When Duane Abbajay took over his brother’s bankrupt nightclub in 1962, he promised his wife it would be a quick turnaround to protect his family’s name. Instead, he became the face of a bar that transformed Toledo’s entertainment scene and inspired a Grammy-winning country song—all under the thumb of a trigger-happy mafia boss.
Informed by interviews with crime historians, bartenders, and bargoers and corroborated by FBI reports, this Rust Belt psychodrama offers a new perspective into the worlds of organized crime and the music business, which were closely entwined.
Emotional, theatrical, and dripping with nostalgia, A Bar in Toledo is a love letter to the golden age of American music—and the dark underworld that made it all possible.
Praise for A Bar in Toledo
“This terrific, well-written, and highly original book gives the reader, all at once, tales of the early days of rock and roll; the Midwest Mafia; and the ups and downs of immigration. It has something for everyone in abundance.”
— Charles Brandt, #1 New York Times bestselling author of I Heard You Paint Houses, inspiration for the Netflix film The Irishman
“This book crackles from the first page. Vaiana and Abbajay imbed a great mob story within a riveting narrative that chronicles the duty of family, the emerging rock and roll music revolution, and ethnic assimilation in Midwestern America in the mid 20th Century. Take the ride with their vivid wordsmanship and you won’t be disappointed.”
— Scott M. Burnstein, acclaimed mob writer and bestselling true-crime author
About the Authors
Dominic Vaiana is a writer, ghostwriter, and founder of Law 6 Media, a content marketing agency for venture-backed brands. He has worked with Spotify, Rémy Cointreau, Intuit, and Mastercard. He lives in Los Angeles.
Find him at dominicv.net.
Stephanie Abbajay is the co-owner and managing partner of David Stine Furniture. She is also a writer and editor. She has written dozens of articles and essays and has ghostwritten five books. She lives in Dow, Illinois, just outside St. Louis.