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OT Spent the evening with a bit of Texas


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Posted (edited)

Asleep at the Wheel played a small performing arts center near us so we got some senior tickets and went to boogie to some Texas Swing music.

Favorite number

Big Balls in Cow Town...

Something about the Dances held at the end of the cattle drive in Fort Worth

potty brains.

Next favorite a version of Willie Nelsons Angle Flying to near the Ground

Edited by greg g
Posted (edited)

Old Ray has been down here in Texas so long we all think of him as being a Texan, hard to believe he's from back east. They play the Broken Spoke in Austin almost every week, for those of you who do not know the Broken Spoke is a Texas honky tonk Dance Hall. People come from far and wide to watch and dance the Texas two step there. Ray and the boys play boot scoot-en music, it is a way of life out in the country but is dying out in the big cities. Austin used to have six or more dance halls for country music but now just has the Broken Spoke. Fort Worth still ha Billy Bobs Texas dance hall, but Houston doesn't have Gillies any more, it burned I believe. Gillies was in the movie Grease.

Edited by james curl
addition
Posted

Since we're off topic anyway, I'll add a little. I am now in the boondocks of Missouri, but spent 20+ years in Austin designing computers.

To add to the Broken Spoke, when it was built, maybe early 60's, it was way out in the boondocks. It's now nearly downtown Austin. It didn't move, but the city limits moved maybe 15 miles?

About 10 years ago or so it was about to fall down. It was an old wooden structure, 4 by 4's holding up a roof built to no code (after all, it was out in the boonies) and was leaking, rotting, and nearly to fall down. Couldn't be repaired and rebuilding wouldn't resemble the Broken Spoke. So, what to do? Build a new metal building over it, leave the original just as it was.

Most of the big names play there - Jerry Jeff, Willie, Waylan, Geezinslaws (they may not be big where you are, but in Texas Sam and Son are big), Kinky Friedman - and any of them might just show up as a spectator any night. And get coaxed onto the stage.

I've never personally met Ray Benson (I have the others I've mentioned) but a good friend of mine and he are best friends. Mike told me recently that Although Ray is a well known performer, what is not well known is he is one of the biggest producers around, and has guided many of the top names to become just that. He tells me he's just an all around nice guy who helps anyone trying to get their start.

And, although I know they exist, in all the honkytonks I've been to I've never seen a chicken wire covered stage.

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