The Broken Spoke : Austin's legendary honky-tonk / Donna Marie Miller.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Miller, Donna Marie, 1956- author.

Series:

John and Robin Dickson series in Texas music.

John and Robin Dickson series in Texas music

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Country music--Texas--Austin--History and criticism.

Country music.

Country musicians--Texas--Austin.

Country musicians.

Dance halls--Texas--Austin--History.

Dance halls.

Bars (Drinking establishments)--Texas--Austin--History.

Bars (Drinking establishments).

Popular culture--Texas--Austin--History.

Popular culture.

Businessmen--Texas--Austin.

Businessmen.

Broken Spoke (Dance Hall)--History.

Broken Spoke (Dance Hall).

White, James M., 1939-.

White, James M.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (pages cm.)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

College Station : Texas A&M University Press, [2017]

Summary:

"James and Annetta White opened the Broken Spoke in 1964, then a mile south of the Austin city limits, under a massive live oak, and beside what would eventually become South Lamar Boulevard. White built the place himself, beginning construction on the day he received his honorable discharge from the US Army. And for more than fifty years, the Broken Spoke has served up, in the words of White's well-worn opening speech, "cold beer, good whiskey, the best chicken fried steak in town ... and good country music." White paid thirty-two dollars to his first opening act, D. G. Burrow and the Western Melodies, back in 1964. Since then, the stage at the Spoke has hosted the likes of Bob Wills, Dolly Parton, Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, Marcia Ball, Pauline Reese, Roy Acuff, Kris Kristofferson, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Asleep at the Wheel, and the late, great Kitty Wells. But it hasn't always been easy; through the years, the Whites and the Spoke have withstood their share of hardship--a breast cancer diagnosis, heart trouble, the building's leaky roof, and a tour bus driven through its back wall. Today the original rustic, barn-style building, surrounded by sleek, high-rise apartment buildings, still sits on South Lamar, a tribute and remembrance to an Austin that has almost vanished. Housing fifty years of country music memorabilia and about a thousand lifetimes of memories at the Broken Spoke, the Whites still honor a promise made to Ernest Tubb years ago: they're 'keepin' it country'"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Foreword, by Charles Townsend

Acknowledgments

Introduction

The 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s

Dance hall tradition

James White receives his honky-tonk education

Dance hall influences on James White

The 1960s

Origins of country music

The Broken Spoke opens

First performers booked for dancing at the Spoke

The 1970s

The progressive country movement

The White family expands

George Strait, Alvin Crow, Jerry Jeff Walker, and the Wheel

The 1980s

Urban cowboy, Dallas, and South by Southwest

"The Broken Spoke legend" song

Mixed drinks and loyal customers

The 1990s

Austin becomes the "live music capital of the world"

"If there's a Willie, there's a way" fund-raiser and the "Broken Spoke Series"

Making movies and introducing new talent

The 2000s

Movie and music mecca

Sale of the land and a rash of health issues

The Dixie Chicks, Kinky Friedman, Ray Price, and a bus crash

The 2010s

The Whites' small family business thrives

New neighbors, dance lessons, and celebrations

Documenting the Broken Spoke.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-228) and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

1-62349-520-2

OCLC:

984646036