Originally known as Sam’s Lunch Room and located at 9 West Fifth Street in Dayton, the name was changed to Sam’s Bar and Grill and was eventually known by the patrons simply as “Sam’s.” It became a haven for bluegrass music in the early 1970s, featuring such acts as the Hotmud Family, the Dry Branch Fire Squad, the Muddy River Band, Lee Allen, Red Allen and the Allen Brothers, the Falls City Ramblers, the Dorsey Harvey Band, the Hagan Brothers, and others. It was owned by Mike Zunis, who had a history in the bar and restaurant business going back to the heyday of downtown Dayton night clubs in the 1950s. It eventually moved to 35 West Fifth Street. Mick Montgomery operated “Open Stage Night” at Sam’s on Tuesdays, which served as a springboard for opening his own bar, the Canal Street Tavern, after Sam’s closed.
Sam's Bar and Grill