Austin Music History, the next step.......

Last time I began to mention the Armadillo World Headquarters. What a place. The Armadillo was an armory building used by the Army Reserve during World War 2. The building was old and not that beautiful. It was surrounded by a dirt field which became the wonderful famous parking lot. Inside the building was the music hall which was perfect because the ceilings were high, great for sound, and it was spacious, though not glorious. Armadillo was not the kind of place people took their mothers.

Anyway, the owner and his friends fixed it up. They took some old chairs and tables and placed them outside and called it a beer garden. In the music hall, of course, beer and cheap wine was readily available. However the most popular instrument for relaxation at Armadillo was the marijuana joint. Good marijuana was plentiful and everywhere at all concerts there. There was also a grill which served the world's greasiest and healthiest nachos. About 1500 to 2000 people could fit in easily. That dirt field which became the parking lot was awesome. There were any number of large holes and pits in the parking lot and of course there are any number of stories about that parking lot. It was fun because fans and the musicians all parked there. The parking lot was one of the best places to meet famous musicians and hang out together. Many of us ended up in the parking lot for much longer than expected - typically that's where the fun began!

But how about the music? The music was outstanding. Most of the famous musicians in the world played there during the 1970s. At that time there was also a revolution in country music. Austin was the home for the "Cosmic Cowboys". They played country music with a little more rock n' roll sound at times, quite often real country too, but they dressed differently than the more traditional country artists in Nashville. Those cosmic cowboys had long hair, facial hair, and wore jeans and comfortable clothing instead of the more formal outfits those country musicians wore in Nashville. There was a cosmic country radio station in Austin called "KOKE-FM". That station's logo featured a cowboy in a cowboy hat with a big fat joint in his hand and a big smile. At that time the young people were very much into cosmic cowboy music. The local rock n' roll radio stations in Austin played that music along with their rock n' roll music.

Willie Nelson and his friends had a lot to do with the cosmic cowboy revolution. Of course they all played at the Armadillo and even hung around there often. Willie and his friends rarely, if ever, put on airs and the atmosphere at the Armadillo was incredibly laid back. Concerts were interesting. One might see a concert featuring Willie Nelson followed by Ted Nugent, or the other way around. Everyone was there for a good time. All everyone wanted was good music, the genre really didn't matter. The local Austin musicians also chipped in and performed professionally. Some were so good it was hard to imagine they were only a local band at times. The scene at Armadillo World Headquarters was unique and very interesting.

I give a lot of credit to Eddie Wilson and those who started Armadillo World Headquarters. It had a lot to do with Austin becoming one of the big centers for live music in America. Austin had live music before the Armadillo but this was the first time it was centered in one place. Next we'll talk about sixth street and Stevie Ray Vaughan.