Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon is a Country and Western bar/honky tonk that was founded as the Esquire Ballroom in 1955 by Raymond Proske in Houston, Texas, at 11410 Hempstead northwest of downtown Houston. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] In the 1970s and 1980s the club was considered the main rival to Gilley's Club across town in Pasadena.
The Esquire Ballroom closed in 1995 and remained unused for a number of years. The nightclub reopened as Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon in August 2013 as the largest country and western genre bar in the Southern United States, the second largest country and western dancehall and bar in the state of Texas, and largest country and western bar in Houston. It continues to host music acts, comedy shows, charity events and more on the same stage that it used as the previous Esquire Ballroom. The venue is very welcoming to everyone and has a great mainstream following as well. [12] [13]
On March 28, 2014, USA Today named Neon Boots one of the top ten dance halls in Texas in their "10 Great Places" series. [14]
Bill Anderson • Bill Monroe • Billy Walker • Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys • Bobby Bare • Bobby Helms • Bobby Lewis • Buck Owens • Carl Smith • Charley Pride • Conway Twitty • Crystal Gayle • Darrell McCall • Dolly Parton • Earl Scruggs • Ernest Tubb • Faron Young • Ferlin Husky • Floyd Tillman • Freddie Hardt • Gene Watson • George Jones • Glen Campbell • Hank Locklin • Hank Thompson • Jack Greene • Jean Shepard • Jeannie C. Riley • Jeannie Sealy • Jim Reeves • Jimmy Copeland • Jimmy Dean • Jimmy Dickens • Jimmy Dry • Jimmy Heap • Joe Berry • Joey Jay •Johnny Bush • Johnnie Lee Wills • Johnny Rodriguez • Justin Fulcher Band • Kelly Scoppa • Kenny Rogers • Kitty Wells • Larry Butler • Lee Roy Matocha Orchestra • Lefty Frizzell • Leroy Van Dyke • Lester Flatt • Lonzo & Oscar • Loretta Lynn • Marty Robbins • Mel Tillis • Merle Haggard • Patsy Cline • Porter Wagoner • Ray Krenek Orchestra • Ray Price • Red Steagall • Rita Hardt & The Rhinesones • Ronnie Milsap • Rose Maddox • Roy Clark • Tammy Wynette • Tanya Tucker • Tom T. Hall • Wanda Jackson • Waylon Jennings • Web Price • Willie Nelson
After his son Billy was born in 1958, Willie Nelson and his family moved to Houston. On the way, Nelson stopped by the Esquire Ballroom to sell his original songs to house band singer Larry Butler. Butler refused to purchase the song "Mr. Record Man" for $10, instead giving Nelson a six-night job singing in the club and a $50 loan to rent an apartment. [15] Nelson rented an apartment near Houston, in Pasadena, Texas, where he also worked at the radio station as the sign-on disk jockey.
Nelson was inspired to write the song "Night Life" during one of his trips from his home in Pasadena to his work, singing at the Esquire. Due to financial issues, Nelson sold the song to guitar instructor Paul Buskirk for $150. The song was rejected by Pappy Daily, who made Nelson's studio recordings at the time. Daily believed that the song was not country. Due to the amount of money that Nelson received for the song, he decided to record the song in another studio. To avoid legal actions, it was recorded as "Nite Life" under the artist name of "Hugh Nelson and Paul Buskirk and the Little Men".
The 1988 Broadway musical Always... Patsy Cline takes place in the bar. Produced by Ted Swindley in 1988, the story was taken and expanded from a section of the Cline biography, Honky Tonk Angel, written by Ellis Nassour. Always... Patsy Cline chronicles the real-life story of her encounter in 1961 with Louise Seger, a fan and Mississippi native who arrived early at The Esquire Ballroom in Houston for Cline's performance. In a chance encounter before the show, the two met and formed a lasting friendship. [16] [17]
Patsy Cline was an American singer from the state of Virginia. She is considered one of the most influential vocalists of the 20th century and was one of the first country music artists to cross over into pop music. Cline had several major hits during her eight-year recording career, including two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot Country and Western Sides chart.
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country singer, guitarist and songwriter. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restrictions of the Nashville sound. The critical success of his album Shotgun Willie (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger (1975) and Stardust (1978), made Nelson one of the most recognized artists in country music. Nelson has acted in over 30 films, co-authored several books, and has been involved in activism for the use of biofuels and the legalization of marijuana.
