Pete Douglas (1929-2014), founder and proprietor of the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society in Half Moon Bay CA
The venue was founded in 1964 by Pete Douglas[1] and is now run by his daughter, Barbara Douglas Riching.[2]
Pete Douglas moved to Half Moon Bay in 1957. He purchased a beer joint and ran it as the Ebb Tide Cafe.
The society's name came from an informal party hosted at the Ebb Tide Cafe in 1963. While Pete and his guests danced to a Bach Brandenberg Concerti, others lit dynamite nearby on the beach. A guest suggested they call themselves the Bach Dancing & Dynamite Society and they incorporated under that name soon afterwards.[2]
Today a member-supported non-profit, the Bach has hosted performances for more than fifty years, often featuring jazz musicians visiting the San Francisco Bay Area on larger tours.[3]
The Bach is listed in the DownBeat 2024 International Jazz Venue Guide as presenting "world-class jazz in an intimate setting with stunning views of the ocean."[4]
