub owner}} {{Use American English|date=January 2026}} {{BLP sources|date=March 2008}}
'''Audrey Joseph''' is an American record executive, event promoter, nightclub owner and manager, and [[LGBT rights]] activist. She is the former president and current member of the San Francisco Entertainment Commission.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.sfbaytimes.com/index.php?sec=article&article_id=3878 | work=SF Bay Times| date=January 27, 2005 | title=Rainbow relief for tsunami survivors |author=Nancy Norstad}}</ref><ref name="Entertainment Commission, sfgov">[http://www.sfgov.org/site/entertainment_index.asp?id=47090 ''Entertainment Commission'', sfgov] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328210006/http://www.sfgov.org/site/entertainment_index.asp?id=47090 |date=March 28, 2009 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/site/uploadedfiles/bdsupvrs/motions07/m07-0073.pdf Motion of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081114111338/http://www.ci.sf.ca.us/site/uploadedfiles/bdsupvrs/motions07/m07-0073.pdf |date=November 14, 2008 }}</ref> She started in the recording industry as a nightclub manager and later record executive responsible for some [[disco]]-era dance hits. She relocated from [[New York, New York|New York]] to San Francisco and opened a popular club and event venue,<ref>[http://gallery.circuitnoize.com/Issues/cn50full.pdf ''Circuit Noize Magazine'', Issue 50] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320041635/http://gallery.circuitnoize.com/Issues/cn50full.pdf |date=March 20, 2009 }} , November 2006; [http://gallery.circuitnoize.com/Issues/cn32full.pdf ''Circuit Noize Magazine'', Issue 32] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090320033420/http://gallery.circuitnoize.com/Issues/cn32full.pdf |date=March 20, 2009 }}, April 2001.</ref> 177 Townsend/174 King Street, and several [[gay]] clubs at those venues including [[Pleasuredome (night club)|Pleasuredome]], [[Club Universe]], and others used for fundraising and events particular to the [[LGBT]] community.<ref name="Entertainment Commission, sfgov" /> With San Francisco's changing real estate market the lease on the venue expired, and the building razed;<ref name="Selvin-2002a">{{Cite news |first=Joel |last=Selvin |authorlink=Joel Selvin |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] | title=Club Townsend's grand finale | url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Club-Townsend-s-grand-finale-Audrey-Joseph-2820397.php |date=May 21, 2002 | access-date=March 29, 2009}}</ref> and Joseph started Mezzanine at 444 Jessie, which established itself as a premier venue for DJ talent.<ref>[http://www.lsionline.co.uk/news/?B94P4O "EAW at Mezzanine, San Francisco"] Lee Baldock, ''Lighting & Sound'', 8 February 2006.</ref>
In 1997, Joseph received the Business Person of the Year award as part of the Pantheon of Leather Awards.<ref>🖉{{Cite web |url=https://www.theleatherjournal.com/pantheon-awards/recipients |title=Pantheon of Leather Awards All Time Recipients - The Leather Journal |website=www.theleatherjournal.com |access-date=2020-12-27 |archive-date=2020-12-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201228055005/https://www.theleatherjournal.com/pantheon-awards/recipients |url-status=dead}}</ref> Joseph was appointed to the San Francisco Entertainment Commission by Mayor [[Willie Brown (politician)|Willie L. Brown]] and took office in July 2003. She has served as the commission's vice president and president several times.
