Nestled on a narrow, one-way street among Yale University buildings, a pizza joint and an ice cream shop, Toad’s Place looks like a typical haunt for college kids.

But inside the modest, two-story building is a veritable museum of paintings and signed photos depicting the head-turning array of artists who've played the nightclub over the years:

The Rolling Stones. Bob Dylan. Billy Joel. Bruce Springsteen. U2. The Ramones and Johnny Cash. Rap stars Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Kanye West, Cardi B, Run-D.M.C., Snoop Dogg and Public Enemy. Blues legends B.B. King, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and John Lee Hooker. And jazz greats Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Herbie Hancock.

This year, the New Haven institution is celebrating 50 years in business.

And the people who made it happen are reflecting on Toad's success in attracting so many top acts to a venue with a standing-only capacity of about 1,000.

"We're predominantly known for bringing in the best acts that we possibly can and over the 50 years we've brought in just tons of acts." said owner Brian Phelps, 71, who started as the club’s manager in 1976.

Music and cheap beer fuel success.

Original owner Mike Spoerndle initially opened Toad’s Place in January 1975 as a French restaurant with two friends he later bought out.

Before that, the building had been a burger and sandwich joint.

But when the restaurant got off to a slow start, Spoerndle had an idea for bringing in more customers, especially students: music, dancing and beer.

A Tuesday night promotion with bands and 25-cent brews helped turn the tide.

Among the acts who performed was New Haven-born Michael Bolotin, who would change his name to Michael Bolton and go on to become a Grammy-winning ballad writer and singer.

The gregarious and charismatic Spoerndle, who died in 2011, endeared himself to bands and customers.

A local musician he tapped as Toad's booking agent used his connections to bring in area bands and, later, major blues acts.

Then, in 1977, came a crucial moment. Spoerndle met and befriended concert promoter Jim Koplik, who would bring in many big names to Toad's over the years, and still does today.

In 1980, Billy Joel stunned Toad’s by picking it — and several other venues — to record songs for his first live album, “Songs in the Attic.”

That same year, a little-known band from Ireland would play at Toad’s as an opening act.

It was among the first shows U2 played in North America.

The band played the club two more times in 1981 before hitting it big.

An unforgettable show for $3.01On a Saturday night in August 1989, Toad’s advertised a performance by a local band, The Sons of Bob, and a celebration of Koplik’s 40th birthday, followed by a dance party.

The admission price: $3.01.

After The Sons of Bob did a half-hour set, Spoerndle and Koplik took the stage and introduced the Rolling Stones.

The stunned crowd of around 700 erupted as the Stones kicked off an hourlong show with “Start Me Up.”

The Stones had been practicing at a former school in Washington, Connecticut, for their upcoming “Steel Wheels” tour — their first in seven years — and had wanted to play a small club as a warmup.

The band’s promoter called Koplik, who recommended Toad's. The band agreed, but insisted on secrecy.

Those at Toad’s kept a lid on it for the most part, but swirling rumors helped pack the club.

A few months later, Bob Dylan's manager reached out looking for a club where he could warm up for an upcoming tour.

Dylan's 1990 show at Toad's sold out in 18 minutes. He played four-plus hours — believed to be his longest performance — beginning with a cover of Joe South’s 1970 song “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” and ending with his own “All Along the Watchtower," Phelps recalled.

Phelps — who bought out Spoerndle's stake in Toad's in 1998 — believes the secret to the venue's longevity has been bringing in acts from different genres, along with events such as dance nights and “battle of the bands”.

Rap shows especially draw big crowds, he said.

Naughty by Nature and Public Enemy played Toad’s in 1992.

After releasing his first album, Kanye West played there in 2004 with John Legend on keyboards.

Drake played Toad’s in 2009, early in his music career. And Snoop Dogg stopped by to perform in 2012 and 2014.

On a recent night, as local groups took the stage for a battle of the bands contest, many were in awe of playing in the same space where so many legends have performed.

Rook Bazinet, the 22-year-old singer of the Hartford-based emo group Nor Fork, said the band members' parents told them of all the big acts they'd seen at the New Haven hotspot over the years.

"Playing Toads has been so exciting," said Bazinet. "When we told our parents that we were playing Toad's Place they were , like oh my God Toad's Place! They had so many stories to tell of all of the wonderful people that they've seen here, like my mom saw Phish back in the 90s and it's , like oh my God wow, like what a legacy to be a part of."