"Crazy" is a song written by Willie Nelson and popularized by country singer Patsy Cline in 1961. Nelson wrote the song while living in Houston, working for Pappy Daily's label D Records. He was also a radio DJ and performed in clubs. Nelson then moved to Nashville, Tennessee, working as a writer for Pamper Music. Through Hank Cochran, the song reached Patsy Cline. After her original recording and release, Cline's version reached number two on Billboard's Hot Country Singles, also crossing to the pop chart as a top 10 single.
Shotgun Willie is the 16th studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, released on June 11, 1973. The recording marks a change of style for Nelson, who later stated that the album "cleared his throat". When Nelson refused to sign an early extension of his contract with RCA Records in 1972, the label decided not to release any further recordings. Nelson hired Neil Reshen as his manager, and while Reshen negotiated with RCA, Nelson moved to Austin, Texas, where the ongoing hippie music scene at the Armadillo World Headquarters renewed his musical style. In Nashville, Nelson met producer Jerry Wexler, vice president of Atlantic Records, who was interested in his music. Reshen solved the problems with RCA and signed Nelson with Atlantic as their first country music artist.
"I Fall to Pieces" is a song written by Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard that was originally recorded by Patsy Cline. Released as a single in 1961 via Decca Records, it topped the country charts, crossed over onto the pop charts and became among Cline's biggest hits. Cline was initially reluctant to record "I Fall to Pieces" and believed its production lacked enough country instrumentation for her liking. Eventually, Cline recorded the song upon the encouragement of her producer.
Edwin A. "Bud" Shrake, Jr. was an American journalist, sportswriter, novelist, biographer and screenwriter. He co-wrote a series of golfing advice books with golf coach Harvey Penick, including Harvey Penick's Little Red Book, a golf guide that became the best-selling sports book in publishing history. Called a “lion of Texas letters” by the Austin American-Statesman, Shrake was a member of the Texas Film Hall of Fame, and received the Lon Tinkle lifetime achievement award from the Texas Institute of Letters and the Texas Book Festival Bookend Award.
Both Sides Now is the tenth studio album by country singer Willie Nelson, released in 1970.
The Party's Over and Other Great Willie Nelson Songs is the sixth studio album by country singer Willie Nelson.
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The Family is the lead singer Willie Nelson's touring and recording group. Nelson, who did not manage through the 1960s to succeed as a singer, retired after the failure of his 1971 album Yesterday's Wine. The following year, he returned from retirement rejuvenated by the burgeoning music movement of Austin, Texas.
"Night Life" is a song written by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. Nelson was inspired to write the song during one of his trips from his home in Pasadena, Texas, to his work, singing at the Esquire Ballroom in Houston.
"Family Bible" is a song written by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. Nelson began writing the song in 1957, while he enjoyed success as a disc jockey in KVAN, in Vancouver, Washington. After being denied a raise by the station, he moved to Houston, Texas. Due to financial issues he sold the song to Paul Buskirk.
"Mr. Record Man" is a song written by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. After writing the song, Nelson moved to Houston, Texas, where due to his financial issues, tried to sell it to Larry Butler. Butler, who rejected to buy the song, employed Nelson instead. After his original songs turned into hits for other artists, Nelson was signed as a recording artist by Liberty Records.
"The Storm Has Just Begun" is a song by country music singer-songwriter Willie Nelson. Nelson wrote the song at the age of twelve. While working for KBOP in Pleasanton, Texas, in 1955, the song was one of the first two ever recorded by Nelson.
"Willingly" is a duet by American country music singer Willie Nelson and Shirley Collie, produced by Joe Allison during Nelson's third session for Liberty Records. Released in March 1962, the album reached number ten on Billboard's Hot Country Singles.
"What a Way to Live" is a song written by country music singer Willie Nelson. He recorded the song on his second session with D Records, after moving to Houston, Texas. Produced by Bill Quinn, it was cut at Gold Star Studios in March 1960.
"The Party's Over" is a song written and recorded by American country music singer Willie Nelson during the mid-1950s. After arriving in Houston, Texas, Nelson was hired to play for the Esquire Ballroom band, where he would be allowed to close the shows singing the song. Guitar instructor and Nelson's friend Paul Buskirk forwarded the song to singer Claude Gray, who recorded the original version of the song, released as "My Party's Over" in 1959.
Brazos River Bottom, also known as the BRB, was a gay bar located in the Midtown, Houston, Texas, United States, that opened in 1978. At the time of its closure in 2013, it was one of Houston's oldest gay bars, and the oldest still running at its original location.