Does Anyone temember CAGNEY'S in Oyster Bay?

[lubby]

My uncle bartended most of his life. He also Bartended at the Bunnery, Wimbledon's ( it's now called Jackie Riley's), Fulton Street pub. Not sure where else. If I can find a picture of him I'll post it you might recognize him. He was a great bartender with a ton of charm and personality. Sadly he died in 2008 at the age of 57.

[SoulJourn]

I went to Locust Valley and we haunted Barney's (Corners) in High School and summers at home. Some times we'd drive over to Cagney's. It did have a nice laid back, vibe. My first bar was Barney's. Second. Cag's. I had East Norwich cousins.

[jorato]

I drank at Cagney's in the late 70's and early 80's. Also drank at the Homestead, George 3 and the Full Sail Inn. This was a time that will never return. It was like the wild west.

Billy Joel did stop in a few times while I was there. He would come in disguise wearing a tam-o-shanter a scarf and dark glasses. The girls would play his songs on the juke box. We just ignored him most of the time.
There was one time though that I will never forget. At the time Cagneys had a bartender by the name of Nick, He was a hard worker and had gigs as a model and magician as well as bartender. One night Billy came in and was telling folks how he had just made his 70th million dollars(this was prior to finding out his wife and brother in law had stolen it). Nicky of course was listening to this all night.

Billy hung there all night and around 2am with just about 10 of us still in the bar he decided to leave. It seems he must have left a stingy tip. Cagneys had a double door at the time and as Billy was walking through the door Nicky yelled out at the top of his lungs" HEY EVERYONE, THE ****ING MILLIONAIRE JUST LEFT A DOLLAR!". Everyone on the bar started laughing, shouting, pounding the bar and stomping our feet. Then we all stopped and heard the outside door close. Billy had heard the whole thing.
Growing up in Oyster Bay in the 60's and 70's was a wonderful experience. Hanging out in Teddy Roosevelt park, Going to Saint Doms sock hops and dances. Too bad I cant afford to live where I grew up.

[Lee1323]

My dad, Neil, used to bartend there in the early mid 70s. He went to St. Doms. He said he used to see Billy Joel sometimes also said that Billy played piano there before he was famous. He claimed piano man was about cagnwys because of the people listed who matched people who worked there but research says otherwise lol. Also told me some spooky happenings after hours! Wish I got to see it!

[fizzics2001]

Lee1323

I think you are thinking of Ovie's Bar (sp?) in downtown Oyster Bay. Ovie was German and had a piano at the front of his place. Billy Joel played there for tips and is thought to be the place he was singing about in Piano Man. The story goes that Joel came in one night and was being an ass, so Ovie threw him out and never let him back in.

Cagney's only had a pool table and juke box and that was it. Billy Joel would come in occasionally, but not often. The main bartender was a guy named Charlie. I don't remember what the bouncer's name was but he was cool and let me in even though I was only 16. I think it was because I was tall and behaved myself.

Cagney's was the kind of place that had sawdust on the floor and the restrooms were cleaned once a year, or so it seemed. On Friday and Saturday nights there would be a line of people waiting to get in, it was that popular. This tiny bar was packed shoulder to shoulder. It was the place to go.

I started going there in the summer of 1973 and continued be a regular patron until 1979. Lots of good times.