West Hollywood's Troubadour nightclub honored by The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The Troubadour in West Hollywood was honored as a landmark in music history by The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Wednesday, in recognition of decades of legendary performances at the Southern California venue.

A bronze plaque will be affixed to the outside of the building, recognizing the nightclub's impact as a "place for artists to take chances before intimate audiences," it read in part.

"The reason we're here is that The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame recognizes important landmarks all over our country that have really played a huge role in rock and roll music," Greg Harris, CEO of The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, said.  

For tonight, the marquee advertises a sold-out tribute show in honor of the late Gram Parsons, who will become a Hall of Fame inductee on Saturday.

"But tonight we're honoring Gram Parsons. Gram is the godfather of all country rock. He's the one who taught the Stones about rock and roll. He recorded with Keith Richards and many others,"  Harris said.

The non-profit organization said that honoring the nearly 70-year-old venue is part of an increased focus on "emphasizing the SoCal-ness of this year's show," which takes place at the Peacock Theater on Nov. 14.

Since 1957, Troubadour has been at the heart of Los Angeles music and culture, starting as a small coffeehouse before moving from La Cienega to Santa Monica Boulevard and becoming a live music nightclub.

So many historical moments, performances, and relationships transpired and conspired within the nightclub's walls, beginning with the birth of the Eagles.

"Linda Ronstadt met future Eagles legends Don Henley and Glenn Frey at the Troubadour front bar in late 1969. She later hired them both as her backing band in early 1971, directly paving the way for them to spin off and form the Eagles," the Troubadour website states.

Epic lineups spanning decades took to the stage, including legends like Elton John, Billy Joel, and Prince, and bands such as the Byrds, Mötley Crüe, and Radiohead. Music magic just happened at the Troubadour; in 1985, Guns N' Roses debuted the classic "Appetite for Destruction" lineup.

Some highlights at the Troubadour over the years: 

• A 23-year-old Elton John made his historic US live debut
• Billy Joel made his official Los Angeles live debut on the Troubadour stage
• Johnny Cash gave one of his last performances with his wife, June Carter Cash
• Mötley Crüe played one of their first-ever shows at the Troubadour, marking an early milestone in the band's rise
• Sublime played their first and only show at the Troubadour the year prior to the release of their iconic self-titled album and the death of their frontman Bradley Nowell
• Radiohead made their U.S. live debut of "OK Computer"
• Joe Strummer played his final Los Angeles shows
• Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand performed their first Los Angeles show, including Grammy-nominated tracks like "Take Me Out" 
• Coldplay performed a secret show, debuting five songs from their third album, "X&Y" 
• The "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" cast performed their first live stage show    
• Mumford & Sons performed their debut North American headlining show    
• Brandon Flowers of The Killers made his Los Angeles solo debut in support of his album "Flamingo"       
• Prince played two surprise shows in one night amidst his "21 Night Stand" in Los Angeles