== Early life and career == Joseph was born in [[Brooklyn, New York]].<ref name="Selvin-2002a" /> She was influenced by her father, a criminal lawyer and [[civil rights]] activist.<ref name=FSMHAJ>[https://archive.today/20130210104148/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/gay_travel_news/message/217 Leather Street Fair To Honor Gay Activist, Musician] (archived copy) Press release of 22nd Annual [[Folsom Street Fair]] (2005) being dedicated to Audrey Joseph.</ref>
Joseph's first nightclub job was at Dynamite, a [[Brooklyn]] nightclub. Soon after she moved to the [[Electric Circus (nightclub)|Electric Circus]], in [[Manhattan]] and shortly after began working in the [[record industry]] for Aria Productions and MK Dance Promotions, a company founded by Tom Cossie and Mark Kriener. Her break in music came while working as a promoter for the ''Big Apple Band,'' which specialized in bar mitzvahs and weddings. The band was given a contract to write a song for a New York City promotional campaign, and it came up with "[[Chic discography|Dance, Dance, Dance]]" for the b-side. The group renamed itself [[Chic (band)|Chic]] and the single, on Atlantic Records, was the first gold 12-inch disc. "I was the promotion person, the hanger-on... a couple of the hand claps on there are mine," Joseph said of her role.
Joseph became the National Director of MK Dance Promotions and went on to promote over a hundred [[disco]] records that went [[music recording sales certification|gold]]<ref name="Selvin-2002a" /><ref name=CTGF>[https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Club-Townsend-s-grand-finale-Audrey-Joseph-2820397.php Club Townsend's grand finale: Audrey Joseph closing doors of popular venue] Joel Selvin, ''San Francisco Chronicle'', May 21, 2002.</ref> In 1979, Joseph joined [[Arista Records]] as their Director of [[dance music]].<ref name=LMAJ>[https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Ace-of-clubs-puts-her-cards-on-the-table-2848146.php Ace of clubs puts her cards on the table] Lord Martine, ''San Francisco Chronicle'', November 30, 2001.</ref>
==San Francisco== Joseph relocated from New York City to [[San Francisco]] in 1982.<ref name="Selvin-2002">{{Cite web|last=Selvin|first=Joel|date=2002-05-21|title=Club Townsend's grand finale / Audrey Joseph closing doors of popular venue|url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Club-Townsend-s-grand-finale-Audrey-Joseph-2820397.php|access-date=2021-10-22|website=SFGATE|language=en-US}}</ref> She moved to help her friend Marty Blecman run [[Megatone Records]]; after the early death of his business partner Patrick Cowley from AIDS.<ref name="Selvin-2002" /><ref name="Selvin-2002a" /> Her background in the concert, nightclub and record business in New York City served her well in San Francisco. At Megatone Records, she was involved in the marketing and promotion of [[Sylvester (singer)|Sylvester]].<ref>{{cite book| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LwIGcuy_xxMC&dq=Audrey+Joseph&pg=PA217| title=The Fabulous Sylvester |author=Joshua Gamson| page=217| publisher=Macmillan| year=2005| isbn=978-0-8050-7250-1 }}</ref> She also managed [[David Harness]].<ref>{{cite magazine| title=Harness gets 'Loveslapped'| author=Roseberry, Craig| volume=114| issn=0006-2510| date=2002-12-14| url=http://elibrary.bigchalk.com/libweb/elib/do/document?set=search&groupid=1&requestid=lib_standard&resultid=7&edition=&ts=848A9C965998175E64DC90E944248DFE_1238545152287&start=1&urn=urn%3Abigchalk%3AUS%3BBCLib%3Bdocument%3B70491804| magazine=Billboard }}</ref>
She became involved with AIDS activism organizations fighting the [[AIDS]] [[pandemic]] including hosting many fundraisers including the first [[leather subculture]] contests in San Francisco.<ref name=FSMHAJ/>
===Club Townsend=== In 1992, Joseph alongside Bill Camillo and Les Dirks took over the struggling Club Townsend.<ref name="CTGF" /> After the death of both Camillo and Dirks in late 1993 and early 1994, Joseph formed a partnership with Ty Dakota.<ref name="CTGF" /><ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.sfgate.com/style/article/More-nightlife-lessons-for-newcomers-3309264.php| title=More nightlife lessons for newcomers| author=Lord Martine| date=July 10, 1997| work=San Francisco Chronicle }}</ref>
