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As the Age of Aquarius dawned in Phoenix, a tough-talking, 50-something Chi-town native exposed the city to the latest entertainment phenomenon.

Herb's Underground came alive at the end of the workday with the unfurling of its banner over the garage sign of what is now Phoenix City Square. Shown the path to “get down,” revelers descended to the lower-level nightclub to boogie to pulsating rhythms spun by disc jockeys at the city’s first discotheque.

With Herb Lieb as the club’s consummate host, the disco became a huge success.

“My father loved the whole idea of owning a club, even though he lacked experience in the business,” his son, real estate agent Bobby Lieb, says. "But he was single, knew lots of people in the city, and wasn't fearful of taking a chance."

Lieb grew up in a tough Westside Chicago neighborhood. He joined the Army during World War II and took part in D-Day landings in Normandy.

"My father didn't talk about it much, but he saw many friends die on the beach that day," Bobby Lieb recalls. 

After the war, Lieb married Sharon Nessel and worked managing retail stores. The couple had two sons, Bobby and Michael, before divorcing. Lieb relocated to Phoenix in 1964 and became partners with Geri Aron in Kagel’s, a fashionable ladies store in Park Central Mall.

On vacation in France, Lieb experienced the popularity of discos and returned to Phoenix to launch his zodiac-themed club on May 15, 1971. The disco featured a multicolored astrological wheel with blinking lights and the 12 signs of the zodiac over the circular bar.

For opening night, Lieb brought in Rat Packer Peter Lawford from Los Angeles, who indicated he'd be "happy to aid the opening night psychedelics." Herb’s Underground warranted a mention in Billboard magazine as Phoenix joined heavyweights New York and Los Angeles in the embryonic disco world.

The disco became a hit, but not without an initial off-key note. Lieb hired his friend, Valley radio personality Bill Heywood, as the club's disc jockey.

"They were such disco novices that it took them a few nights to realize they needed two turntables at the club,” his son, Bobby Lieb, says.

The disco was welcoming to all no matter what their astrological sign was — or skin color. NBA teams staying across the street at Del Webb's Townhouse Hotel stopped by after games. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar almost hit his head on the disco’s low ceiling while dancing at the basement club after his Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in 1971.

The success of Herb’s Underground proved to be its downfall. Lieb eventually bought out his partners and sold the nightclub in 1974 to the Del Webb Corporation, which closed it.

"It was a conservative environment, and the building’s management didn’t want the headaches associated with a nightclub,” Bobby Lieb says. But Lieb’s first disco set the tone for many that would follow in the Valley.

Lieb died at age 91 in 2011, and more than 275 people attended his funeral.

"My dad was a tough guy, but there wasn't anything that he would not do for a friend," his son says.

Douglas C. Towne is the editor of Arizona Contractor & Community magazine, http://www.arizcc.com. 

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