The Pontiac Brothers’ Dive Became Cool

Linda’s Doll Hut owner Linda Jemison said she bought the roadhouse in 1989 largely because Fullerton-based rock band the Pontiac Brothers had immortalized it in the title of their 1984 debut album, “Doll Hut.” Pontiac Brothers co-founder Ward Dotson, who now lives in Los Angeles, weighed in on what the Doll Hut meant to him and offered some thoughts on news that Jemison plans to close the club this summer:

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In 1984, Matt Simon and I worked at a record store together. We would carpool to work and drive by this bar called the Doll Hut. Outside was a sign that read “Lunch: 60 cents.” I said, “I’m buyin’ lunch.”

Later that year, we formed the Pontiac Brothers and called our first U.S. release “Doll Hut.” We started hanging out there after rehearsals and other occasions. We ended up playing there for our record-release party and all subsequent release parties.

In those days, there were never more than a half-dozen patrons, mostly mechanics, rail-yard workers and various aspiring drunks. When we played, it was free and the place was packed.

The owners thought we were Van Halen (we actually were Van Halen and I’ve never divulged this until now). We wrote a song called “Doll Hut,” mostly about the characters we’d met. Whenever we went in there, the first pitcher was on the house--it was our little place that we found and made our own.

In 1989, Linda [Jemison] and her partner at the time were trying to buy a bar. I ran into them and they were bursting to tell me that they had just purchased the Doll Hut, partially because it had some rock cachet, thanks to the P. Bros.

I think we launched the “new” Doll Hut and eventually Linda started booking all kinds of bands and somehow made that little dive cool. Linda was a champion of a lot of bands, and her sort will be sorely missed. The Doll Hut was authentic and that’s tough to be these days.