At the time, Sunday night gay [[tea dance]] ''Pleasuredome'' was happening. To complement, Dakota & Joseph founded ''Club Universe'' which became a dance club and entertainment venue and hosted shows for international stars like [[Grace Jones]], [[Cyndi Lauper]], [[Chaka Khan]], [[The B-52's]], [[Blondie (band)|Blondie]], and [[disc jockey]]s from around the globe. Club Universe developed a reputation in the club scene for its ever-evolving and changing themes each week.<ref name="Lord Martine">{{cite news| url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Ace-of-clubs-puts-her-cards-on-the-table-2848146.php| title=Ace of clubs puts her cards on the table| author=Lord Martine| date=November 30, 2001| work=San Francisco Chronicle }}</ref>
Club Townsend and its counterpart [[King Street Garage]] hosted clubs like Wicked, Futura, New Wave City, Club Asia, Club Q, Electric and live performances by [[Sammy Hagar]], [[Blues Traveler]], [[The Wallflowers]], [[Third Eye Blind]], [[Big Bad Voodoo Daddy]], [[Reverend Horton Heat]], [[Bootsy Collins]], [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] and [[Parliament Funkadelic]].<ref name="Entertainment Commission, sfgov" /><ref name="CTGF" />
In November 2000, attorneys for the family of the late Jeffrey Goring, a San Jose man who died in February 2000 after collapsing on the dance floor at Club Universe, said they were filing a wrongful death lawsuit, complaining club employees waited too long to call 911 emergency services after Goring fell. Club officials denied the charges.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aegis.com/news/bar/2000/BR001211.html |work=Bay Area Reporter via Aegis |date=December 28, 2000 |author=Katie Szymanski |author2=Terry Beswick |name-list-style=amp |title=A last look at Y2K: Part 2 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525204022/http://www.aegis.com/news/bar/2000/BR001211.html |archivedate=2011-05-25 }}</ref> The case was subsequently settled out of court and Goring was found to have no drugs in his system and had collapsed from an [[asthma attack]]; all parties in the lawsuit were bound to confidentiality.<ref name="LMAJ" /><ref name="Lord Martine" />
===Community event production=== Joseph produced the dance stage at the [[Folsom Street Fair]] for many years and did the main stage production for the [[San Francisco Pride|San Francisco Gay Pride]] celebration.<ref name="Entertainment Commission, sfgov" /><ref name=FSMHAJ/> She has also been a producer of the event [[International Ms. Leather]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Matt |last=Baume |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/inside-the-changing-leather-scene-202707/ |title=Inside the Changing Leather Scene |newspaper=Rolling Stone |date=August 18, 2017 |accessdate=2019-05-14}}</ref>
==Entertainment Commission== Joseph was appointed to the Entertainment Commission by Mayor [[Willie Brown (politician)|Willie L. Brown]] and took office 1 July 2003. She has served as the first Vice President 2003–2004 and the President of the Commission 2004–2005 and again as vice president for 200–2006. In 2007, she was elected as president again. Joseph started the San Francisco Entertainment Commission Academy, which holds interactive seminars to assist in the education and introduction of the nighttime entertainment economy.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.ebar.com/news/article.php?sec=news&article=3828 | work=The Bay Area Reporter| date=March 26, 2009 | title=News in brief: Our Family benefit April 1| author=Cynthia Laird }}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://archive.today/20070614123604/http://www.bettyslist.com/gallery/BettysBdayMECCA/1ajljIMG_0669 ''Betty with SF Entertainment Commissioner Audrey Joseph'', Betty's Birthday Celebration @ MECCA Hosted by Steve Weber - April 27, 2006] *{{Cite news|url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Castro-Halloween-may-be-a-ghost-of-the-past-3224036.php |title=Castro Halloween may be a ghost of the past |first=Robert |last=Selna |date=March 15, 2008 |work=SF Gate |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225084816/https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Castro-Halloween-may-be-a-ghost-of-the-past-3224036.php |archive-date=February 25, 2021}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Audrey}} [[Category:Leather subculture]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:People from Brooklyn]] [[Category:Businesspeople from San Francisco]] [[Category:Activists from the San Francisco Bay Area]] [[Category:LGBTQ rights activists from New York (state)]]