The Total Experience was a legendary night spot on Crenshaw Blvd in Los Angeles from 1972 -1990. Owned by record producer, Lonnie Simmons, it was called the R&B equivalent of Hollywood’s Roxy Theater and booked major R&B and funk acts. They featured Cuba Gooding, The Dramatics, Side Effect, The Young Hearts, The Stylistics, The Delfonics, The Gap Band, DJ Rogers, and many more. It was jumpin’ every weekend and was a favorite with music professionals and non-industry attendees to see the hottest Black artists who were topping the charts! Who did you see there?
Lonnie had a recording studio in the building and produced hits on The Gap Band, Yarbrough and Peoples, Switch and more. He formed Total Experience Records and had major hits throughout the 80s before turning his efforts into film and video production.