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Step into the Jazz Age, and you’ll find yourself in the smoky, champagne-splashed shadows of New York City’s Prohibition nightlife—where flappers danced, jazz sizzled, and one woman reigned supreme: the indomitable Texas Guinan.
In 1922, a wild and brazen hotspot called The El Fey Club burst onto the scene, a speakeasy so notorious it practically glittered with scandal. Its official founder was Larry Fay, a former taxi company hustler-turned-racketeer with a long face and an even longer rap sheet. But let’s be honest—Fay may have signed the paperwork, but it was Texas Guinan who turned The El Fey Club into a full-blown sensation.
A former Wild West showgirl and silent film star, Mary Louise Cecilia “Texas” Guinan was no shrinking violet. With her brassy wit, bedazzled gowns, and a voice that could cut through the thickest cigar smoke, Guinan greeted guests each night with her now-legendary opener: “Hello, suckers!” And guess what? They loved it. Wall Street boys, Broadway stars, socialites, and shady bootleggers—everyone wanted to be seen at The El Fey, sipping illegal hooch and basking in Guinan’s magnetic presence.
With her sassy charm and irreverent humor, Texas wasn’t just the hostess—she was the show. She took the mic, roasted the patrons, and kept the party thumping till dawn, all while sidestepping the law with a wink and a wave. Alongside The El Fey, she partnered with Fay again to open Fay’s Follies, yet another stomping ground for the city’s glitzy and illicit nightlife elite.
At the peak of their collaboration, Guinan and Fay were pulling in serious dough—reportedly around $700,000 in just ten months. That’s the 1920s equivalent of hitting the jackpot—more than $6.4 million today. But while the money flowed, so did the drama. Fay, as it turned out, was better at throwing lavish parties than managing a budget. The El Fey eventually fizzled out, brought down by bad business decisions and Fay’s reckless spending.
But if the El Fey Club was a firework, Texas Guinan was the whole fireworks factory. She didn’t fade with the club—she exploded onto the next stage. After parting ways with Fay, Guinan blazed her own trail, opening a series of equally dazzling nightclubs where her stardom only grew brighter. She was dubbed the “Queen of the Night Clubs,” a title she wore like a rhinestone crown.
As for Larry Fay? His story took a darker turn. In 1932, during the throes of the Great Depression, he announced a pay cut at his latest venue, the Casa Blanca Club. The doorman didn’t take it well. In a dramatic end befitting a gangster-era cautionary tale, Fay was fatally shot that same night.
But Texas Guinan? Her legend lives on. She was more than a hostess—she was a cultural phenomenon, a symbol of defiance, fun, and fierce female independence in an age that desperately needed all three. The El Fey Club may be gone, but Guinan’s raspy laughter and cheeky “Hello, suckers” still echo through the pages of history.