World Famous Kenton Club

The World Famous Kenton Club, or simply Kenton Club, is a bar and music venue in north Portland, Oregon, United States. The venue was established as the Kenton Club in 1947, and became a biker bar. The "world famous" tagline was acquired after appearing in the film Kansas City Bomber (1972); the venue became known as World Famous Kenton Club, and memorabilia related to the film and its star Raquel Welch are displayed throughout the interior.

The Kenton Club is located in north Portland's Kenton neighborhood. The music venue hosts disc jockeys, karaoke, and other live events in a variety of genres. Kenton Club's clientele has been described as "gray-haired", but has catered to late-night and younger audiences in recent years with the addition of live music and inexpensive beer options.

The interior has wood panelling, and in front of the stage is a large hardwood floor. There are low ceilings, Formica tables, linoleum, and vinyl-upholstered chairs, as of 2007. The venue's designated smoking area has been described as both "vast and intimate". Billiard tables, darts, pinball, trivia, and video poker machines are available for guests. In his 2016 overview of Portland's jukeboxes, The Portland Mercury's Santi Elijah Holley described the Kenton Club's jukebox selection as "packed with plenty of classic country, blues, and punk — Hank Williams Sr. alongside Hank III". The bar has happy hour each weekday, as of 2016.

In her 2013 walking guide of Portland, Becky Ohlsen described Kenton Club as "an excellent lowbrow hangout with a rocky facade, a wood-paneled interior, cheap drinks, live music, and a friendly, rowdy crowd".

The Kenton Club opened in 1947, and became a "honky-tonk and rumble-ready" biker bar shortly thereafter.

In 1972, the venue appeared in Kansas City Bomber, starring Raquel Welch. The Kenton Club adopted the "world famous" tagline, and became known as the World Famous Kenton Club as a "permanent memorial" to the film and Welch. Memorabilia related to Kansas City Bomber and Welch are displayed throughout the venue.

Daryl and Doreen Waitt purchased the business in 2006. Smoky Mountain BBQ began serving Southern cuisine for lunch and dinner inside the Kenton Club in 2008; the menu features brisket, collard greens, dirty rice, fried fish, hushpuppy, meatloaf, pulled pork, and ribs.

The venue has hosted a variety of events and performers. Recurring dance events include "Club Nitty Gritty" (rhythm and blues and soul music), "Twirl", which caters to the queer community and features boogie, disco, funk, and house music, and "Vampyros Lesbos Dance Party", described as a "goth, post-punk, and industrial dance night for femmes and allies". In 2013, Kenton Club hosted Birdcloud and a queer country and honky-tonk dance party. The club was a featured stop on "Anticon", a competing event to SantaCon, in 2016. For New Year's Eve in 2018, the club hosted "Mutant Meltdown" featuring disco and new wave music. In 2019, the venue hosted the supergroup Wtfukushima, featuring members Fur Dixon and Dusty Watson. Kenton Club has also hosted the local music festivals "Booberamapaloozafest" and "MedEvil Madness".