Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe

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Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe
Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe
Former namesOld Quarter
Address413 20th Street
Location Galveston, Texas [1]
Coordinates 29°18′20.8″N94°47′25.2″W / 29.305778°N 94.790333°W / 29.305778; -94.790333
OwnerJoel & Angela Mora [2]
TypeMusic venue
Seating typeTables, Rows & Bar
Capacity 85
Construction
Opened1965 (1965) (Houston) [3]
Closed1979
Reopened1996 (Galveston)
Website
oldquarteracousticcafe.com

Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe is a music "Listening Room" [4] in Galveston, Texas [5] founded by Rex "Wrecks" Bell. [6] Originally a bar Old Quarter, it was opened in Houston, Texas in 1965 by Rex Bell and Cecil Slayton. [7] The Old Quarter is most well-known as the venue for Townes Van Zandt live album Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas . The song Rex's Blues from the album was written about Rex Bell whom Van Zandt remarked upon during the recorded live performance. [3] The reopened Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe in Galveston, Texas features recurring "open mic" acoustic music performances.

History

Founders Rex Bell and Cecil Slayton opened a bar named Old Quarter in Houston, Texas near the corner of Congress Street and Austin Street. [7] This replaced the previous speakeasy The Yellow Cab Club. [7] After Slayton left, Dale Soffar then partnered with Bell. [8] After Rex Bell left for Nashville, Tennessee in the 1970's, Dale Soffar was the sole owner. [3] In 1979, the Old Quarter closed its Houston location.

In 1996, Rex opened the Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe in Galveston, Texas in the Strand Historic District. [3] [6] [2] In 2016, Rex retired due to health problems. He sold the Old Quarter Acoustic Cafe to a past stage musician and patron, Joel Mora, and his wife Angela Mora. [2] Rex is still considered the "Old Quarter's patron saint" as he continues to frequent the cafe, take part in events, and play acoustic open mic shows. [3] [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galveston, Texas</span> City in Texas, United States

Galveston is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of 209.3 square miles (542 km2), with a population of 53,695 in 2020, is the county seat of surrounding Galveston County and second-largest municipality in the county. It is also within the Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land metropolitan area at its southern end on the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolivar Peninsula, Texas</span> CDP in Texas, United States

Bolivar Peninsula is a census-designated place (CDP) in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,417 at the 2010 census. The communities of Port Bolivar, Crystal Beach, Caplen, Gilchrist, and High Island are located on Bolivar Peninsula.

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John Townes Van Zandt was an American singer-songwriter. He wrote numerous songs, such as "Pancho and Lefty", "For the Sake of the Song", "If I Needed You", "Tecumseh Valley", "Tower Song", "Rex's Blues", and "To Live Is to Fly". His musical style has often been described as melancholic and features rich, poetic lyrics. During his early years, Van Zandt was respected for his guitar playing and fingerpicking ability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port Bolivar, Texas</span>

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References

  1. "Contact & Directions". oldquarteracousticcafe.com. OLD QUARTER ACOUSTIC CAFE. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Chris Gray (July 31, 2020). "'It's pretty bleak right now': Galveston's historic Old Quarter venue on verge of becoming history". Houston Chronicle: Preview.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Andrew Dansby (July 22, 2016). "Like Old Quarter venue he's selling, Rex Bell one of the last of past musical era". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019.
  4. "FAQs". oldquarteracousticcafe.com. OLD QUARTER ACOUSTIC CAFE. Archived from the original on 2022-02-14. Retrieved 2019-12-21.
  5. Kimber Fountain. "Old Quarter Acoustic Café: Only Real Music Need Apply". Island Guide Magazine.
  6. 1 2 John Nova Lomax (2008-09-24). "Rex "Wrecks" Bell Is Just Playing". Houston Press. Archived from the original on 22 December 2019.
  7. 1 2 3 John Nova Lomax (2009-09-24). "Houston 101: Townes Van Zandt's Lost Houston". Houston Press. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019.
  8. "IN LOVING MEMORY". oldquarteracousticcafe.com. OLD QUARTER ACOUSTIC CAFE.