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Billy Bob's Texas

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Billy Bob's Texas is a country music nightclub located in the Fort Worth Stockyards, Texas, United States. It promotes itself as "The World's Largest Honky Tonk," at 100,000 square feet of interior space and nearly 20 acres of parking space.[1]

Billy Bob's Texas
The World's Largest Honky Tonk
The front of Billy Bob's Texas
Map
Address2520 Rodeo Plaza
LocationFort Worth, Texas
Coordinates32°47′29″N 97°20′53″W / 32.79139°N 97.34806°W / 32.79139; -97.34806
OwnerBilly Bob's Texas, LLC
TypeNightclub
Genre(s)Country
Capacity6,000+
OpenedApril 1, 1981 (1981-04-01)
Website
billybobstexas.com

History

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Billy Bob Barnett, a Texas A&M University graduate and professional football player, teamed up with nightclub owner and former car salesman, Spencer Taylor. While looking for a location to fit their idea, the men decided upon an abandoned 100,000-square-foot department store that was at one time an open-air cattle barn. With some additional investors, Barnett and Taylor renovated the building's interior and exterior and opened the place to the public on April 1, 1981.[2] Billy Bob's closed in January 1988,[3] and reopened in October 1988 under new ownership and management. Holt Hickman, Don Jury, Steve Murrin and Billy Minick formed the new ownership group.

Mostly known for country music, the venue has also hosted acts such as Bob Hope[4] and B.B. King.[5]

In 1983, Merle Haggard, while on stage, offered each person in the crowd of 5,095 a C.C. Waterback (a one-ounce Canadian Club Whiskey with a water chaser) in honor of his song of that name. The drinks totaled 40 gallons and at the time, cost $12,737.50. The stunt earned Haggard a place in the Guinness Book of World Records as the purchaser of the biggest round ever.[6]

Billy Bob's Texas celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2016. The celebration culminated in November with a weekend of shows from Shooter Jennings, Rival Sons and Willie Nelson.[7]

Features

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In addition to the concert stage where the artists perform, Billy Bob's Texas also has a dance floor, music memorabilia museum, pool hall, bar, restaurant, video game arcade, gift shop, and small dirt arena where professional bull riding is held on the weekends during concert days.

Private events are also held at the venue.

Live at Billy Bob's Texas Music Series

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The dance floor at Billy Bob's Texas

Since 1999, the Smith Music Group, a music publishing company in Fort Worth, Texas has issued a continuing series of live albums recorded by major country music artists at Billy Bob's. The albums are titled Live at Billy Bob's Texas, with a few exceptions. The list is currently over forty performances. Artists so far have included:

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Billy Bob's Texas has also been host to many movie and television projects. Baja Oklahoma (Willie Nelson, Lesley Ann Warren), Over the Top (Sylvester Stallone), and Necessary Roughness (Scott Bakula, Sinbad) have all been filmed there.[8]

Billy Bob's is used extensively playing itself during location filming for several episodes in Season 7 of the original TV series Dallas.

Professional wrestling was also filmed at the venue in the mid to late 1980s.[9]

References

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  1. ^ "Texas State Historical Association - Billy Bob's Texas".
  2. ^ "Texas State Historical Association - Billy Bob's Texas".
  3. ^ "Last Call At Billy Bob's, But Reopening Promised". Daily Variety. January 11, 1988. p. 6.
  4. ^ "The Portal to Texas History- Bob Hope and Hub Baker at Billy Bob's Texas".
  5. ^ "Dallas Observer - B.B. King at Billy Bob's Texas".
  6. ^ "People Magazine Vol 19 no. 5".
  7. ^ "Fort Worth Star Telgram - Willie Nelson to headline 35th anniversary event at Billy Bob's Texas".
  8. ^ "Dallas Film Commission - Billy Bob's Texas".
  9. ^ "Wrestling Epicenter- WWW Wild West Wrestling - Fort Worth, TX".
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