In 1975, Sixth Street in downtown Austin wasn’t exactly groover’s paradise. There was a sprinkling of bars like the Green Spot and Triple J, a drugstore, some nefarious buildings that possessed their own hidden charms, and even a barbecue shack that catered to the street’s working girls. Near Congress Avenue, the aging Driskill Hotel backed up to Sixth, but it had seen better days. Of course, the area was the perfect location for a blues club. And not just any blues club, but Antone’s. It has been said that Clifford Antone didn’t choose the blues. The blues chose him. The Port Arthur native opened a sandwich shop in Austin in the early 70s, along the lines of his family’s business in Houston. But soon there were guitars and amps in the back of the shop, and before long the blues had taken over. The blues was inside Clifford Antone, and it had to come out. What he did when it was out was open the best nightclub in America, one that would showcase legends like Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Jimmy Reed and dozens more. It would also give to Austin an alternative to the redneck rock renegades’ music that was taking over the city. Antone’s on Sixth Street opened on July 15, 1975, with a weekend stint from zydeco king Clifton Chenier & His Red Hot Louisiana Band. Devoted spirits like Angela Strehli and several Port Arthur comrades made sure things worked and that the music was presented with the respect it deserved. That weekend also served notice that a different universe had arrived in Austin, one that would change the city forever. Before long the large room, formerly a furniture store, also became a clubhouse for just-beginning Austin bands like the Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Triple Threat Revue. Antone’s changed everything in Austin, and pointed a way forward in spreading the blues. [continued] https://www.antonesnightclub.com/history/
OK...I have new grievances and you're all gonna hear about them First it was obnoxious muffler guy; then huge bass guy; then LED blinding headlight guy; then LED lightbar guy; now Dudes have their brakes wired so any and every time he touched them the brakelights flashed 4 times then went solid. Imagine being in traffic behind these rolling strobelights, it's only happened to me twice (2 different trucks) and thankfully for not that far. Has anyone else seen this?
