"So it's not a surprise that when he thought of a place for kids to go, it would involve dancing and music." We always had music going in the house," said his daughter, Linda Nybo Lenz, of Austin. "My mom and dad loved dancing they loved music. The stairs to the club, quickly thronged with young Austinites, were dubbed "the stairway to heaven." He rented a space on the second floor of a downtown building and the Tower opened at the end of August 1957. His solution: open a club for teens in the Austin area. As they approached their teen years, Nybo began wondering how he could steer them to safe, fun activities. The Tower was created by Clarence Nybo, a regular guy who worked for the local power utility and had two young daughters. "I'm flattered, but actually my only accomplishment is that I've grown old and I've managed to stay physically fit enough to play guitar," the 79-year-old Rush said with a laugh. On Friday, Rush and his band, the Rush Hour, will take the stage again to headline the Tower Tribute, celebrating the 65th anniversary of the Tower, a club that was unlike just about any other place in the state. The young guitarist had no idea he was kicking off a nearly 15-year run for a club that's still legendary in the memories of southern Minnesotans who came of age in the 1950s and '60s.
The Saints, a local doo-wop group, had a booking for opening night at a club in downtown Austin, Minn. At age 15, Barry Rush was already a seasoned musician when he got the call for a gig in the fall of 1957.