The mob-controlled speakeasy attracted "some of the best crowds" of the day,[1] such as boxing champion Gene Tunney and Mayor Jimmy Walker.
Some performances were broadcast from 1:00 to 1:30 a.m. At different times, bands led by Otto Hardwick and Elmer Snowden were featured.
Some of the greatest singers and musicians of the time performed at the club, including Alberta Hunter,[2] pianist and composer Fats Waller,[3] and jazz drummer Chick Webb.
[4] With a well-to-do clientele, the performers were well paid, sometimes making $10-15 or as much as $30 in tips per night, equivalent to a week's salary at the time.
It was said to be owned principally by Harry Lyons, a reputed gangster from the Bronx,[5] although some sources say it was owned by a man named Walsh who was killed by members of the Chicago mob when he tried to open a second location for the club there, leading to the demise of the Hot Feet Club.