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Carl Rippberger passed away due to AIDS in the mid-90s and Tom Giuseppe and Tom Moses bought the bar but it closed for 2 years due to legal action. He really was a joy to be around and was generous to a fault. Carl was way ahead of his time with the level of promotion and the detail he put into the major parties. One night Grace Jones showed up at Backstreet after a Royal Oak concert and proceeded through the crowd on the shoulders of her bodyguard before the floor was cleared so that she and Carl could dance alone to "Pull up to the Bumper." During the eighties and into the nineties Backstreet would routinely draw 600 people on Wednesday and 1200 on Saturday. Some of the acts that performed there during the 1980s included Sylvester, Lime, Patrick Cowley, Paul Parker, Miquel Brown, Pamela Stanley, NYC Saint DJs Robbie Leslie and Roy Thode, Carol Jiani and many, many more. Backstreet was constantly promoting theme parties and bringing in top disco artists. He strived to create some of the disco magic he experienced in New York here in Detroit. Carl traveled a lot and particularly loved New York. Eventually, Carl bought Joel out and he became sole owner.
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Of the two original owners, Carl Rippberger was the brains behind marketing and promotion with Joel handling the business side. Eventually Backstreet had two huge nights per week, Wednesdays ($1 nights) and Saturdays.
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On slow nights you could go there for a drink or for movie nights on Tuesdays. At one time Backstreet was open seven nights a week. It was an immediate hit with the Detroit gay community and its success started a long-running feud with Menjo's over business and marketing. The duo invested about $100,000 to buy it and turn it into Backstreet. & Greenfield and converted it into Backstreet. Carl Rippberger and Joel Yoder bought the Escape Bar located near Joy Rd. A Rich history serving detroit’s lgbtq communityīackstreet opened in August 1979.