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John Blair is a Gay Event Producer and Club Promoter Based in NYC

John Blair is hands-down the longest working gay nightlife producer and promoter in New York. He gives his age as “well past 50.”

John Blair has produced and promoted legendary NYC gay nightlife parties and venues

In the past 30 years, John Blair has promoted and produced legendary gay NYC nightlife parties and venues like Studio 54, Palladium, Roxy, Splash, XL, Limelight then Avalon, Viva and more.

Today John Blair is a co-owner of Rise Bar and promotes M.E.A.T. together with Jake Resnicow.

John Blair is a West Coast transplant living in NYC

In his early life, John was raised mostly in Arizona to born-again Christian parents. In 1970 he came out as gay while studying at San Bernadino Valley College in California.

After he dropped out of college, he moved to Los Angeles, and started working as a bank teller. Bored and influenced by the gay L.A. body culture, he devoted himself to body building and opened Body Center, L.A.’s first “gay gym.”

At his gym John Blair started compiling a mailing list of the sexiest guys working out. He would then invite them to parties to generate larger crowds—a superficial idea that proved to be marketing gold.

John Blair moved to NYC and transformed gay nightlife

In 1978 John moved to NYC and opened a Body Center in the Big Apple. During this time he also threw gay parties at Studio 54. “I would give one month’s free gym membership to every cute boy I met at Studio 54,” John Blair told the NY Times.

During the AIDS epidemic John took a break from nightlife. “The years 1981 to 1990 were dark, with AIDS,” he said. “Most of the guys on my original list have died.”

In the 90’s, during the golden years of the Chelsea gayborhood, John Blair got back into the game and threw some of the biggest and best gay parties in town—especially at Roxy, a now-defunct legendary NYC gay nightlife institution. “Your Chelsea boy was born,” John Blair continued. “Everyone was taking steroids and had big upper bodies and small legs. If you squinted on the dance floor on Fire Island, everyone looked the same.”

John Blair is well known for his coveted gay nightlife lists and issues branded White Cards to its members. A secret, but not-so-secret Gold Card existed that John would issue to the hottest guys and give them free entry and free or discounted drinks. It may or may not still exist 😉

John Blair works together with Beto Sutter, his longtime partner in life and business.