Phoenix’s Rhythm Room to close after 35 years as owner announces retirement

The Rhythm Room, one of Phoenix’s most storied live music venues, will close for good on May 30, 2027, owner Bob Corritore announced Wednesday.

Corritore, a blues harmonica player who turns 70 in September, said he is ready for a slower pace after more than three decades running the Indian School Road club.

“After 35-plus fantastic years of running the Rhythm Room, I have decided to retire the club and enter into the next chapter of my life,” Corritore said in a statement.

The venue opened in 1991 and became a destination for blues, roots and a wide range of live music, hosting thousands of concerts and welcoming national touring acts to its intimate stage near Seventh Street.

“A glorious final season”

Corritore said the club will reopen Aug. 27 following its summer break and launch a farewell run of shows through next May.

He hopes fans will come celebrate the venue’s legacy during those final months.

“I have experienced no better feeling than getting on that stage with my favorite musicians to play my heart out to a room filled with dear friends,” read the farewell note.

The closure caps a difficult stretch for the Rhythm Room. In 2024, Corritore raised more than $36,000 in a GoFundMe campaign.

Corritore said he doesn’t plan to leave music behind. He will continue performing with his band, recording, promoting shows and hosting a blues radio program.

“I’m going to give myself permission to live life with a more measured, less hectic pace,” said Corritore. “I look back at the many amazing achievements of the Rhythm Room and all of the people that it’s touched and I have nothing but gratitude.”

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