Neon Boots Dancehall & Salloon
Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon is currently an LGBT bar/honky tonk founded originally as the Esquire Ballroom in 1955 by Raymond Proske in Houston, Texas.[1] [2]
[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] 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. [12] [13]
In the 1970s and 1980s the club was considered the main rival to Gilley's Club across town in Pasadena.
The nightclub opened as Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon in August of 2013 as the largest Gay country and western genre bar in the Southern United States as well as the second largest gay bar in the state of Texas and largest gay bar in Houston. It continues to host music acts on the same stage that it hosted as the Esquire Ballroom. The venue has a huge a huge heterosexual and mainstream following as well. [14] [15]
The Birth of Willie Nelson's Career
After his son Billy was born in 1958, Willie Nelson and his family moved to Houston. On the way, Nelson stopped by the Esquire club to sell his original songs to clubowner Larry Butler. Butler refused to purchase the song "Mr. Record Man" for US$10, giving instead Nelson a US$50 loan to rent an apartment and a six-night job singing in the club.[16] Nelson rented the apartment near Houston in Pasadena, Texas, where he also worked at the radio station as the sign-on disk jockey.
Notable appearances and performances as Esquire Ballroom and Neon Boots=
• Charlie Pride • Loretta Lynn • Tanya Tucker • Dolly Parton • Ernest Tubb • Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys • Willie Nelson • Patsy Cline • Faron Young • Larry Butler (producer) • Roy Clark
References
- ^ "The Esquire Ballroom History". Neon Boots. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Kick up those heels at Neon Boots gay bar". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Neon Boots takes off where Esquire Ballroom left off". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Neon Boots, Texas' Biggest Country LGBT Bar, is Open for Business". The Houston Press. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Texas-Sized Gay Bar Neon Boots Saddles Up In Houston". LOGO TV. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Tight Jeans, Belt Buckles, and Rhinestones Dazzled "Neon Boot" Preview Party Last Night". About Magazine. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "The largest gay bar in Texas is roaring into Houston: And you'd better bring your cowboy boots". CultureMap Houston. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Neon Boots kicks up its heels at historic venue". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Dust Off Your Hat and Boots!". Outsmart Magazine. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "SAY HOWDY TO THE LARGEST GAY COUNTRY BAR IN TEXAS". Houston Swamplot. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Times Change: From the Esquire Ballroom to Neon Boots". The Beaumont Enterprise. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Always... Patsy Cline". Always... Patsy Cline on Broadway. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Stages' ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE Fabulously Spruces Up Show's 25th Anniversary". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Neon Boots kicks up its heels at historic venue". The Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ "Neon Boots, Texas' Biggest Country LGBT Bar, is Open for Business". The Houston Press. Retrieved 11 November 2013.
- ^ Nelson, Willie; Bud Shrake; Edwin Shrake 2000, p. 116, 117.
